A Clearing in the forest (9 page)

“Oh, I think so, Wilson, when they're very cross. Isn't it a shame Lyle left in such a hurry he didn't have time to put on his helmet. Come to think of it, I might pot up my asparagus fern in it. It would make a nice memento.” Her face became serious. “I'm glad you were around tonight.”

“It was because of me they came here in the first place. Lyle was mad at something that happened on the rig last night.” Then Wilson remembered why he had come to see her. So much had hapepned since the night before that he had nearly forgotten. He decided this was no time to tell her about the well, but she was too quick for him. “I thought you usually went into town on your night off, Wilson?” She waited, eyes narrowed.

Wilson decided he had better tell her. Supposing there was something she could do to stop them from drilling. “Well, I heard the tool pusher talking last night. We're nearly finished drilling on the Janston site and they're planning to come here next.”

“Here?”

“They said that their best chance would be up on the bank about a hundred yards from the river. The bottom hole will be under the river, but they'll slant drill.”

“That's nonsense, Wilson, they couldn't drill that close to the river. There must be rules about that.” She glanced in the direction of the river for collaboration.

He looked embarrassed. “Well, what they said was that because it was
your
property they had checked out all the regulations. If it's state land, you have to keep a quarter mile from water. But if it's private land like yours, there isn't any regulation. They've had the state conservation men out there walking around and checking it out.”

For the first time Frances began to take Wilson seriously. She had seen the men from the conservation department on her property last week, but she had thought they were checking the condition of the stream, as they often did. It hadn't occurred to her that they were tramping over her property to see where a well would go, without saying one word to her about it.

Wilson was busy folding and unfolding the dog's ears. He had not mentioned that Pete said they expected some trouble from the ‘old lady who owned the land' but that they could handle her—without mineral rights she didn't have a leg to stand on. “If they do drill here”—Wilson tried to make his voice sound as though it were only a remote possibility, although he knew otherwise—“I wouldn't feel right working on the rig.”

“Why not, Wilson?”

“Well, I know how you feel about a well on your land. I don't think I want any part of it.”

“On the contrary, Wilson. I can't believe they would ever do it, but if they did, I'd want you there. Maybe you could put some sort of curse on the rig, Wilson, make the drill miss its target.” She attempted a smile, but Wilson thought she looked funny, as if she were getting smaller right before his eyes. He was sorry now that he had told her.

After Wilson left, Frances sat by the fire absentmindedly eating the blackberries she had scraped up from the driveway. She enjoyed the contrast of the soft fruity flesh and the little hard seeds, an underrated fruit, she thought, probably because it was so plentiful.

Perhaps the easiest thing to do would be to let them go ahead and drill. Recently she had read that the continents were still slipping and sliding over the earth's surface. If you reckoned time in eons, things got put into their proper perspective. Whatever happened, the land would persevere.

She held up a blackberry she had been about to pop into her mouth and watched a small green worm sway back and forth from its perch on the berry. She opened a window and threw the worm outside. A full moon the color and size of a pumpkin was refracted by the river into glittering orange stripes. She could hear the water as it cascaded over a snagged log.

Taking the flashlight and some newspapers, she went out to cover the tomatoes in case there was a frost. The dog trotted behind her; his limp had disappeared. In the cold air the dog's breath emerged in white puffs. He looked comical, like a trick dog someone had trained to smoke. By the time she finished with the tomatoes, she had mapped her campaign against the oil company. She had had a taste of blood tonight and, with winter coming on, a fight had the smell of life.

14

August 30

Mr. Saforth N. Drinnen, President

Ffossco Corporation

Nhelville, Texas

D
EAR
M
R
. D
RINNEN:

I like to see the people to whom I talk, but since Texas is some distance from here, I must resort to letter writing. However, a letter has the advantage of allowing one to form one's thoughts. I believe much was lost when we put down the pen and took up the telephone.

I cannot in all fairness blame Ffossco for wishing to put an oil well in a promising area. After all, I must be perfectly honest, I drive a truck myself (although not as often as I used to). Also, my home is heated with oil, though I use as little as possible, not, I'm ashamed to say, out of principle but from economy, which sadly, of the two, is often the more convincing taskmaster.

My complaint is that you wish to drill an oil well one hundred yards from one of the loveliest stretches of river in our state. Or anywhere. Appended to my letter you will find a number of photographs which I have taken of the stream over the years. Of course I am an amateur, as you will see at once, but the pictures will show something of what I wish to convey of the river's beauty. (I would appreciate your returning them, as they have been removed from a personal photograph album, hence the torn corners.)

Appended you will find a list of animal and bird inhabitants which I have personally observed in the area where you are proposing to drill. There is also a list of one hundred and sixty-three species of plant life. I must be perfectly honest and admit I have included
Equisetum boreale
, which some consider identical to
Equisetum arvense
. Therefore one could raise a question as to whether it ought to be noted separately.

Finally, our area is full of sinkholes. Your geologists will tell you (perhaps you are one yourself?) that in areas where there are large deposits of limestone bedrock near the surface, rainwater sinking underground slowly dissolves the limestone to form subterranean caverns. Unless the greatest care is taken, natural gas can escape from a well and bubble up through the sinkholes and possibly into the river itself. Surely you will want to reconsider your decision?

S
INCERELY YOURS
,

Frances Crawford

(Mrs. Thomas C.)

Ffossco Corporation

September 1

Mrs. Thomas C. Crawford

Oclair

D
EAR
M
RS
. C
RAWFORD:

I am in receipt of your letter of August 30th. Like you, Ffossco is deeply concerned about ecology. Only last month our company gave a substantial grant to a well-known environmental association.

