WorldWide Drilling Resource

Tales from the Field by Jeremy C. Wire Geoconsultants, Inc. A Mystery “Well” Not long ago, I received a telephone call from the manager of a large ranch which has been a client of our company for some years. He said, “I think I have discovered a large-diameter water well no one knows about; you need to come check it out . . .” On an 8000-acre ranch in California, with a long history of operation, this situa- tion is very likely. I agreed to have a look, as there are still shallow, large-diameter “hand dug” wells in existence, some of which when they became dry, were deepened with conventional drilling equipment. Any potential source of water is always of in- terest to this ranch in drought times! Upon inspection, we determined it was not a water well, although initially it looked like one, and was behind a small ranch house as part of a long-abandoned old homestead, located some distance from the home ranch. This “mystery” well must have served another purpose, now long forgotten. When thinking about this, I remembered hearing stories about life on a family ranch in southern California at the turn of the last century, and what they used for lighting. A brief online search confirmed my thoughts on the purpose of this device, and it became the focus for further inspection and discussion with the ranch manager. On a later trip to the ranch, after breaking through some thick weeds leading to the back of the old house, the picture accompanying this story shows the opening of the mystery “well” which was exposed. It is an acetylene gas generator, not uncommon at the turn of the last century in rural areas (and some cities) for lighting as an alternative to kerosene lamps, where no electricity was available. It is just a very large version of a miner’s lamp using calcium carbide to generate acetylene. The “well” is about four feet in diameter, about six feet deep, and is buried in the ground, so if the gas exploded, the flying debris wouldn’t hurt anyone. The picture shows the conical basket which held the calcium carbide, and the drip tube for water across the top of it, the water being supplied by gravity from a spring source and small reservoir behind the house. The calcium carbide could be purchased in bulk quantities, as in 50-pound sacks. Further inspection inside the house revealed a small acetylene gas water heater partly hidden in a wall closet. No remaining light fixtures existed, however. We tend to take for granted our electrical grid and the many conveniences it provides, but this wasn’t always the case. Some rural areas in this country were not electrified until the 1930s, with construction of such projects as the Tennessee Valley Authority, Bonneville Power, etc., which probably caused the demise of acetylene generators for rural home lighting, such as this example. You never know in this business what interesting things you may find in the field. For readers who may have further curiosity about the construction and his- toric use of these devices, check online under “acetylene gas lighting” for some pertinent articles. Jeremy Jeremy Wire may be contacted via e-mail to michele@ worldwidedrillingresource.com Hydraulic-Pneumatic tools in stock. Sizes 1” to 20”. 2547 W Success Way Emmett, ID 83617 (208) 365-3492 • Fax: (208) 365-3792 rauchmfg.com • rauchmfg@frontiernet.net Model 113HD All Hydraulic Sizes 1"-13" 24 APRIL 2017 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® Deadlines for June issue: Space Reservation: April 25 th Display & Classified Ad Copy: May 1 st