The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-04-25
HoU Dynamite Was Used Fol Extinguish Gas We'll Fire
By A. H. cLoUGH

What is conceded to be ths largest gas blaze ever encountered in the oil pro- dGcing industry occurred at one of the Standard Oil Companys wells near Taft, Cal, about midnight July 26, 1sis With flow of 1So,OO0,OOO cubic feet of gas every twenty-four hours, shooting upward un- der enormous pressure, the well blazed for. ten consecutive days and nights All Known methods of extinguishing it were tried and proved of no avail until the plan of putting it out with explosives was submitted and tried
 The Standard Oil Company was drilling with a rotary drill in well No. r in the Elk Hills, near Taft, in the Midway Oil Fields, California. The well was at depth of 2,135 feet in ten-inch casing, wien a supposed water sand was en- countered, To test this sand for water, the mud in the we'll Was bailed down to relieve pressure, and to allow any water pressure to accumulate in the we'll Dur ing the course of bailing, at II p. m, July 26, the well blew. out under tremendous pressure and the greatest flow of gas in history began.
 CASING BECOMES RED HOT
 The drilling crew attempted to get the well under control by closing the twelve and one-half-inch gate valve with which the easing was equipped, but the shaIe and sand carried by the stream of gas cuc out the seat of the valve while the gate was being closed, and the well con tniued to blow Two hours after the flow began the friction caused by shale and sand travelling at a great velocity had pI oduced a red-hot heat on the casing, and the gas, ignting, burst into a column ot fire, gushing 300 feet skyward It's max dmun width of about 50 feet was reached after the flame travelled about 100 feet up- ward. The gas emerged from Ele casing with such force that for a distance of twelve feet above the casing there was nc flame.
 The derrick, 100 feet in height, was im- mediately consumed, and all that re- mained was a twisted mass of iron and steel and machinery.
 Metal d the casing melted, while with ir radius of 50 feet 1t was reduced to white heat. Everything within hundreds of feet was burned and baked.
 A thermometer. registering 300 degrees F.. broke at distance of 250 feet from the fire
 It is reported that the fire could be seen from d distance of 80 miles, while the roar from the escaping gas could be heard at distance of ten miles.
 Men could not hear each other shouting within radius of 1000 feet of the well, end deafness resulted among the fire lighters. All plans were carried out by EgpalS.
 STEAM AND WATER FROM TEN
 BOILERS
 The first attempt to exting--ssh the lire was made July 2T, by the assembling Of ten boilers. From both the bl0woffs ana the steam connections of these boilers tEree-inch lines were laid to within 5v feet of the well where each branched 70 two two-inch lines and ran to the base of the flame. With the base of the flame twelve feet above the ground level, the V crl1 of laying these pipe lines, neverthe- less became a matter of human endrr- ance against heat The men worked be- hind large portable metal screens, With stream of water constantly playing upon them from three-inch fire hose. Water 1lnes were also laid. and with the boil CTS and pumps throwing steam and water into the flame to their full capacity there was no noticeable effect upon me Ire. Shortly after all the easing above ground blew off, and the well begin to crater, allowing the flame to draw down to the ground level.
 The second attempt was made with the full capacity of sixteen boilers and four pumps throwing steam and water throt~l three-inch and four-inch lines, but this