Plummer Barfield Interview - Plummer Barfield Interview [part 2 of 4]

B.- Well, yeah. He, they were from Corsicana, And one of them had a -- had a string of teams.

I drove a team for Bill Sturm,

He had a big corral and was doing quite a bit of hauling after the railroad came in.

The Sturm brothers, I think there was three of them.

They were-- they were either interested

In the Moonshine Oil Company or were contract drilling for them.

Now, I wouldn't be positive about that, but-- because the Sharps were with the old Producers which was the forerunner of the Texas Company.

That is, the Texas Company absorbed them but they were an older concern than The Texas Company were in this field.

The Texas Company was organized in this field, but they absorbed the old Producers which Sharp was-- I think, was the general superintendent here then, you know--

O.- Were you excuse me. You were hauling for a while before you went to work in the oil fields. You were hauling to Saratoga and Batson?

B.- Yeah. Most of that would be from-- after they got the railroad into Sour Lake in 1903, why, it was a terminal.

So, naturally, the-- quite a bit of the equipment that was built for Saratoga and Batson which had come in in '03 and '04, the two fields, why, it was unloaded here and hauled over.

And Saratoga eventually got a railroad in 1906 and, of course, that eliminated that haul across here, about twelve and a half or thirteen miles through the woods.

O.- Yes, it was really thicket, was it?

B.- Yeah. The only rightofway we had was-- well, back in those days, the natives, they went to the high ridges, you know, especially during the high water.

Well, this country didn't drain, you know, like it does now.

And all the roads would wind around as far as you could and stay on the ridges.

They just had a wagon road. Well, as a rule, there's always room

enough between the trees in a virgin forest to drive between them.

And, of course, they'd stay on the ridges as long as they could and when they had to cross a flat, why, usually if they didn't find an opening, why, they usually had to get out and cut one.

But after the traffic got so heavy, why, we had to cut quite a bit of rightofway because the old rightofway would get so boggy, why, we'd just haul off and cut a new one.

Travel it a while and it'd get boggy and we'd cut us another one.

Everybody carried an ax. It was part of a. mule skinner's equipment.

In fact, it was one of the most essential In these woods; and a shovel out on the prairie.

I-- I remember hauling the first Standard rig; that is, that had any metal to it.

Atlantic and Pacific Oil Company had a lease here and they had a steel band wheel and I hauled it from Beaumont.

It was eight foot in diameter and probably weighed 350, 400 pounds, but I know it was considered a wagon-load.

I hauled that in here in the summer of 1903 before the railroad came in in the fall.

And the Atlantic and Pacific Oil Company were operating on what is known as the Ash Tract of The Texas Company lease here now.

It was divided up and it was-- any number of little operators on it now, but it's the same tract of land that they eventually bought.

And, of course, they bought out these minor companies with it.

You see, they bought the old Captain Ash tract where the hotel was.

I think there was 814. acres. This is what they bought when they made the famous discovery well which is known as Texas Company No. 3-

O.- Who drilled The Texas Company No. 3?

B.- I can't think of that boy's name.

I've hauled stuff. I don't remember hauling stuff to No. 3, but I hauled stuff to No. 5 and 6, and 5 and 6 were under construction before 3 was completed.

But I don't-- I don't remember any of those.

O.- Did you know Walter Sharp in those days?

B.- Yeah. I knew he was the superintendent of the Producers Oil Company.

O.- And you were hauling things to the Producers?

B.- Oh, yeah. Hauled all of them.

And he-- I think he later became interested with Howard Hughes in his rock bits, or I think he did. Now, someone told me he did.

O.- I wish you would tell me how or what you know about the development of that bit.

B.- Well, as far as technicality of the thing, or how it was built, I don't know a thing in the world about it.

I know that ó that-- I've heard rig runners and others that were interested in that type of stuff talk about Hughes trying to make a bit that would cut rock

and-- and I never seen one until 1906, and it had been I believe it was-- no-- I think I seen one in 1906, but it had lots of bugs in it and they'd had trouble with it and lots of drillers were prejudiced against it, and some of them wouldn't fool with it at all.

Bring it out there and put it on his derrick floor. Back in those days, they didn't sell them. I don't know whether they do now or not.

They were leased and supposed to be returned.

But by 1913, they were getting the job done in the Gulf coast country.

And, of course, now, the modern rock bit now, is just as far ahead of it as the Cadillac would be a Model T Ford as far as looks, and, I suppose, durability.

I know it is because now I don't think there's anything wears out about them but the corings that actually does the cutting.

Back in the early days, the first just had two cutting cones.

