The Spark Spotters : The Suicide Mission That Started The Oil Age

On January 10, 1901, a well four miles south of Beaumont, Texas began producing 100,000 barrels of crude oil per day. For nine days it did not stop. One spark — a horseshoe on stone, a steel wrench on a bolt head — would have ignited it. The technology to fight a fire at that scale did not exist. No blowout preventer. No fire code. No precedent of any kind. This is the story of the Lucas Gusher at Spindletop — the nine days of crude oil, explosive gas, and men watching for sparks with nothing but shotguns and rules they were writing as they went. The Hamill Brothers invented drilling mud in a cow pasture. They built the first Christmas tree valve assembly under a rain of crude oil with a hacksaw and a pair of threshing goggles. They were paid $2,400. The contract said two dollars a foot. They drilled to 1,139 feet. Pattillo Higgins — the man who was right about this hill before anyone believed him — received a signed apology from 32 citizens of Beaumont. The honor. Not the money. Portions of this video contain edited or simulated visuals for illustrative purposes. Disclaimer: The pictures and clips used in the videos on this channel are a mix of illustration, royalty-free, public domain, or otherwise fall under the guidelines of fair use. No copyright infringement is intended. All rights belong to their respective owners. #IndustrialHistory #AmericanHistory #Spindletop #OilHistory