A Gaswell Explodes in Saulsville

A Gaswell Tragedy

The Ravencliffe Development Company of Ravencliffe, WV was having a gas well drilled on the then GC McGraw land at Saulsville. The well was bing drilled across the road from the present day Elmer Price home.
On a Sunday evening in 1940 or 1941, a Mr Clyde Firrly, the driller, unexpectedly struck a pocket of gas 12 to 15 hundred feet down. With gas spewing from the well and the danger of exploding gas caused by the gasoline engine running the drill, Mr Firrly pulled the drill bits, cut off the engine and proceeded to the cap the gas well with a screw on cap on the pipe. In his haste, Clyde failed to get the cap started inline and was unable to get the cap tight enough to completely close the well off.
While he was struggling to tighten the cap and leaning over the top of the well, enough gas pressure had built up to blow the cap off the top of the pipe, stiking Clyde on the side of his neck and head. He was found lying near the top of the well, not ever knowing what had hit him.
It was told that the cap was never found. The gas pocket competely escaped in a few days but the gas well was never completed and was left uncapped.

The source of this information was from Herchel Cook.