AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF
RALPH JOHN WESLEY HOWARD

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started and the farther the drill went, the harder the cable rubbed and you wouldn’t get far until the drill would not drop with any force. Just slide down and you couldn’t keep the drill turning, and if the drill didn’t turn, it wouldn’t go down. To over come these difficulties the first preventative measure was to be sure that you machine is set on solid ground so that no part of it will settle. If one side settles, it will throw your derrick out of plumb. The cable at all times should hang in the center of the well. This nigger head rocks the drill then it won’t cut and sometimes it will break in two pieces then the drill may drive these pieces farther apart. Then the drill when turned one way drops into the crack, and if it turns crosswise, it won’t go down. The only way to turn the drill is by twisting the cable by hand at the surface. The drill should turn ¼ the circumference of the well each stroke. The only effective way to treat the split rock or if the drill starts sliding past a rock, is to pull your drill. Slush out the hole with water and place a half a pound of dynamite well down in the crack or twelve inches down the side then put 20 feet of water on top of the charge and "Let her rip!" If your charge is placed right, the rock is shot back into the wall and your drill will never touch it again. Nor will your casing follow if the rock is not moved back.

I worked two summers and one winter in this neighborhood, Bert soon returned to his homestead and stayed there. I couldn’t be away so much and do homestead duty, so I shipped the rig to Lloydminster by rail. I no sooner had it unloaded when Mr. H. B. Ball, a merchant with whom I had delt with and Mr. John Bell, a citizen, approached me with a business proposition. The citizens owned a light plant that wasn’t giving good service and it was short of water. I soon remedied this to their complete satisfaction. Before I had finished this job, a man from Lashburn, Saskatchewan approached me and talked business. His surname was Johns and a Mr. Bruce of Lashburn employed him. Mr. Bruce was building a huge farm, four and one half miles northeast of Lashburn called the Ting Duin. He wanted a well drilled at the cottage hospital and one at the church, which I believed he donated to the town. He also wanted several wells on his farm. He asked if I could commence at once. I told him, "as soon as I finish this one, I will be on the job. You have four hundred feet of well casing on hand when I arrive". I worked in this neighborhood for two years then I turned my interest over to Frank Stouffer and returned to my homestead. In the meantime, Lloydminster had bought a good drilling rig of their own and hired whomever they could get to run it.

After our homestead filings were made, the next time I was in Lloyd to do my trading, a prominent citizen who asked, "How is everything in Yankee Bend?"