The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1926-08-18


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They got to San Eldo; said "wen ts stop and
shake hands with Jake Coey They drove the store and
Bunny jumped and there clerk and he sad Jekes
gone Paradise the WELL you heard news?"
Bunny and shouted Dad eaped the car
goshamghy the they did burn that road the
the well
They got to Paradise and the town was deserted not soul
the Streets car except hurryng
through like the Rosses burglar could
the whole pacebut burglar would watching
gusher along with the speed-cops! park your
gusher roaring like Niagara Falls And then walking YOU came
round turn the you could the valley every
thing in sight black there high wind blowing
regular thunder cloud curtain of black mist far
you could The derrick hidden atogetheryou had
make detour behind little ridge the top
wndward and there the crowds gathered staring the
great black jet that rushing of the couple
of hundred feet into the air. with sound like endless
tram going by You could see men working OF trying to work
under the derrick could bunch of them with picks
shove throwing sort of dam to hold the OIL they wouldn't
save much Dad said, it evaporated too fast.
Dad could watch this scene phlosophcaIy wasn't his
funeral If it had been of the independents like
he'd have offered to help but this dirty crowd Excelsior
Pete they didn't think the little fellows had any business
was shame to see all that treasure going to waste but
couldn't be sentimental when playing the oil game
What you had watch that the
suddenly and ruin your good suit Of clothes!
VIII
They while and then they remembered they
had well own Paradise and across
the valley the Watkins ranch They long
foreman Dad CORE report
VINO mad tested the OIL ne saw that the washing was going all
right they would be ready for the cemenng morning
Everybody tptoe they going do their better
than the Excelsior Pete crowd and not all the landscape
with crude petroleum The ankage the railroad
and they inspected the foundations completed
Everything "hunky-dor" Ruth They drove over to
the Rascum place Ruth Bunny got hunting
had supper and Paul told them all the gossip
how much Eli had collected for his temple supper
they went back to the wethey just couldn't keep
was crisp cold evening moon in the sky big white
star -everythng beautiful and Bunny happy
owned wildcat" and coming in" going
him treasure that would make all fairy
ing the waterstrng process necessary cementng
off, the casing the bottom raised
could be forced under difficult for the casing wedgel
heavy blows and shook the casing Standing
PLATFORM Bunny listened these blows far down in the
EARTH suddenly sound the like of which had
assaied his in all his fe literally
blow the side of his head the whole
the earth SUDDENLY blew That casing
its of cement which Dad said would hold Mt
VesuVous went suddenly into the air. straight with the
big fourteen inch casing following right through top of
the derrick smashing the block tackle
been made OF sugar candy!
OF Bunny turned his life everybody
scattered in direction Bunny looked
ran and saw the casing head and long string Of casing
the air. for all the world like Duchman's pipe, only
straight When this ppesem got too long, broke off, and
crashed sideways taking the derrick with
OF the hole there shot water and then OIL black
of it, with that familiar roaring soundan shooting
out of the ground! Bunny gave yell two
waving his and presumably calling his
fatherwhen suddenly most dreadful thing of ALL
mass of oil up in the air burst into flame!
They know what it, perhaps an electric
spark the fire in the boiler spark made falling
rocks blown out of the hole striking STEEL anyhow
there tower of flame and the amazing spectacle
the burning oil would hit the ground up and ex-
pode and leap again and fall again. and great
flame would unfold and burst and yield black smoke
tn the
mountains of flame seehng down the every Jet
that struck the ground turned into volcano again
higher than before;