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Eastman, H. John

“Slanted oil wells are the latest sensation of the oil industry,” reports May 1934 Popular Science Monthly article.
Society: SPEMain Category: PetroleumSub Category: ExtractionEra: 1920-1929DateCreated: 1929ConroeState: TXCountry: USAWebsite: http://www.spe.org/industry/history/timeline.phpCreator: Eastman, H. John

H. John Eastman introduces controlled directional drilling in 1929 and was awarded a patent the following year.

The technique became widely adopted after an oil strike in Conroe, Texas, caught fire in January 1933. The well exploded, creating a 600-foot deep crater, and the oil burned for months. Although the fire was eventually put out,  oil continued to flow into the “lake.” The only way to manage this was to drill another well to relieve the pressure.

Image Credit: American Oil & Gas Historical SocietyImage Caption: “Slanted oil wells are the latest sensation of the oil industry,” reports May 1934 Popular Science Monthly article. “Drilled by experts who use special tools and secret methods to send the bit burrowing into the ground at strange angles, they are finding amazing new applications.”
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“Slanted oil wells are the latest sensation of the oil industry,” reports May 1934 Popular Science Monthly article.

H. John Eastman introduces controlled directional drilling in 1929 and was awarded a patent the following year.

The technique became widely adopted after an oil strike in Conroe, Texas, caught fire in January 1933. The well exploded, creating a 600-foot deep crater, and the oil burned…

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