Now they got them with two big cones and two little ones cutting the inside of that and then they got sidewall rulers up there horizontally, that keeps the wall cut out.

And so, in other words, they just do a first class job and they're foolproof now to where any roughneck can dismount one and change the cones and set it back up.

She's foolproof. 'Cause he don't get into the oil base and the mechanism of It.

Why, all he has to do is change the cones and go on about his business.

But I don't think they change them on the job much now.

I think they're hauled back to the shop around in this area, to the supply houses, and they have a man for that purpose that checks them and checks defaults and worn parts and

I think they leave it entirely up to a first class mechanic now to remount them or work them over.

And they used to, why, a roughneck would take a ballpean hammer and a coal chisel and screwdriver or stuff and another, and work on them on the derrick floor.

I think they've eliminated that now. And it's it's purely a mechanical job.

O.- The talk is that Howard Hughes got the idea for it. Do you think that's about right, that he was the first who thought about the rock bit?

B.- I'm pretty sure he is because he's the first one, I think, that ever built one, and-- but, you see, they were experimenting on-- on different types of fishtail bits.

In other words, they were trying to get one that would cut.

And they'd find one that would cut gumbo and if he hit a little strata of rock, why, he'd make a half a dozen revolutions, the bit was just as slick as glass. It'd just spin.

So he had to come out and put in a new one. And as a rule they had certain types of rock in these various Gulf coast fields that-- that a good fishtail bit wouldn't make but an Inch and a half, some of them less than that. Course, some of them would make a foot.

Well, by coming out of the hole, you know, every 30-40 minutes, why, you didn't make much headway. Now down at the Markham field in Matagorda County, they had a rock down there that was known as Paley rock.

Took them 30 days to go through it and that was as late as 1912.

And, of course, there wasn't any major companies operating down there. It was more of a, well, the Texas Company were in there.

The rest of them were little poorboy outfits and they didn't have the price of rock bits, some of them didn't.

So they made it oh, they didn't take them 30 days to go through this rock, but it used up the most of It, but they just put in all of that time coming in and out of the hole changing bits.

But their, the object, their trouble that they had with the first rock bits was that they would cut the rock all right, but if they run into a streak of gumbo, why, it would ball up, but they-- I understand that they have eliminated that now to a certain extent.

If they have what is known as hard gumbo, why, they'll cut that like nobody's business, and then if they hit a rock, why, they go on about their business.

In other words, after they pass four and 5000 feet, why, it's pretty near hard enough with a rock bit then as far as they go.

Of course, they have streaks of sand and then they have loose shale that they' don't do so well in, I don't think.

Now, I understand. I haven't been on a drilling rig floor in pretty near 35 years; that is, as far as being there to work and know what's going on.

You see, in 1909, I went to rig building, back in the wooden derrick days, and I built wooden derricks up until 1935*

But just from observation, being in the oil field, why, I know that the hard shale and other formations that's mixed up with these rocks, that the rock bit takes that like nobody's business and they don't have to look back, but if they find loose shale, why, they've got to come out then and do something.

They usually do that with a fishtail bit and as soon as they get back to a hard formation, why, they run their rock bit back and go on.

O.- What about Wynn and McLaughlin Machine Shop here?

B.- Well, that shop was built here, I think, in probably, 19-

But their the object theiró trouble that they had with the first rock bits was that they would cut the rock all right, but if they run into a streak of gumbo, why, it would ball up, but they-- I understand that they have eliminated that now to a certain extent. If they have what is known as hard gumbo, why, they'll cut that like nobody's business, and then if they hit a rock, why, they go on about their business. In other words, after they pass four and 5000 feet, why, it's pretty near hard enough with a rock bit then as far as they go. Of course, they have streaks of sand and then they have loose shale that they' don't do so well in, I don't think. Now, I understand. I haven't been on a drilling rig floor in pretty near 35 years; that is, as far as being there to work and know what's going on. You see, afó in 1909, I went to rig building, back in the wooden derrick days, and I built wooden derricks up until 1935* But just from observation, being in the oil field, why, I know that the hard shale and other formations that's mixed up with these rocks, that the rock bit takes that like nobody's business and they don't have to look back, but if they find loose shale, why, they've got to come out then and do something. They usually do that with a fishtail bit and as soon as they get back to a hard formation, why, they run their rock bit back and go on. O.- What about Wynn and McLaughlin Machine Shop here? B.- Well, that shop was built here, I think, in probably, 19ó

the spring of 1903.

Of course, there was several shops, you know, that just dressed hits, you know, tool dressers. He just had an anvil and a forge and a big strong man that'd sling a sledge hammer.

They didn't have air steam hammers. Course, the air hammer was unknown down in this country.

