Bradford, Pennsylvania gusher oil well

[MsAutobodyman]

nice video how was that done

[WesternPAdude]

@MsAutobodyman They dropped a "go-devil" in to set off the explosion and prompt the oil to flow.

[EcoRover]

Sweet. Dropped the godevil (to ignite torpedo/nitro-can) on family well at age 5(good luck to have a kid do it, Gramps thought). This well is NOT a gusher-that's a well with fluid shooting up into the air from gas pressure. Here, the surge is due to the explosive force of the nitro-typically 80 to 200 quarts.

Oh yeah, almost forgot: in the party-like atmosphere prior to shooting a well, the drillers/tool dressers liked to put a drop on the anvil and hit it their 12# sledgehammer.

[mlcoo17]

@EcoRover Even in the good old days I can't imaging where one would go to buy 100 quarts of nitro soup, or how you would transport it either. Do you know if it was made on site or what?

[EcoRover]

@mlcoo17

@mlcoo17 To my knowledge, the nitroglycerin was not made locally. It was shipped into the area by DuPont (and other manufacturers) and stored in magazines at relatively remote/out-of-town locations. There were, of course, "moonlighters"--local folks that made & sold illegal local nitro. There were accidents--see the interesting historic story at usgennet.org/usa/ny/county/all­egany/InterestingStoriesFiles/­BlownToAtoms-NitroAccident.htm .

[OneExoticBoy]

how cool! 150 years of the oil industry!! happy birthday, we hit several of these in Cabell County, WV

[WesternPAdude]

Thanks a lot OEB. I have seen a lot of active pumpjacks out there in the woods of course over the years, but I have never seen a well "shot" like this in the old-fashioned way.