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This Week in History
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January 21, 1865 – Civil War Veteran tests an Oil Well “Torpedo” Civil War veteran Col. Edward A. L. Roberts (1829-1881) conducts his first experiment to increase oil production by using an explosive charge deep in the well The “shooting” of the well increases daily production from a few barrels to more than 40 barrels. Modern well fracturing – or “fracking” – will evolve from Col. Roberts’ success.
January 23, 1895 – Standard Oil seals Fate of Oil Exchanges Prior to the Titusville Oil Exchange’s opening in the early 1870s, producers gathered in any convenient place, including streets known as “curbside exchanges.” The Standard Oil Company purchasing agency in Oil City, Pennsylvania, notifies independent producers it will only buy their oil at a price “as high as the markets of the world will justify” – and not “the price bid on the oil exchange for certificate oil.”    January 24, 1895 – Pure Oil Company founded by Independent Producers Pure Oil Company begins in 1895 when Pennsylvania oilmen unite to fight Standard Oil. In 1926 – six years after the Ohio Cities Gas Company has changed its name to Pure Oil – it moves into new headquarters at 35 East Wacker Drive in Chicago. An Ohio firm will adopt the old Pennsylvania name With its headquarters in Pittsburgh, the company is organized to counter Standard Oil Company’s dominance. It is the second vertically integrated oil company – after Standard – in the region, according to historian Neil McElwee.
January 26, 1931 – Third Well reveals Giant East Texas Oil Field The wildcat well that will ultimately reveal the massive East Texas field strikes oil. The East Texas oil field has produced more than five billion barrels of oil – and thanks to new technologies continues to produce. It remains the largest oil reservoir ever discovered in the lower-48 states.
  January  29, 1850 – Canadian patents Gas Burner Canadian Abraham Gessner is issued a patent for “obtaining of illuminating gas from compact and fluid bitumen (crude oil), asphaltum, chapapote, or mineral pitch as found in mines, quarries and springs in the earth.” Gessner licenses his “coal gas” distillation apparatus to manufacturers for about $1 per burner, declaring his gas “affords the cleanest, safest, and most agreeable light ever used.” The manufactured gas industry will survive into the mid-20th century. Thanks to aoghs.org. |
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This Week in History
April 17, 2013
 
Efforts Needed for Hurricane Sandy Victims
April 16, 2013Efforts Needed for Hurricane Sandy Victims
Relief efforts are needed to assist those devastated by Hurricane Sandy.
We recognize that many organizations in the energy segment are already providing materials and manpower to assist the area.
Please join ENERGY worldnet, Inc. and our employees as we contribute to the Salvation Army and UMCOR to make a difference in hurricane relief efforts. They need our help.
Down In the Trenches
April 16, 2013ENERGY worldnet, Inc. was fortunate to have as our keynote speaker, Eric Giguere. Eric spoke of being buried alive in a trench while helping to install a 12-inch water main in upstate New York. “Everything I felt, down in that trench, fighting for my life, happened in less than a second, because I wasn’t willing to make safety a priority. One second is all it takes to change people’s lives forever.”
Eric’s speech made a huge impact on the audience, telling about how his buddy had to call Eric’s wife to tell her he probably wasn’t coming home alive. They had been married six days and were planning to leave on their honeymoon that night. Instead of being in the Caribbean, after being buried under a ton of soil, Eric spent time in the hospital.
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Eric Giguere, Keynote Speaker
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 Several members of the audience said that this had made them aware of their own safety programs. Allan Herauf of Bridge Masters in Bent, Oregon, stated that in 35 years, they had never had an accident. But he now realizes that even more awareness of safety will be part of his routine with his staff. He plans to implement more care for safety in the future.
Eric’s company, Safety Awareness Solutions, has become his career now. He has a mission to make safety awareness a part of everyone’s lives, as disregarding safety can change a life in a second. “Money isn’t the reason we go to work. We work for our wives, our husbands, our kids and grandkids, our parents, our brothers and sisters. They’re why we get up and go to work every morning.” Eric wants to make sure everyone goes home every evening.