1927 Tisa fire - Well No. 15 RA Sospiro in flames

The fire at well No.15 Romano-Americana & Sospiro joint venture on 28 of August 1927 was caused by a lightning. This well was located in the Tisa-Lupoaica oil field in the north-west part of Moreni. Several extinguishing systems have been tried to put down the flames but they have not given the desired result and the decision to executed a tunnel under the supervision of engineer O. Panov has been taken. The plan was to dig a 25 meters tunnel  in order to perforate the well casing with a perforator put into operation by a steam machine and after that to capture the oil in a large open oil pit built at a distance of 100 meters. The damage caused by this fire was enormous. When the lightning struck, at the well were master drill Moise Pantelimon, drillers Niculescu Vasile, Giana Mihai, several workers and engineer Oscar Panov. The engineer and three of the workers managed to get out of the burning well immediately. Master driller and drillers Niculescu Vasile and Giana Mihai were injured. They were taken to Filipesti hospital.

Oil well 15 RA SOSP Moreni N was dug in 1927 at 1062m depth.
Worker digging the tunnel to estinguish the fire.
View from Cricov with oil well 15 RA SOSP Moreni N
To the south is still visible today a large pit to capture the oil. When the fire started the well production was 730 tons per day.
Concrete foundation of 15 RA Sospiro some surface facilities.
The place were was the wellhead 
Latitude and longitude of location: 44.99046812,25.63269981
After more then 90 years the remains of well surface, tunnel entrance and oil pits are still visible on google maps. Location of the well is above Moreni main graveyard.
Sospiro was a company controled by ''New Consolidated Goldfields Ltd.'' from London.  It was establish in 1924 and dissolved in 1948.

More informations at the following link: 

Labels , , , , , ,