Robert J Samples Loc: Round Rock, Texas

This was in 1953 and I had just graduated from high school at 18. You had be at least 18 to be hired on any drilling crew. After we had drilled the 900 ft water well in the city of Saint Jo, we next went about 80 miles west and spudded in a well near Windthorst, TX.

Now to set the scene, this was a period of drought throughout Texas, and we had to pipe water from a
stock pond about 3 to 4 miles away. Since the drilling company did not have the necessary 2 Inch pipe, a truck load was delivered. The driller and I would throw of a link and the driver would pull up for another
length. We tried to be very careful to coordinate our activities to allow each length to hit the ground
flat, so it would not have a crook in it and be hard to join up to the next union.

Then the fun began! There was four of us in the crew and the temperature was close to 100 degrees, and was that black pipe hot! We took turns of one using the pipe wrenches, 24-inch Stilsons, to make up the
pipe after it had been stabbed and ready to be made up. This pipe was so hot it blistered our hands as we
tried to correctly make up each joint. Besides wearing gloves, we would use shop towels to try and be
able to hold the pipe while it was being joined to the line. If the pipe joint was crooked, it made it doubly hard to line up properly.

Now we had to do about 4 miles, with each joint about 28 to 30 feet long. It took us two or three days to
finish this task. I told my driller that since he was the day driller, he could have chosen something other than laying the water line. If this happened again, I would quit!

Now the second tower driller had his son working on the rig floor. One day we were making a trip and the kid stepped up to run the lead tongs, and before long the floor all around him was covered with sweat and no one else stepped up to relieve him, though they were idle, just standing around. Finally, I saw
he was getting quite exhausted and would soon slip and might get hurt. I relieved him and let him take
a break and I finished that trip working the lead tongs. When you are handling heavy tongs, ones that
are counter balanced because they are quite heavy, a mistake can hurt you.

After that job was over and I moved on to Big Spring was working, that driller remembered I
had spelled his son when I didn’t have to, called and wanted me on his crew. But I had already moved
out to West Texas and was working there. You always had to keep your eyes open and your wits about
you because wrestling heavy pig iron requires your constant and close attention, or it can hurt you bad!
Once, while I was working the "boll weevil corner" the least skilled position on the floor, we were making a trip. One of my jobs was when the derrick man closed the elevators on a joint of drill pipe, I would guide the bottom
half over and set in down on the last joint. Well, once in a while the derrick man will miss and the joint of drill
pipe may be momenarily lifted up and then dropped! This time that happened it was about 2 inches from my foot and punched a deep ring in the rig floor. If my foot had been there it would cut my foot off. I was thankful I had
been careful.

Another member of our crew as a giant of a man with the nick name of “Piddler” and we worked as a team. There would be times we had to move heavy equipment around the rig. If it was close to the derrick, we would use a cat line and with a cat head, it made lifting heavy items much easier. However, If it was some distance away we would have to just man handle it and carry it. I sometimes would have to tell Piddler, “ I am going to cheat and put more of this load on you since I cannot carry it!” So, that is growing up in the oil patch. Just Sayin….RJS

Barnacles Loc: Northern California

When I worked on the rigs back in the early 60's, horseplay and practical jokes were the order of the day - as long as the tool pusher wasn't on site.

Things have changed. These days, horseplay can get you sent home fast. But what fun we had!

Robert J Samples Loc: Round Rock, Texas

You bet! Once while working out in West Texas, we were visited by Texas Game wardens. They inspected all the trunks of the crews cars. It seems they suspected someone in our crew had been shooting doves and did so out of season and possibly without a license. They never found anything and it might have been another rig.


Many years later, I was with Warrren Automatic Tool Co. and we were visiting a rig about 40 miles N.W. of Baton Rouge. We had gone into the trailer the tool pusher and petroleum engineer use. They were acting very strange
and they finally confessed they had poached a deer earlier that morning and were afraid we were game wardens.
Just Sayin... RJS

hogleg Loc: Bakersfield Calif.

I worked rigs in Bakersfield Ca. the pipe that dropped and hitr the toe of the boots i had on and crushed the toe. I was wearing boots that someone had given me till i could buy my own they were to big for me and i was not hurt but i quit the rig. and got a other job

Robert J Samples Loc: Round Rock, Texas

You were very fortunate. Just Sayin...RJS

Barnacles Loc: Northern California

I knew a lot of roughnecks. One had lost an eye, a couple had lost fingers or a thumb, snd there were a lot of other, less visible injuries.

Robert J Samples Loc: Round Rock, Texas

Yes, we had several accidents where someone was hurt. The most serious was when we had moved and were rigging up. One hand, J.C. was pinned between the lead tongs and a headache post when the cathead suddenly jumped into gear without anyone touching any controls. It made a serious cut in his knee. He was taken to the Nocona Hospital.

When my crew finished our shift, the driller and I went to the hospital about 6:00 AM and went in to see him. We got him dressed and snuck him out of the facility without telling anyone. The driller was worried about a chargable accident and how it would affect the insurance rates. Just Sayin....RJS