The San Francisco call., 1910-07-24


There was his father busily construc-
ing reservoir all around the derrick
to hold the oil If it should burst forth
suddenly as a "gusher."
Mr.. Allen noticed the speeding horse
man and wondered at his swiftness.
When he recognized one of his own
mules and then Robbie on it's back he
hurried down the road.
The boy told his father the story of
the three robbers and the loss of the
money. In the excitement the well
borers stopped their work and hurried
over to hear the story.
Lost all your money Mr. Allen; may
be you have; but you haven't lost all
your friends. The boys and I are going
to help you catch those fellows right
now. Leave the well for while, boys.
Here Is better fun for you"
Robbie described the men who had
robbed him. He was too worn out by
his experience and the terrific ride to
go on the chase, but he watched his
father and the six well borers start off
on horseback, riding in a wide line
through the sagebrush.
Left alone, the boy was broken again.
He realized what the loss meant to his
father, that the work must stop, that
there probably would not be another
revolution Of the drill in the deep well,
which had now gone down nearly 1000
feet. He went to the derrick. There
was the oil drill hanging in the cas-
ing, covered with heavy clay The
boy ratified it. Suddenly there was
the noise of the swapping of pin,
and down through his arms into the
casing and the depth of the well fell
the drill.
Rob was dumb with this disaster. He
knew enough OF oil wells to realize
that the well with a broken drill in it
was considered ruined unless there
were fine prospects, for it cost much
labor and money to recover the drill
and proceed with the boring again. All
these thoughts went through his mind
as he listened to the falling drill dur
ing the seconds it took it to drop into
the well. 1t struck.
Then there came new sound up the
casings-a sound Rob had never heard
before, like the murmur of an earth
quake. and up past him shot a column
of black liquid, thick and heavy, oily
and odorous,, which struck the top of
the derrick and knocked the timbers
aside as if they were shingles before
a firemans hose.
Rob ran from this uncanny geyser.
He wondered for an instant what new
calamity had overcome his father. But
only for an instant. Then he knew the
truth.
The well was a gusher. an oil well
which automatically throws hundreds
Of dollars worth of oil out a day for
the harvest Of it's owner.
heavy black rain was falling over
the boy. He rushed to the edge of the
reservoir his father had been so busy
making. 1T was beginning rapidly to
fill with the oil. which was falling in
all directions. Robbie rushed around
the top of the dixie. 1T seemed to be
holding. in all places under the strain.
But no, in one place the heavy current
of oil was biting into the bank at
place where a sand sack had been
taken away The wall was crumbling.
1T would break like a dixie before
flood and then all the oil would be lost.
There was but one chance for saving
the bank. Robbie had no time to fill
another sand sack, He must be a sand
sack.
He jumped into the weak place and
snuggled in tight between the other
sacks. The oil piled up around him,
flowing up to his waist. Still he
stayed The sun set and the stars
came out and the oil flowed up to his
breast. His body was numb. but he
held his place. 1t was dark and the
flowing, heavy oil POSE to his neck, but
the lad stayed in his place, saving the
bank and thousands of barrels of oil
1t was midnight when his father and
the well borers returned. Their trip
had been long and their return was
slow, for they had carefully to guard
three sullen prisoners. AS they neared
the well they heard great roar.
"A gusherr the boss had cried
mo, mo-" replied Mr.. Allen. Don't
say that. There is nothing but bad
luck for me-"
But the riders quickened their gait
and in the light of a belated moon saw
the wonderful flow of oil.
Robbie, Robbie" cried Mr. Allen
his JOY at the success of his well being
forgotten in his anxiety over his boy
Here am, dad" came a weak voice
from almost under the fathers feet;
here l am, and IN have TO get out in
a minute, for the oils up to my mouth
now, but before you get me out get
some sacks ready to put in place of
me or you'll lose all our bully OIL"