Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1918-01-21
GOES 81 FEET IN
AN 18-|ACH WELL
CONTRACTOR DARES DEATH TO
OPEN DEEP SHAFT.
Makes FIRST Trip IN History Into HoI.
After 4 BIT Which Had Stopped
the Work OF DRILLING.
the W95k Of Drilling

fS-inch OIL wcll is the perilous tril
made hy y C. Essary. The trip. "a.
inst OF The kind ever made was t,
axe = DIM bit out of the well which
had clogged 1t At the bottom and
stopped drilling operations
Before finally securing the bit i
+ s4ry made eight trips into the Welt !.
was Lid" n "trip across the River Sttx,
. according 10 I.Ssan. who il drlliiu.
contractor.
OF course. Le iaSl within ltSeii
that it has never been accomplished
ueGore made me little Creep. u
sary said. and when one OF the drill.
ers cried anl another's voice cot trc-I-
bly, ~ thcv pleaded with me not 20 IN
ter;ake he scai. became itihr
more tieubly. bat none the less de
termined
AS started on my first trip dosH
tha we'll al those present told ne
ao0dby Their voices tremblcd and
thelY eyes ddn', look just eight. AMI
must confess tha( that was the NOS
tfyinc tin. OF the whole deal. but /
hsG my hear. SET Oh TIE trip and wani
I'd to bury and get myself where
would not be moved by sentiment. 50
gave the order. Let 'cr go, or III cur
nc rope
"a moved slowly town MO Ia.
well kept wondering it II would ga
.ay tighter, Tor 1S5.pound man fits
IN ls-inch holc pretty tigh,. out att,
/ had descended about iuity feet 30
Low ,hc o0.inch pipe discovered was
going 10 have plenty Of room, except
in places wbere the formations were
hard A. r8G1ed through TIE tiah'
places ip.o largo roomy 5awning ca}.
esne i you'll make me scringe for
would janfle around on the table and
could not touch anything for support
spd they looked ike large. red mouths
prepared 10 swallow me up.
Then went into anothe, tlSht
pace which proved 10 be pure white
ltne. With faint traces OF blue streass.
ike . checkercd pavement which
once saw on the around floor Of ten
pie. but do"n iorD. down. vent u
ras new and strange world IN xae.
and rs The tine | was half way down
I began To look fer bottom. had 10
feel the walls when the light vas ou,
10 determine whether Was going w
Or down.
You can imagine my autUtise "len
| reached the depth OF 21D feet md
could no looger bear he voices on The
sNIface and could not yell loud cDoush
TO pc board myself. for had expected
10 talk 10 The boys al The top ,elt
lost liz way. Tor ! rec lizcd that We
had made a mistake by not arranging
signal code b. means OF The hash.
light which carried. However. The
boj9 On top were lost more so than
vas, for knew where they were and
they didn't know Just where | vas, lol
when was within about ten feet OF
the bottom they stopped and talked
the matter over and huIriedly decided
10 pull me out and nun The oailcr. yell
cd rs loud rs could 60 lower away.
nut they just pulled me out anyway,
10 see it they had caught any tish.
They were using me for bait. theS
said
when reached the surface 3 crowd
OF about twenty-five had gathered 10
gree, me. They looked upon ne a.
though were 4 newborn babe They
all tried TO talk TO ne IT once
THE mir Is bad as lar down ns $40
feet, where there Ia a seepage OF gas
but lower than that II il just cool and
damp, and has An odor OF fresh earth
It also had a mis-, OF rain falling con
linuously. and small pebbles toliins
from tar above would sound like dis
iaut thunder aud as they came nearer
would crash louder and louder as thel
truck the sides Of the hole. ard by
he time they reached the bottom
"oold Satbel otDcr loose rocks ana
rain ploml,cously on and around
me. Al one time | saw flashes OF li@h'
ming and stars all al The same time.
and beard loud crashes Of thun1er
The we'll was cayine worse than usual
ON nay lasj trip succeeded in t.
lue a chain around the lost bit. which
weighed 1000 pounds and pulled Il
OUT which was saving OF $4,000
4 made eight trips altogether and
no one trip was any less interesting
han th. others. (. It wasn't Tor he
danger involved. would be glad for
some seologist to make the trip With
me, and explain those beautiful strata
Of vulto chcchertd. blue, red md mis-
. - 4 a i,,,.