They had a trip hammer run by steam.

But I forgot who Wynn's first partner was, but he had another partner before McLaughlin came down in this country in 1906 as a machinist. But Wynn had a-- another partner and I can't think of his name.

But Hughes worked for Wynn and McLaughlin.

O. - He did work in the shop?

B.- Yeah. He he was a mechanic in Wynn's shop. And I don't know. Sharp might have been one of Wynn's partners, now. I don't know whether he was or not. He might have been.

But when he went over when Hughes went over to Batson, well, Wynn had a shop at Batson, too, but now I don't remember whether Hughes was in his shop or not.

But they were working on, im--trying to improve various parts of the machinery, and what is known as the gooseneck swivel was invented right here in Sour Lake in Wynn's shop, McLaughlin Wynn and McLaughlin's shop.

Of course, it's been improved on 'til where the original wouldn't be any resemblance whatsoever to the present-day swivel because one man could pack that swivel back there.

Now, it takes a ten ton truck to handle the present-day swivel. So the only resemblance that you could say would be just a hose

connection on it. Of course, the type of hose they use now Is twice as big as the one they used back in those days. So naturally there ain't much resemblance in that, only in looks.

O.- Well, did they get anything, any sort of return, for their invention?

B.- Well, as far as McLaughlin is concerned, he told me personally that he sold his rights. It was either for 125 or 135 dollars, something like that.

And it went on it was carried back East somewhere, some first class shop, and perfected.

You see, these shops that they had here, there wasn't but one that had a foundry. He couldn't have made but just certain types of stuff, so it was carried back East or somewhere to those big foundries, to make all things.

I think that was where it was perfected. But he thought - he's the boy that thought of the bright idea of putting it on roller bearings.

Theretofore, they were just sliding on plates, just like the old style fifth sheel under a wagon.

So he's the boy that put on roller bearings so it wouldn't tangle up and twist the hose off and twist up the lines and so forth and so on.

And then he also made a stepping box that they could pack to where it wouldn't leak.

He, he made that, too, and put it on roller bearings. And, of course, they went on and improved it to where it's a first class piece of equipment now.

O.- Well, why did McLaughlin sell out so cheaply?

B.- Well, he said that he'd been in a poker game and drew a

couple of bad hands and needed some fast money and just walked out on the street and someone-- I don't know whether it was the man, his partner in the shop, or a machinist, but somebody that was connected with the shop just bought him out and he went back and lost that, he said, in a couple of hands, poker game.

And-- but he afterwards invented several pieces of equipment that was used in the oil field, but I don't think he ever acquired any revenue from them.

But it's stuff that eventually manufactured in the East by big concerns, such as improvements on casing head.

Of course, now they've got what is known as the Christmas tree. Well, they used to make them on the job. But now they're manufactured, I think Hughes Tool, I think, makes about as good a one as is used in the Gulf coast country.

But they, they used to be homemade right on the derrick floor, and put together by hand.

Of course, back in those days they had tremendous gas pressure and nothing to control it.

And I--I'm not positive, but I think some man in Sour Lake invented what is called a blowout preventer or bollweevil, they used to call it.

It was a lead seal that, when the pipe got to blowing too hard, that they could go down to their casing and set that in and around the casing.

It was divided into two sections. Set that In down there and that lead would seal It off, and, of course, there was a pump and swivel that would have to hold the end of the drill stem. And that was his salvation until he

got it killed. They usually killed them with clear water back in those days.

O.- Yeah. Why did they call it a boll weevil?

B.- Well, they used them for anything that-- back in those days, you know, Texas had quite a bit of cotton growing. Still does, for that matter.

And a boy from the farm was referred to as a boll weevil, 'cause he was a cotton picker, you see, and maybe the boll weevils made a tramp out of him and sent him to the oil field, and naturally anything that was considered simple or essential, why, it could-- they they usually gave them such names as that.

It was just a trifle. Anybody ought to have done it, you see. Didn't amount to nothing. Then they got to calling a steam lubricator, a homemade affair which was just a joint of pipe lowered a couple of inches lower than the steam line that went to the old single cylinder engine.

And anybody could pour oil in it. Call that a boll weevil, because anybody could go out there and fill the lubricator. So they called that a boll weevil.

Now, they have a booger boy and a duck's nest and all such stuff as that. Well, that's just automatic stuff that they use.

Now, they, then they have the nigger boy. That's an automatic gas fireman. You get your fires regulated, why, you can go to Port Worth. You don't have to come back unless your water happens to be salty and foam on you. They called

O.- Why did they call it nigger boy?

B.- They called it nigger boy. See, anybody could do it. A nigger boy could do it, see?

