The opening line of the Wichita Falls Time Record News article was elegant in its simplicity: “Death came instantly at 11 o’clock Tuesday morning” for four men working on a well on the Chapman & McFarlin C lease in Archer County, just southeast of Holliday. 35 quarts of nitroglycerin exploded sending cars, debris and human body parts flying over the job site, some as far as the length of four football fields. The dead were identified as Nelson “Doc” Mosier, George Schaffer of Electra, his son Vance Shaffer of Kamay, and O.F. Smith of Holliday. Mosier, described as a veteran oil well shooter and an employee of Dupont de Nemours & Company was in charge of the well shooting. Bill Austin, of Electra, was fortunate to be 25 yards from the explosion and suffered a laceration to his leg and was treated at Wichita General Hospital. Three other members of the drilling crew were present but far enough away to suffer no injuries, even though the force of the blast knocked them to the ground.
Cliff Winkle, a Shell employee, and W.A. Devers were eye witnesses to the blast. Located about 360 yards away, that saw debris hurled into the air as the sound of the blast reverberated through the lease. Rushing to the scene, they found Smith’s dismembered remains among the smoldering wreckage of his car (above, left) and carried it from the scene. Wreckage of the truck, cards, clothing and other debris was blasted over 400 yards away. Other body parts were found driven through the windshield and back wall of G.M. Shaffer’s car. The well caught fire but burned only a few seconds after the blast. All told, Mosier’s truck and two passenger cars were completely destroyed. A derrick and drilling platform were damaged as well. The exact cause of the explosion was unknown.