The Conservation Board (Page 2)

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McKinnon was a product of Scotland. He had articled as an accountant and emigrated to Canada in 1929. His early work was with the Alberta Government in the Department of Lands and Mines. During World War II, he served in the RCAF, re-joining the Department upon discharge.

In retrospect, McKinnon is difficult to describe From the time Atlantic No. 3 first became a visible problem (March 8) until Moroney took over (May 14), we see McKinnon preoccupied with the brand new job he had just taken, dividing his time between Edmonton duties and coping with ''pressures'' from his superiors in Edmonton and from some sectors of industry. One could say that he was unprepared to cope with such a sudden event, largely because of the fact that he had no previous operational experience. Fortunately, Red Goodall provided invaluable stabilizing guidance because he knew how things were done in industry.

Govier's first link with the Conservation Board had been as a post-graduate student proceeding to his Master's degree under Dr Boomer at the University of Alberta. He spent one summer with the Board at Turner Valley and then went to Ann Arbor to work towards his Doctor's degree, According to Red, George had been investigating gas conservation because it bore directly on Turner Valley. He was certainly a man for the times in the sense that, after the Leduc discovery, when gas started to become surplus, he was a natural for his new responsibilities at the Board, He became a respected expert in the behaviour of natural gas, not only in reservoirs, but under flowing conditions. His judgment in solving mathematically related problems came to the fore when formulae had to be developed for many contingencies, It is very likely he assisted in working up the pro-rationing formula for Leduc crude in May 1948.

As with other fields, the Board posted engineers to monitor the activity and ensure that required reports were made.

Until 1947, the main field office of the Board was in Turner Valley, with outposts in Vermilion and Medicine Hat, When the Leduc field was opening up, the Board sent Nate Goodman, a graduate petroleum engineer, there, Nate's was a keen mind and he was a sharp observer, He soon developed a solid rapport with industry personnel and maintained good communications with everyone. His diary is an invaluable link with the well tour reports and was of much assistance in putting together this story, especially as it relates to details of the Atlantic No. 3 blow-out. Nate was intertwined by Bill Kinghorn and, later still, by Alex Essery, both of whom were bottom hole men and experienced Board employees. Len Henderson, a gas measurement expert, also came to Devon.

Goodman kept records and visited the well site frequently, A decision to hire Myron Kinley appears to have been made by the Board, with Denton and Spencer and McMahon probably also involved. McKinnon was reported to have said: ''We were caught in a bind and needed to obtain outside advice".