Oil wells in the woods . thing to wean him from the miserable habit. I saw it would be much better to have him moreactively engaged, so I purchased a new drilling outfitand set him to work cleaning out my wells, for youcan never make a pumper of a good driller, and Jimwas a true Knight of the Temper Screw. WhenI told him my plans, he fairly leaped with joy. My Number One well upon the lease I had receivedin lieu of wages, was badly paraffined, so it was onthis well that we initiated our new tools. After patching up around the rig, cutting the beltand driving keys, we pulled the tubing and rods
Oil wells in the woods . thing to wean him from the miserable habit. I saw it would be much better to have him moreactively engaged, so I purchased a new drilling outfitand set him to work cleaning out my wells, for youcan never make a pumper of a good driller, and Jimwas a true Knight of the Temper Screw. WhenI told him my plans, he fairly leaped with joy. My Number One well upon the lease I had receivedin lieu of wages, was badly paraffined, so it was onthis well that we initiated our new tools. After patching up around the rig, cutting the beltand driving keys, we pulled the tubing and rods tomake ready for the tools. The tubing out, themeasuring line showed the hole to be filled abovethe top of the sand. Keep me busy, Jim would say, and Ill drinknothing stronger than crude oil. In a few daysthe steel-tape showed us to be on bottom and readyfor the shot. Imagine my delight, when poor old No. One, withher wabbly beam, decaying sills, and sickly produc-tion of one barrel a day, was transformed in a week[268]. Poor old So. 1, with her wabbly beam, decaying sills, etc. WE SHALL NOT LEASE THE PLACE to a hundred-barrel producer. Jims skilled hand,and a bump of nitro-glycerine had accomplishedthis wonderful and pleasing result. Thus encouraged we lost no time in dealing like-wise with the other wells, and money began to rollinto my bank account so rapidly that I found it hardto understand or realize the poverty of my earlierdays. But in my business transactions I could seea conservatism which undoubtedly was the offspringof my previous economy. Daily I was receiving propositions from promo-ters of various schemes, asking me to invest, andpromising big returns, but I disregarded their claims,knowing it was the temptation which had lured manyinto the quagmire of financial ruin. All this time the oil market advanced with a steadytrend. Near the city of Lima, Ohio, an inferiorgrade of oil had been discovered, but attempts at re-fining it had proved fruitless; which was a go
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