Gas Well Fire
By Glynda Pflug
In the 1920s when drilling for oil and gas was going on all over the Panhandle, a man from Amarillo began making a career for himself and making history at the same time.
Ward A. "Tex" Thornton was born in Mississippi in 1891, went to World War I in 1918 as an explosive expert. After the war, he went to work in Wichita Falls and brought in a lot of wells in North Texas and Oklahoma using nitroglycerine gelatin canisters. There were other companies that were famous in their areas -- the MM Kinley Company, Red Adair of Houston and others. Thornton was often called to help with wells in the Texas Panhandle, Oklahoma and New Mexico area.
In the archives at Window on the Plains is a story written by Mil Burnett Boyd about a gas well fire she witnessed. Mil had been gone on a trip and she and a friend, Mag Burnett, were eating lunch and catching up on what had happened while Mil was out of town. Mil asked Mag about "a glow on the east horizon she had seen while driving into Dumas the night before."
"A gas well has been on fire for days, Mag said, and Tex Thornton has been brought in to put it out. There has been a lot of speculation if he will get the job done. He has tried twice already and failed, Mag explained."
"Suddenly, the telephone interrupted our conversation."
"That was 'Chink' (Burnett) Mag said excitedly, Thornton is going for the third attempt this afternoon and we have to be there y 2 o'clock!"
"What do you mean we have to be there? I asked."
"Ignoring my alarm and grabbing her car keys, she said urgently: 'Grab your hat. Let's get in the saddle. We don't want to miss this one. It's 20 miles out there, but thank goodness there won't be a lot of traffic. Chink said this try is on the Q.T. Thornton doesn't want a big crowd out there. They will be increasing the explosive charge and when it blows it could send red-hot molten metal from the melted derrick all over the area. That could be dangerous for an uncontrolled crowd."
"But, Mag, if it is that dangerous, I said apprehensively, Why, in heaven's name are we going? Won't Tex Thornton order us to get out of there?"
"When we arrived, Chink and Thornton, wearing white asbestos coveralls, were removing TNT from the pickup and placing it into a small bucket cannister."
"Chink introduced us to Thornton and without further chit-chat, Thornton handed us each a pair of asbestos coverall."
"My heart was pounding, and the heat from the fire and the coveralls was suffocating. I wanted to run -- but it was too late."
"Several men were frantically moving the long high cable up into position, heavy equipment was moving big water hoses nearer the fire. The TNT was being loaded into the cannister, and Thornton yelled, Here she comes boys!"
"The big boom was deafening, hot metal and dirt went hundreds of feet into the air, men scrambled frantically to get the water into the crater, stream rose high into the sky."
"Seconds ticked off -- and then suddenly everyone let out a big loud yell. The fire was out. The third time was a charm. The genius of Tex Thornton had succeeded."
"After the steam subsided and the gas was shut off, Thornton and Chink walked with use to look into the big crater. We could see the melted derrick still steaming."
"I was not brave taking that walk. I was trembling clear down to my toes, but it spite of my fear and reluctance, it was exciting and an experience I will never forget."
"Now I can say truthfully, that I watched the famous Tex Thornton put out a roaring Texas Size gas well fire - Close up!"
Ward A. "Tex" Thornton was born in Mississippi in 1891, went to World War I in 1918 as an explosive expert. After the war, he went to work in Wichita Falls and brought in a lot of wells in North Texas and Oklahoma using nitroglycerine gelatin canisters. There were other companies that were famous in their areas -- the MM Kinley Company, Red Adair of Houston and others. Thornton was often called to help with wells in the Texas Panhandle, Oklahoma and New Mexico area.
In the archives at Window on the Plains is a story written by Mil Burnett Boyd about a gas well fire she witnessed. Mil had been gone on a trip and she and a friend, Mag Burnett, were eating lunch and catching up on what had happened while Mil was out of town. Mil asked Mag about "a glow on the east horizon she had seen while driving into Dumas the night before."
"A gas well has been on fire for days, Mag said, and Tex Thornton has been brought in to put it out. There has been a lot of speculation if he will get the job done. He has tried twice already and failed, Mag explained."
"Suddenly, the telephone interrupted our conversation."
"That was 'Chink' (Burnett) Mag said excitedly, Thornton is going for the third attempt this afternoon and we have to be there y 2 o'clock!"
"What do you mean we have to be there? I asked."
"Ignoring my alarm and grabbing her car keys, she said urgently: 'Grab your hat. Let's get in the saddle. We don't want to miss this one. It's 20 miles out there, but thank goodness there won't be a lot of traffic. Chink said this try is on the Q.T. Thornton doesn't want a big crowd out there. They will be increasing the explosive charge and when it blows it could send red-hot molten metal from the melted derrick all over the area. That could be dangerous for an uncontrolled crowd."
"But, Mag, if it is that dangerous, I said apprehensively, Why, in heaven's name are we going? Won't Tex Thornton order us to get out of there?"
"When we arrived, Chink and Thornton, wearing white asbestos coveralls, were removing TNT from the pickup and placing it into a small bucket cannister."
"Chink introduced us to Thornton and without further chit-chat, Thornton handed us each a pair of asbestos coverall."
"My heart was pounding, and the heat from the fire and the coveralls was suffocating. I wanted to run -- but it was too late."
"Several men were frantically moving the long high cable up into position, heavy equipment was moving big water hoses nearer the fire. The TNT was being loaded into the cannister, and Thornton yelled, Here she comes boys!"
"The big boom was deafening, hot metal and dirt went hundreds of feet into the air, men scrambled frantically to get the water into the crater, stream rose high into the sky."
"Seconds ticked off -- and then suddenly everyone let out a big loud yell. The fire was out. The third time was a charm. The genius of Tex Thornton had succeeded."
"After the steam subsided and the gas was shut off, Thornton and Chink walked with use to look into the big crater. We could see the melted derrick still steaming."
"I was not brave taking that walk. I was trembling clear down to my toes, but it spite of my fear and reluctance, it was exciting and an experience I will never forget."
"Now I can say truthfully, that I watched the famous Tex Thornton put out a roaring Texas Size gas well fire - Close up!"