And the Deacon did tell Colonel Dale how foolishly he was, wasting his money, and how perfectly useless it was to drill for oil in that part of the country, where, if there was any, it would have been discovered long ago.
“Has anybody tried sinking a well in this vicinity?” asked Colonel Dale.
“Yes, thar was Sile Pettis put one down ’bout a year ago; but it didn’t mount to nothing. Thar warn’t no ile into it.”
“How deep did he sink it?” inquired the Colonel, with interest.
“Well, not more than four hundred foot or so,” admitted the Deacon, reluctantly.
“And the ‘third sand,’ which is the only one in this region that pays—or at least so I am told,” remarked the Colonel, “is hardly ever struck at a less depth than one thousand feet. Is Mr. Sile Pettis’ unproductive well the only thing that makes you think there is no oil about here, Deacon?”
“Thar ain’t no surface indications, like thar should be if the ile was right down under us.”
“That is something we must provide for at once,” laughed Arthur’s grandfather. “I realize that we must have them, Deacon, and just as soon as I get this well down a thousand feet I will try and show you some of the finest surface indications in the country.”
Although Colonel Dale talked thus bravely and cheerfully, he could not drive away a heavy, sinking feeling from his heart, nor prevent the furrows in his face from growing deeper and deeper, as he thought of how much depended upon the result of this experiment that everybody about him said was such a foolish waste of both time and money.
Still the work was pushed steadily forward. The graceful derrick was run rapidly up to a height of sixty feet, and a strong iron pulley wheel was suspended from its crown. On the derrick floor, at one side, the great bull wheels, about the shaft of which the drill rope was to be wound, were placed in position. On the opposite side was set the solid samson post that was to support the equally solid walking beam. The former was a section of the squared trunk of an oak tree, let deep into the ground; while the walking beam was a long and very strong oaken timber, nicely balanced so that it would work readily up and down. To the end of the walking beam, that reached into the middle of the derrick, were to be attached the heavy drills; while the other end was connected with the ten-horse-power engine that stood in a rough shed but a short distance from the derrick.