The booger boy, he's an all-around man since the eight hour law went into effect, where they have a man to relieve the other five men.

They call him the booger boy. He works in everybody's place. He runs the rigs and works in the derrick, or any position on the floor. They call him the booger boy.

Oh, they got lots of fictitious names that don't make sense when you go to comparing them, but that's what they call them. Then, that's what they're known by and some of them are there listed in the catalogs under the same name.

And, of course, the Christmas tree got its name having all those flares on it, you know.

See, they'd come out with a main valve and put a four-way tree and come out four ways on that and come up with another nipple, come out with a four-way tree and go up and maybe reduce them down.

Well, the modern Christmas tree now has got those spaces are used for the chokes. In other words, a choke looks like a piece of two-inch pipe or a two-Inch nipple to your, or three-inch, whatever the Christmas tree might be.

But if it's a 5/l6th, it's got a 5/l6th hole in a solid piece of steel. And if it's a three quarters, it's got whatever size they put in it. Well, in other words, they established a Christmas tree maybe with a 32nd, and a l6th, and a 5/8th and a 1/2 inch. Well, they'll

try It at the various flows, you see. They don't have to change nothing. Their lines are all connected.

They open the valve on 3/l6ths and if it holds the right gas pressure, bottom and top hole pressure, they call it, why, they'll flow it on three six I mean, on the l6th.

But if it don't, why, they'll just keep switching it around. Now, they've got these chokes already in there. All they've got to do is just shut this one off and move it up there until they establish the proper gas pressure.

I forgot now what the proper ratio is, but they got to have a certain amount of casing pressure, which is called bottom hole pressure, to make a well flow regular, with this modern scientific way they've got of flowing wells, which I think is wonderful because there's lots of fields that's been flowing ten years.

Used to, they'd blow a head out in 30 days and that was all.

But now, with this modern pressure that they've-- ratio that they've figured out, why, they know how much pressure to have on the casing to keep so much pressure on the tubing to make a well flow and some of them are flowing indefinitely.

There's wells I know in this Gulf coast been flowing ten years, and still flowing. So they're bound to know what they're doing.

O.- Yes, sir. You just don't have tie wastage at all that you used to have.

B.- No, no, There's mighty little mighty little waste of gas around here. Don't see any gas flares. They usually utilize the gas flares by carrying them down Into their salt water pit

and evaporating their salt water. So it's still doing a little good 'cause they have to reserve the salt water. They're not allowed to turn it loose.

So the most of these fields, if they're not in sand hills or piny woods where it would run out in that surface sand, why, they just get the excess gas over there and evaporate it.

O.- What was Hughes like in those days when you knew him around here?

B.- Huh? O.- What was Hughes like in those days when you knew him?

B.- Well, he was considered a first class mechanic and a very nice young man.

I think he married while he was at Batson. I think this son of his that owns the Hughes Tool, I think he was born there. Of course, she might have been in the hospital in some neighboring city, but he lived at Batson-

O.- At that time.

B.- At that time when the boy was born. I think he was born In 1907 or '08. I ain't positive about that, but Hughes was a likable man. Everybody liked him.

And-- well, he was just a nice fellow. Wasn't rowdy. Didn't get drunk and raise cain.

Tended strictly to his business and he was a first class mechanic and he knew oil field equipment and when a man told him what he wanted-- back in those days, you know, they used to have to make their fishing tools and done their own fishing.

They usually run what they called an impression block with ten or twelve pounds of soap caked on a wooden block with nails drove in it

to hold the soap in place. They'd run that down there and make an impression. Come back up to the shop and give It to Hughes and he'd look it over and tell the blacksmith what to do.

Of course, they did have blacksmiths that could look at them and tell what to make to fit it and

--[break]

O.- Can you tell me about other inventions at Sour Lake?

B.- Well, we have what is known as a standing valve that was patented by Sam Ewings and John Everetts for the owners of Sour Lake Machine Shop, and it's still being manufactured by Mr. Everetts and it's being used in the Oklahoma field, I believe, more than anywhere else.

I noticed that's where most of his shipments go, to Cleveland in Oklahoma. Of course, he ships to other supply houses. Of course, I don't know where they take them, but those he sells direct to the Gulf are sent to Cleveland, Oklahoma.

And it undoubtedly must be good in certain types of formation, because they've been using it for about 25 or 30 years.

O.- Any others?

Bo- Well, not that I can recall of that would amount to anything. There's no doubt but all of our modern pumping equipments are copied from some roustabout's or roughneck's version of building one out of wood, such as an automatic jack that was known as a lufkin unit, and such things as that.

That was copied from something some roughneck built in the field out of