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.