![]() ![]() However, one day Drake finally struck gold. They named his digging site Drake’s Folly, and referred him to as Crazy Drake, far from the prestigious title of ‘ ‘Colonel’’ when he had landed in Titusville. In fact, as each day passed with no sign of oil, crowds accumulated around the site to jeer him. He believed that as long as they dug deeper without damaging the drill, they were right on track. The speed of drilling had lowered to a miserable 3 foot/day, but Drake was not demotivated by this. Credit: /ThinkstockĪt that time, the entire crew was focused on the results of his invention. The origins of ‘Crazy Drake’ and the first oil wellįirst oil well in the United States, built in 1859 by Edwin L. Little did Drake know that his idea of using an iron pipe would lead to one of the greatest inventions in mankind, and the birth of a new industry. All the sand and water would stick onto the pipe, leaving the drill dry and secure. By using a cast iron pipe and housing the drill inside it, he insulated the power drill from any external entity. ![]() The water-quicksand problem returned to haunt him, and Drake had to think of a way round the problem. Using the steam engine to power the drill, Drake was able to drill 32 feet deep till the hole started to crack. But not for Drake.ĭrake then bought a steam engine and a 450-horsepower drill, and built an engine house to accommodate the engine inside the derrick. That should have been a signal enough for anyone to quit trying and move forward. The investors became wary of the operation and it was only a matter of time before they cut off funds to Drake and his excavation team. In doing so he encountered the twin problems of seeping water which rendered the shaft useless.īy then, the operation had already taken 5 months and was beginning to lose steam. Drake knew digging to such great depths would be physically impossible and instead, he tried to extract oil by sinking a huge shaft beneath the ground. However, he soon realised that oil would not be found floating on the surface, but compressed somewhere deep underground. Though warmly greeted by the 150-odd residents of Titusville, his endeavor was dismissed as pointless. Early struggles and resistanceĭrake arrived in Titusville in the spring of 1858. ![]() With no prior experience, Drake was sent packing to Titusville to explore the possibility of setting up an oil well. They hired Drake as they wanted to capitalise on his free railroad passes. He was residing in the same hotel as the founders of Seneca Oil Company who wanted someone to investigate suspected oil reserves in Titusville. What seemed like the end of his career was in reality the beginning of a rigorous job which would cement his legacy in the industrial world.ĭrake landed his new job through the most unusual of routes. ![]() Though the work was good, Drake was forced into early retirement in 1857 due to flailing health. When others gave up, Drake kept on digging (quite literally) to unearth black gold.īorn in a poor farming family in 1819, Drake left home at the age of nineteen and worked odd jobs until 1831, when he landed a job as a railway conductor. With no prior experience and moderate education, Drake possessed a quality that made him stand out, he did not know how to quit. Drake, an ordinary railroad conductor achieved the impossible by extracting oil from the ground. We all know how precious oil is, but what most of us do not know is how it reached our petrol pumps in the first place. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |