R#1 Story of Gas Well R 3 of 5, footage of them surveying & agreeing upon what land to build the well on & preparing for construction,
Produced in the late 1930s or early 1940s, this silent educational or industrial film depicts the final steps of construction of a previously drilled gas derrick. (It is probably Part 2 of a two-reel film, with the first part of the film showing prospecting for gas.) It’s not known who produced the film, but it might have been Ohio Gas Company, as the final shots in the film are of Columbus, Ohio, and several vehicles in the film have Ohio license plates (10:44). In the film, workers install several different layers of piping, use nitroglycerin explosions to help loosen gas reserves, install gauges for gas pressure tests, and ultimately swab the well and put it into production.
Camera pans over a yard filled with stacked pipe (0:10). Workers roll pipe across makeshift ramps to transport them (0:27). Pipe is transported on diesel trucks, possibly Macks (0:38). A pulley or crane system is erected to help lift pipe (0:58). Pulley/crane system is used to transport pipe to the top of the derrick (1:46). The pipe is lowered so it can be coupled with existing ground piping (2:23). The two pipes are connected and secured (2:36). “Rings and slips” are fastened around pipe connections to add structure and support (3:14). Newly attached pipe is driven further into the wellbore (3:23). Nitroglycerin is prepped, lowered into wellbore, and ignited to increase well production (4:00). More piping is rolled off of trucks (5:53). New segments of thinner pipe are now inserted into the wellbore and connected (6:12). The well is finally “tubed” (7:08). A man installs a gauge and performs a pressure test (8:03). Gauge shows a slight increase in pressure (8:31). Hot rod type jalopy transports a water tank to the well (8:57). Man pumps water into piping attached to the gas rig (9:13). Two men operate the gas well valves to swab the well (9:22). A crank is used to remove the materials inserted into the well for the swab (11:30). Aerial shots of the city of Columbus, Ohio with its many industrial factories (12:13). The film ends with a card promoting the fact that natural gas is modern, clean, safe and economical.
Natural gas was first extracted via gas wells starting in the early 1800s, but was used for little other than gas lamps and lighting. It wasn’t until the turn of the 20th century that natural gas began to play a more significant role in cities and households, as its uses spread to heating and cooking. In addition to consumer usage, natural gas became indispensable for various industrial plants, and for electricity generation.
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