Kindly 'Ol Uncle "O" tells a tale of oil well fire fighters in South Texas...?

Bill S. had oil wells on his South Texas ranch, a lot of them, and most were producing handsomely. One day, an electrical short took place on one of the pump motors and a tremendous explosion took place.

Where there had once been a well producing over 600 barrels of crude per day, along with recovery of natural gas, there now was a tower of white hot flames leaping over 100 feet into the air, burning thousands of dollars of precious oil every hour that went by.

Bill S. ran to his phone and called Red Adaire, world famous oil well fire fighter. He was advised that the fee would be $250,000, plus equipment rental and dynamite handling fees. Bill hung up. He was well to do, but wasn't about to spend that kind of money. He looked at national advertisement and called several companies that specialized in oil well fires. Each had the same story. Putting the fire out was cheap, what cost so much was moving men and heavy equipment thousands of miles to get to his ranch.

Bill had a brainstorm. He was mere miles from the Mexican border. He grabbed the local phone book and sure enough, there in the yellow pages, in a tiny ad, was listed "Juan's Oil Well Fires, Extinquished Cheap".

Bill quickly called the number, just across the border. A quiet voice answered in somewhat broken English..."Yes, this is Juan and I put out oil well fires! Where are you at? Hokay, I can get there this afternoon and the cost will be $5000.00, plus $50.00 for gas for the truck!"

"Agreed!" shouted Bill S. and slammed down the receiver. Out he went to the well and waited.

After about two hours, across the dry, flat dusty desert, Bill saw a swirl of dust in the distance. As the noon sun beat down on his sweating brow, he squinted into the distance and the swirl got closer and closer, headed straight for the raging fire.

When it got closer to the fire, Bill could see the truck was old and battered, but filled with equipment, shovels, explosives and was still headed rapidly toward the fire.

Bill started to become mildly concerned as the truck, with its driver and ten strong men in the bed of the truck still headed directly toward the raging inferno. Faster and faster and faster the truck went toward the fire.

Bill screamed in absolute horror, as he watched the truck roll to a stop directly on top of the raging flames. To his utter amazement, he watched as the brave, strong men quickly lept from the bed of the truck, and began to jump about in a frenzy, stomping at the roaring flames, and beating them with their hats, paunchos, gloves, and blankets.

Before Bill's incredulous eyes, he watched as the men eventually beat the fire down to a complete stop, and capped the well head.

A single man, obviously Juan, came walking over to Bill. Juan's hat was black, singed, still smouldering, his pauncho had holes in it from the terrible flames, and his boots still smoked from the heat.

Bill grabbed his wallet and handed Juan $5000 and said "That was the most incredible thing I have ever seen in my life. The courage, the skill, the strength, the men's abilities were were breath-taking! Hey, $5000 is a lot of money in Mexico, what will you do with it?"

"Well," said Juan in a laid back, easy going voice, "Thee vary first thing I will do is get the brakes fixed on that damned truck!!!"