Oil well no.1 Moinesti in 1903
Percussion drilling system - Zemes,1911
Lucacesti 1911
For digging the wells was use a lot of manual labor.They use improved tools and methods as mirrors to illuminate the dark depths and some primitive ventilation systems. Workers were threatened with death every time because explosions and fires that could break while digging the wells. Working conditions were difficult because digging to great depths without protection, diggers were threatened with blindness because the gas emanation or asphyxiation. Usually working during the winter when, due to lower temperatures, gas emanations were less intense. Work for oil extraction was difficult, was made with great risk, demanding calm, will, courage and a long apprenticeship. In 1867 was established ‘’Compania româna pentru exploatarea si comertul cu pacura ‘’that exploited areas in Moinesti ,Arinior Valley and Solont . Due to insufficient capital and massive penetration of foreign investment after the 1895 law, the company was taken by the ‘’Societatea Steaua Româna’’, founded in 1896 with an initial capital of 2.4 million belonging to a group of German investors, British and Austro-Hungarian. In 1903 the company entered in full control of the German capital represented by Deutsche Bank. As drilling technique in 1895, was introduced dry percussion drilling system of iron rods, a system that becomes the main method of drilling up to WWI. In 1906 at Tetcani was tried for the first time in the country hydraulic rotary drilling. At Moinesti because of the hard rocks, was maintained the method of digging through the shock with an advance no more than 1 m per day. However, due to skill of oilmens, the company has managed to drill well no. 24 up to 1070 m.As extraction technique at the Moinesti, where deposits were rich, was use free eruption. For capturing the oil a bell (called limza) was used mounted in the top of wooden derricks. As a result of using this method, the reservoir energy was depleted and the well abandoned, although it had oil. After stopping the the eruption they continue bailing extraction with the same facility . In 1909 was introduced oil extraction with piston, using primitive extraction pumps, with bodies of steel pipes and pistons sealed by gaskets of hemp rope.