The sand pump or bailer is frequently as much as 37 ft. in length, and is about 4 in. in diameter.  The casing (4-5/8 in diameter) costs about 45 cents (1s. 101/2d.) per foot, and the 11/4 in. pump, with piping, costs from 65 dols. (L13) to 85 dols. (L17), according to the length of pipe required.  An ordinary square frame derrick costs, with mud sill, from 22 dols. (L4 8s.) to 27 dols. (L5 8s.), and the walking beam about 8 dols. (L1 12s.) In many cases, however, a three-pole derrick, which can be erected at an expense of about 10 dols. (L2), is employed.  A 100 barrel wooden tank costs, erected, 50 dols. (L10).

THE CANADIAN TORPEDO.

The wells are torpedoed on completion with from 8 to 10 quarts of nitroglycerine, at a cost of 4 dols. (16s.) per quart.  The torpedoes employed in the Canadian oil field are much smaller than those used for a similar purpose in the United States, the tin shell being only 6 ft. in length by 3 in. in diameter.  We were enabled to witness the operation of torpedoing a well, and the following particulars, based on notes taken at the time, may be of interest:  The torpedo case, which was furnished with a tube or “anchor” at the lower end, 8 ft. in length, was placed in the mouth of the well and suspended so that its upper end was level with the surface of the ground.  Eight quarts of nitroglycerine, which was in a tin can, was then poured into the torpedo case, and the torpedo was carefully lowered into the well, which contained at the time about 250 ft. of water, until the end of the anchor rested on the bottom of the well.  A traveling primer or “go-devil squib” was then prepared as follows:  A tin cone, 14 in. in length by 2 in. in diameter at the open end, was partially filled with sand to give it the necessary weight.  A piece of double tape fuse, 2 ft. long, was inserted into a Nobel’s treble detonator, and over the detonator and a portion of the fuse a perforated tin tube or sheath was passed.  This tube was then inserted through a hole in a strip of tin fixed across the mouth of the conical cup into the sand, so that the detonator was embedded.  The sand was then saturated with nitroglycerine, the fuse lighted, and the primer dropped into the well.  In about 45 seconds there was a perceptible tremor of the ground, immediately followed by a slight sound of the explosion.  After an interval of a second or two there was a gurgling noise, and a magnificent black fountain shot up twice as high as the derrick, upon which all the spectators ran for shelter from the impending shower of oil and water.  The well not being a flowing one, the outrush was only of momentary duration, and within a few minutes the drillers were at work removing from the well, by means of the sand pump, the fragments of rock which had been detached by the explosion.  On the table are specimens of this rock, which I obtained at the time.