Well Driller

[RoyJackson]

Had a well drilled (started yesterday, finished today)...

The foreman of the two man crew had one arm...his right arm was gone from the shoulder.
I figured it was a well drilling accident...nope. He lost it as a teenager (he was in his late 20's to mid 30's) in a tractor PTO accident. He wouldn't go into any more detail, but I did remark (when the drilling and clean up was completed) how well he got around the equipment with one arm (and he didn't let that missing arm slow him down). I also mentioned he came out better then most people who tangle with a PTO.

Just a reminder...that man was lucky, but most folks who tangle with PTO's don't live to talk about it later.

 

[rd_macgregor]

A fellow from our neighbourhood had a similar accident tangling with a PTO as a kid. He was later an outstanding player on the provincial soccer team and has also represented Canada at the special olympics in cross country and (I think) biathalon. Sometimes a setback like that drives a person to overcompensate while the rest of us just sail more sedately through life. Still, I'd rather be a fully-abled and healthy underachiever than to get mangled or dismembered!
BOB

 

[Jimbrown]

Rats you had to post that and cause me to remember a well drilling accident I watched and became involved in when I lived in Olympia Wa.

There was a guy drilling in the lot next to mine. He was using one of the old drop type rigs that raises a large bit and then just drops it to pound a hole. This thing had a large wheel about 10 ft in diameter that turned and caused the pounder to go up and down. It was raining I was sitting at my kitchen table watching. He was up changing something on the cable when he caught his glove on the wheel some how. In about two seconds it jerked him off of the rig spun him around the wheel about ten times untill it just ripped his arm off at the sholder... As I was the only one who saw it I called 911 and ran to try and help the poor guy. there was a lot of construction going on and I yelled to some of the workers for help and fortunately the guy across the strreet was a cop of some kind and he got on his radio and called in an air aumbulance. The guy came back about a month later missing the arm and finished drilling the well. One tough dude.

 

[J_J]

RoyJackson,

Just curious if they used those little apple sticks or coat hangers to locate the best spot for drilling the well.

 

[RoyJackson]

RoyJackson,

Just curious if they used those little apple sticks or coat hangers to locate the best spot for drilling the well.

You mean Dowsing Rods (also called Divining Rods)...

Since you asked, I had asked the driller about that before the drilling commenced. This company had drilled several of the wells in my area (but he didn't think they drilled my well) and never used dowsing. The customer could, if they wanted to hire someone. The driller told me they always hit water, sooner or later.

Here's a bit of info about Dowsing:
Dowsing - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[blueriver]

Never can be to carefull ... reminds me last fall we where conducting and estate sale in rural Texas ... one of my auctioneers started selling an old wheel barrow with one handle and as a smart comment he says "okay lets sell a wheel barrow for a one arm man" ....
Yep out of the crowd comes a one arm man ... no left arm and he grabs it and yells out "hey its even the right side"

The crowd goes to a hoot and my auctioneer turns a little red and the old boy comes up to him and says "they call me Lefty"

 

[jinman]

Wouldn't it be cool to be like a salamander and be able to regrow limbs? As amazing as that sounds, it could happen some day. In the meantime, I'll keep my digits out of the whirlygigs.

 

[unimog_jason]

I have a bunch of my family in the drilling business and I can say without a doubt that it's a quick way to die is you don't keep your wits about you.

A cousin of mine who owns a fleet of cable tool rigs (the proper name for the type that pound the pipe down) and one day he went into the machine to grease a hard to get to joint. The easiest path was to reach under the walking beam when the beam was at the top of the stroke. Just as he got his head in there the beam decided to come down for another stroke all by itself, he was able to pull his head out just enough to get a good crack, an inch further into the machine and it would of been like taking a sledge hammer to a coconut.

I went into the computer business, it's a lot less muddy, wet, cold and safe.

Jason

 

[dmccarty]

There was a show on about the diamond business recently. One of the guys they showed found the diamond mine in Canadian for which he earned something like 50 million dollars. Now he is off looking for mines in Angola.

Personally I think I would rather do business in Canada.

At one point in the show they bring in a small truck mounted auger to drill for samples. This thing was about 3-4 inches in diameter and move sorta slowly. As it went down they would sit there and with their hand brush away the dirt that was brought up.

Now the auger was not moving fast nor where they wearing long sleeves but it still gave me the willeys. They had plenty of shovels right there to use instead of their hands. The auger was moving quick enough that it would have broken or tore off body parts if something had hooked up.

On the other hand they were worried about the land mines from the war so this might have been the least of their worries. :laughing:

Later,
Dan

 

[powerpace]

Post hole diggers are a real danger also. Some tractors would allow the pto to remain running when you not in the seat.

In the mid 90's in Glendale, Oregon a farmer that had raised sheep for years was repairing a crossfence. He was using his post hole digger in a loose section of fence, replacing wooden posts. No one saw what or how it happened but both the wife and husband were wrapped up in the running augur and snagged fence and died. It took two hours to cut them out.

The irony is the neighbors had complained for years, to the couple and County Animal Control about sheep getting caught in the fence and dying.

True story.