However, our field geologists in your area have assured me that they are quite certain that the drilling of a well will present no problems.

I am sure that, as a patriotic American, you wish the United States to become as independent as possible from the pressures of foreign governments. America can accomplish this only by a substantial increase in her oil production.

If you have any further questions, our attorney is Archer Preyman, Jr., who has been fully informed of the facts in this case.

Thank you for the very nice photographs, which I am returning.

C
ORDIALLY
,

Sanforth N. Drinnen, President

September 10

Mr. Roger Seaworth, Director

Department of Conservation

8324 Governor Avenue

D
EAR
M
R
. S
EAWORTH:

I am writing pursuant to my phone call to your department ten days ago, requesting your intervention in the matter of Ffossco Corporation drilling an oil well a hundred yards from the north branch of the Oclair River. Surely your department will not stand by and see the river threatened by possible seepage or spillage. Please let me hear from you at once.

S
INCERELY YOURS
,

Frances Crawford

(Mrs. Thomas C.)

September 18

Mrs. Thomas D. Rawforth

Oclair

D
EAR
M
RS
. R
AWFORTH:

Rule 321 of the General Rules Governing Oil and Gas Operations sets no limits as to how close a well may be placed in relation to a body of water, unless the land involved is owned by the state, in which case it is unlawful to drill closer than a quarter of a mile to a body of water. Permits to drill are issued by the Geological Survey Department. I would suggest you contact them regarding your other questions.

Y
OURS TRULY
,

Roger Seaworth, Director

September 30

Mrs. Thomas C. Crawford

Oclair

D
EAR
M
RS
. C
RAWFORD:

A painstaking survey of the geological conditions existing in the prospective drilling area has been completed. I have before me a report from our field geologist. We can say with reasonable certainty that drilling presents little danger to the environment. We see no reason to withdraw the permit we issued to Ffossco. As you know, we have already recommended the drilling site be moved from 100 yards to 300 yards from the river.

The unfortunate incident you mention happened a year ago, and since that time we are enforcing more rigorous standards.

V
ERY TRULY YOURS
,

Lytel Morthman, Director

Geological Survey Department

Governor John Liptonton

992 Executive Office Building

October 12

Mrs. Thomas C. Crawford

Oclair

D
EAR
M
RS
. C
RAWFORD:

Thank you for the copies of letters which you have exchanged with Ffossco Corporation, the Department of Conservation, and the Office of Geological Surveys.

First let me say I am a great believer in preserving the natural beauty of our great State and I share your concern for the effect of drilling on the ecology. To this end, I have advised all state agencies to exercise the greatest diligence in overseeing the effects of oil production.

I have checked with the appropriate departments regarding the matter on which you express concern, and they have convinced me that all necessary precautions have been taken. I have explained this to State Representative Milton Rudder, who has written me in your behalf.

Your spirited accusation that the state is sympathetic to the oil companies because of the “millions of dollars in oil royalties you have raked in from wells on state land” is unfair. The interests of the State are at all times the same as the interests of its citizens. All royalties are placed directly in the general fund of the State Treasury, where they are appropriately disbursed. Only a small percentage goes for what you choose to call “the inflated salaries of incompetent bureaucrats.”

I welcome your concern and appreciate your bringing this matter to my attention, and I look forward to visiting your lovely section of the State in the near future.

W
ITH EVERY GOOD WISH
I
AM
,

John Liptonton, Governor

Department of Conservation

Department of Geological Survey

Representative Milton Rudder

TREE

The Trust for Right Ecological Education

Board Members

Lewis K. Drit, Jr.

Marian Louise Filliard

Z. Kenneth Duncon

Lucille Rister

Karen Splashner

Refern Nison

Ward Simon Smithe, Executive Secretary

October 12

Mrs. Thomas Crawford

Oclair

D
EAR
M
RS
. C
RAWFORD:

As sympathetic as we are to your plight, we unfortunately do not have the manpower to give our attention to individual cases. It may be of some comfort to you to know that TREE itself has allowed drilling in its bird sanctuary, which is located only a few miles from you. The funds accruing from these wells have been of inestimable help in carrying out our crusade for good conservation practices.

A membership blank is enclosed.

S
INCERELY YOURS
,

Ward Simon Smithe,

Executive Secretary

Ralston Clifter

Counselor at Law

761 Oak Street

Oclair

October 21

Mrs. Thomas C. Crawford

Oclair

D
EAR
F
RANCES
,

I am having my secretary, Betty Jean, return the file of letters you dropped off at the office the other day while I was at Rotary. I was sorry to have missed you. I'm afraid since Tom went, Elsie and I haven't seen as much of you as we would like. Elsie is going to give you a ring real soon.

As you know, I have always been glad to handle any legal work for you and Tom (after all, I figure I owe my life to Tom), however, in this case I'm afraid I cannot help you, as I am on a retainer to Ffossco Corporation and serve as their attorney in this area.

Frankly, as an old friend of the family, my advice would be to trust Ffossco in this matter. I am sure you will find them more than decent once they know you wish to cooperate with them.

W
ITH BEST REGARDS,

Ral

c.c. Ffossco Corporation

Nehlville, Texas

Kevin Loft, Attorney

North Branch Plaza

Oclair

October 29

Ms. Thomas C. Crawford

Oclair

D
EAR
M
S.
C
RAWFORD:

I was pleased to receive your letter. I share your concern for the environment, and your case is just the kind I have been looking for since moving here two months ago. Nothing is closer to my heart than the welfare of our beautiful woods and waters.