The Wild Mary Sudik
Imagine that everyone one in your neighborhood was told not to strike a match or to light a fire. No one could use their stove to cook a meal. If you did, you could blow up your home and all the homes nearby. This happened in Oklahoma City in 1930.
At an oil well call the Mary Sudik #1, the earth was pushing the oil and gas at a pressure of 2,700 pounds per square inch. The oil roaring out of the ground threw steel tools like they were matchsticks.
There was natural gas coming out along with the oil. It was the gas that made the danger of explosion and fire so terrible. Gas can go into someone’s home through windows and doors and create a very dangerous situation. Fortunately there were no explosions.
It took eleven days to get the gusher under control. If you look at the picture, you can see that the oil is flying high into the sky. The wind blew the oil twelve miles away into Norman. Homes near the well were coated with oil. The ground nearby was soaked in the stuff.
Information provided by Walter Eskridge, Curator of Education