Putting things together for David Thompson's family I found a photo that will walk us through a short lesson in well control 101.

I suspect this was a production well; the rig has been pulled out of the way and everything cleared from around the well, some mates laid down to stay out of the water the well is making.

The damaged(?) tubing head was removed, here's how: Ignition chances are low, so hands got into the well head and unbolted the flange with hammer wrenches, most likely, then air powered socket wrench like you hear in the tire change place.

To keep from hair lipping everybody before the last two bolts are undone, a large C-clamp with a steel bracket on the back of the clamp is placed on the two flange halves and tightened down. The last two bolts are broken out of the flange-to-flange connection, and everybody backs away a hundred feet or so. A winch line, or chain is hooked into the C-clamp, and a dozer pulls the clamp off, the top flange and tubing head blows up in the flow and lands in the mud. Nobody's hurt. All clear.

The B-section or casing head is cleaned up the ring gasket grooves checked. All good. Time to cap the well.

This well is not blowing hard enough to have to snub the capping stack down, the stack is heavy enough it will go over the flow, piece of cake. A ring gasket is tacked into the bottom flange of the capping stack, so it won't get blown out.

Using a small crane the stack is picked up and under David's directions set to the perfect height. One bolt is put into the flange-to-flange connection so the stack cannot get pushed upward, or downward. It acts as pivot point. Once everything is lined up, Wayne Lansford, on the left, will take his rope and walk around the well head clockwise, spinning the capping stack over the flow. Once the flow is going up thru the stack David will direct the crane operator to lower the stack down to the casing head, the boys will move in and bolt the flange up, tight, the ring gasket in place. The well is capped and back under control.

Easy well. Not so easy when the well is blowing hard enough to send the capping stack into outer space, the well is blowing gas and gasoline in the air and ignition chances are high. This can then be like a very dangerous rodeo.

Don't try this at home, folks. It's not as easy, or clean, as it looks.

All hands that work in the oilfield learn 2nd and 4th grade sign language, particularly around high-pressure pumping. It's hard to hear. Around blowing wells it's impossible to hear so after a few years a good hand gets his degree in well control sign language; masters level. It's possible to be around these things all day long and not say a word to each other than using sign, reading facial expressions, reading lips and just knowing what the leadoff man is going to do next, and when. That'd make a good story someday.