Roughnecks, Wildcats and
Doodlebugs
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A unique feature of the website is the inclusion of
CKUA Radio Network Inc.'s 24-part documentary and 60
minute video entitled
Roughnecks, Wildcats and Doodlebugs
Part 7: Canada's First
Major Oil Well Blowout: Atlantic #3 - Part I
By 1948, close to 40 oil companies were working at
the Leduc field. Despite such activity,
Alberta-produced oil had yet to win the notice of
potential investors. All this would change with the
spectacular blowout of the Atlantic Oil Company's
oil well Atlantic #3. The well ran wild for half of
1948, resisting all attempts to bring it under
control.
But even though Atlantic #3 was arguably an
environmental disaster, it was far from a financial
one. The sheer volume of crude lost in the blowout
became the definitive statement of Alberta's oil
producing potential, one that not only seized the
attention of media and investors alike, but also
made a fortune for the oil well's owner, Frank
McMahon. Learn more about Atlantic #3 blowout and
the life of Frank McMahon.
This episode features the voices of Pete
Atkinson,
John Ballachey ,
John Ballem , Tiny Bevans,
Lyle Caspell,
Gordon Connell ,
Garnet Edwards , David
Gray,
Jeep Hall , Charles Hetherington,
Aubrey Kerr ,
Tom Kimmett, Tip Moroney,
Scov Murray ,
Jack Pettinger , Lloyd Stafford,
Tom Wark .
Part 8: The Runaway Well
That Refused To Be Tamed: Atlantic #3 - Part II
99.9% of the worlds' blowouts occur as a result of
human error. When the Atlantic #3 oil well blew out
in 1948, the Atlantic Oil Company had neither the
technology nor the experience they needed in order
to stop the blowout. Imperial Oil sent Tip Moroney,
the man who had helped to stop a runaway well in
South America a few years prior, to help tame the
well. Before Atlantic #3 could be capped, however,
the main derrick would fall over and the well itself
would catch on fire.
Find out more about this incredible story,
including how the runaway well became a tourist
sensation, how Tip Moroney and his team helped to
bring the blowout under control, and how an oil
drilling fiasco transformed Atlantic Oil and Alberta
into oil producing giants.
This episode features the voices of
John Ballachey ,
John Ballem ,
Gordon Connell ,
Walter
Dingle , Garnet Edwards, David Gray, Charles
Hetherington,
Aubrey Kerr ,
Tip Maroney ,
Tom Wark .
Part 9: The Eyes and Ears
of the Oilpatch: Scouts
In the competitive
world of oil drilling, an oil company has two ways
to locate the land's hidden petroleum resources. The
first and most expensive way is to go out and drill
for it. The second and more cost-effective way is to
let someone else drill for it, and then go and spy
on them. When such industrial espionage is called
for, oil companies place scouts on their payroll. A
scout's task is a simple one: find out about what
the competition is up to by any means necessary -
short of criminal, of course. Information gathered
by a scout can often mean the difference between
company profit or a wasted expense.
In this programme, listen in as the oil industry
scouts of the early 1950s recall the adventures,
challenges and dangers involved in their covert
profession.
This episode features the voices of
Bill Allen ,
John Ballachey ,
John Ballem ,
Gordon Connell , Ned
Gilbert,
Jeep Hall ,
Lauder Nowers , Jack Orman,
Tom Wark .