The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1922-12-31

B Inc is lowered tu'o well may be sr n
/ tragedy that not only took at least
one life but which frequently ler, q
widow a0d several children TO mourn
/ over the loss OF a husband and
! father
! W, H. Swart2, assistant to the gem
/ eral manager OF the Eastern Torpedo
| company or Tulsa, relates several
! hair-raising experiences that have
! befallen him during q years expert
once as "A shooter Other survivors
also can sit for an entire evening
AID recount adventures with nitro
glycerin from which they mlracu-
lously escaped with their lives, or
name one after another their fellow
shooters OF early days who We're
huIiea INTO eternity without sec
ond's warning.
SwartZ recalls one blood chilling
experience particularly, when a cool
mead coupled with speedy footwurlS
saved him from an ultlmely death.
Two hundred quarts OF nitro
glycertn were To be used In the well
and this of course made necessary
the use OF several containers. or tor
pedocs. He had lowered the first
one about halt way to the bottom
whom the line In his hand suddenly
became slack. From experience he
know what had happened A gas
pocket had somehow been released a
quarter of mile below the earth's
surface with sufficient force to push
the torpedo upward with lightning
speed.
Every second counted. Abandon
Ing the rope with alacrlty. Swartz
shouted TO the drillor, the tool
dresser and bystanders to run Cor
a y
few steps when tho torpedo shot
out Of the hole. Hitting the top Of
the derrick so feet above. II ex-
ploded with terrific force. The flee
ing men were stunned but mono was
injured. Gla1cing back, Swartz saw
the derrick corner posts part cnd
all toward his wagon which had
Ieen parked 80 feet from the well
and VIII ch contained more than five
hundred quarts ~ nitroglycerin.
Two OF these heavy posts landed
simultaneously while the runners
were less than six hundred feet
away. Most of them were knocked
to the ground forcibly, two or three
having been rendered unconscious
for several minutes.
'I believe that's the nearest Il
ever came to getting me-" Swartz re-
marked.
Two reasons are assigned by
Swartz for the reduction In nitro
glycerln explosions in recent years
one Is the extreme care now ex-
ercised In handling this dangerous
substance, and the other Is sobrlety
among shooters and magazine EN-
ployes while they are on the job.
'Ten or IS years ago" he ex-
planned the methods used In ham
ding glyccrin were woefuily crude.
The use OF rubber Innings for the
can-carryi compartments hadn't
been thought Of. The cans then tit
loosely In metal containers and
a leak could easily occur. Equip
ment was examined about once every
six months-if 1t lasted that long.
This isnt the case nowadays. The
carrying equipment IS fitted with
every known safety device, and n
dangerous leak is next TO impoas.hla.
Besides, the car OF each driver ~
rigidly Inspected after each trip to
a well
1T hasn't been very long since
every shooter took two or three stiff .
drinks before they felt qualified 20 /.
fill an order They bolstered their f.
courage with a stimulant, realizing
never countenance II they had been .
sober
'NhAaNN lNhN situation Is re- .
verscd. so matter how much
shooter drinks while OF duty, he
goes 10 work with a clear brain and
keepa II clear until his days work .
Is finished. II may be said that few .
present day shooters touch liquor, .
And torpedo Compa1ies are pretty .
careful IN selecting their men"
Nltroglyccrlu Is amber colored
and is about the consistency Of me-
dium motor oil, II pours evenly.
without any splash. Tho quantity
used IN shooting wells varies greatly.
being less now than Il formerly was
because Of the Increased price
by torpedo companies over
that OF several years ago.
Inquiries at offices OF these COM
p0niCs show the average shot is less
than 100 quarts. The uitr0slycerln'
contained in fibor buckets about six
feet long ana five inches IN anne
ter Is lowered into the well with a
small but strong rope line on one
end OF which Is hook that fits
over the wire bail on the torpedo.
when it has reached the bottom the
hook is disengaged by a flip of the
rope and another container is low
cred untll II rests on top OF the first
The last torpedo Ia fitted with a
steel firing pin-the detonatOr--wlth
"a gun cap OF the lower end and
uottened top, Directly beneath the