Baker Hughes history piece for you….
June 1, 1909 – Howard Hughes Sr. Secretly tests Dual-Cone Drill Bit
Drilling near Goose Creek, Texas, Howard Hughes Sr. demonstrated his new creation – a dual-cone roller rock bit. The technological advancement would soon bring faster and deeper drilling worldwide, helping to find previously unreachable oil and natural gas reserves.
“In the early morning hours of June 1, 1909, Howard Hughes Sr. packed a secret invention into the trunk of his car and drove off into the Texas plains,†notes Gwen Wright of History Detectives. The drilling site was near Galveston Bay. Rotary drilling “fishtail †bits of the time were “nearly worthless when they hit hard rock.â€
The innovation of the Hughes dual-cone bit created many Texas millionaires, explained Don Clutterbuck, one of the PBS show’s sources. “When the Hughes twin-cones hit hard rock, they kept turning, their dozens of sharp teeth (166 on each cone) grinding through the hard stone,†he added. Hughes would team with R. Carlton “Carl†Baker. Learn more about early drilling technologies in Making Hole – Drilling Technology.
aoghs.org
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