Democratic Sentinel, Volume 19, Number 28, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 July 1895 — PRODUCING COAL OIL. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

PRODUCING COAL OIL.

SCENES IN THE FAMOUS BRADFORD FIELD. Nitro-Glycerine Lowered and Exploded—Spouting Welle Sometimes Tear Down Derricks—Lightning an Enemy to Storage—Drilling Wells. The Oil Region. The recent advance in prices of petroleum and the consequent activity In Pennsylvania's oil fields has aroused public interest in affairs pertaining directly to the production of coal oiL We present herewith a series of illustrations showing several phases of the work of oil production in the Bradford field, a section which made the Penn-

sylvanla oil territory famous the world over. The picture of Boyd valley gives a good general view of the oil field in McKean County, near Bradford. Many persons unfamiliar with the oil country suppose the wells are drilled only in the valleys. Such is not the case; although the higher up on a hill the well Is located, the deeper the well must be, as the oil-bearing rock or “sand” lies nearly level, and. In the

neighborhood of Bradford, is about on a level with tidewater. The drilling is done with a heavy string of tools, consisting of rope-sock-et, sinker bar, jars, auger stem and bit attached to the end of a cable and suspended by means of a temper screw from the end of a working beam (walking beam). The temper screw is used to gradually lower the tools as the bit cuts its way downward. The upward and downward movement of the working beam causes the bit to strike and chip the rock. When the tools have been lowered the length of the tempei screw, the tools are raised and the drillings removed by means of a bailer. The bit, if dull, is replaced by one freshly .“dressed,” and the operation is continued. Work is continuous, except in cases of accidents and bn Sunday. It is “carried on by two crews, consisting each of driller and tool dresser. One crew starts at noon and works till midnight; the other commences at midnight and works till noon. When the well has been drilled to the proper depth it is torpedoed, or "shot,!’ in.the oil-producing rock to shatter the rock and facilitate the flow of oil. For this

purpose, a torpedo of tin “shells” containing 'nitro-glycerine is lowered into the well. The last shell to be lowered is fitted jWith a firing head. It is sometimes exploded by dropping a weight; called a -.‘fiainety-devil,” and sometimes by means of a bomb-squid. If a person la standing in the vicinity of a Well when the torpedo explodes, a slight shock can be felt as though a blow had been struck under one’s feet The noise resembles the crack of an oldfashioned musket cap. When the torpedo explodes, the tremendous force of the explosion, together with the force of the gas. sends the oil high over the derrick. One of the most fascinating sights to be seen in the oil country is a well flowing after being torpedoed. If the well happens to have a large quantity of oil in the hole when.shot, several seconds, perhaps half a mjnutg or more, may pass before there are any signs of the coming flow. Then the oil, churned Into the color of “working” molasses, rises a few feet above the casing head, Stands-like a playing 'fountain for a few seconds, jumps a llttlte higher and a little higher, and then with a roar that can be heard a mile, the gas throws oil and stones high in. the air, sometimes tearing away the top bf the derrick, and sometimes throwing the whole string of casing out through the top of the derrick. Occasionally, to avoid injury to the derrick or for other reasons, a piece of bent casing is screwed on and the flow is thrown out through the derrick to ona atfcw t u wSS? by

means of pipe lines, are connected to the large iron storage tanks of tho plpe line company. .These tanks contain from 30,000 to 40,000 barrels of oil each when full, and are located at convenient places through the oil field. At Olean, N. Y., there are a great many of these tanks built in rows, and giving to the place the name of Tank City. The great enemy of the large iron storage tanks Is lightning, and when the lightning fires one of them the sight draws spectators for miles around. In case of fire, little can be done as a rule, save to prevent other tanks catching. Generally, the oil burns until all is consumed, but to prevent the fire spreading, a ditch is thrown up around the tank, and often the tank is perforated with cannon balls, thus allowing the oil from near the tank to escape and so prevent boiling over. These tanks sometimes burn from 24 to 36 hours.

PREPARING A TORPEDO.

BOYD VALLEY, CENTER OF RICH OIL FIELD IN M’KEAN COUNTY, PA

JUST AFTER THE TORPEDO EXPLOSION.