Antony Lucich-Lucas

Antun Lučić, the son of the shipbuilder and owner Stjepan Lučić of the island of Hvar, was born in Split in today's Croatia on September 9 1855. After regular educatuion, already at the age of twenty he completed studies at the Polytechnic Institute, (Technische Hochschule) in Graz, (Austria), becoming the mechanical engineer. It was exactly the same time when another famous individual related to Croatia, Nikola Tesla was studying at the same school. After entering the Austrian Naval Academy, serving in Pula and Rijeka Lucić rose to the rank of the second lieutenant. He became the owner of one of the first oil companies in the state of Texas - Gulf oil, (later Texaco), where he discovered the first major gusher.

Table of contents

1 Visit to U.S. 2 Major Discovery 3 Inventions and Applications 4 Heritage 5 External Links

Visit to U.S.

In 1879, Lučić visited his uncle in United States, (Saginaw, Michigan). He settled here and changed the name to Anthony Francis Lucas receiving his naturalization papers on May 9 1885 at Norfolk, in Virginia. He married Caroline Weed Fitzgerald and soon with the son Anthony Fitzgerald Lucas moved to Washington, D.C. in 1887. First, he found employment in lumber industry. Later, interested in mining he ranged from Colorado peaks to the plains of Louisiana prospecting for gold and rock salt.

In 1893, Lucas started to work in the salt exploration in Louisiana for the New Orleans company at Petite Anse Avery Island). Working at more different locations, (Grand Cote,Anse la Butte and Belle Isle), until 1896 he gained experiance of which the most promissing was that one of the possible relationship between the salt deposits and the sulphur, (most probably even crude oil), in the tertiary sediments of the Gulf Coast region. Most main stream geologists disagreed with Lucas's theory. Hovewer, as a result of explorations undertaken so far and the experiences gained, he was foremost expert on these formations in the United States.

Major Discovery

In 1899, Lucas became drilling contractor and leased the land south of Beaumont, Texas from the oil explorer Pattilla Hinggins. He believed that the site - Spindletop hill near the town of Gladys City, was covering a vast pool of cruide oil. Drilling began in late 1900 but was extremely difficult. At the dept of 60 m, the layer of the sand was found. Later the equipment, (new rotating hydraulic drilling was used), collapsed reaching a depth of aproximatelly 275 m. Since able to deal with technical difficulties on his own but short on money, Lucas asked for help John Rockefeller, the oner of the Standard Oil. Rockefeller denied the assistance but persuaded John H. Galey and James M. Guffey ofthe Mellon family from Pittsburgh, (Pennsylvania), to join the project. Finaly, after reaching the depth of 370 m, in 10.30 in the morning of January 10 1901, gas eruption occured followed by the stream of crude oil reaching the height of 60 m. The eruption lasted nine days and was stopped by one of Lučić's device, invented before.

The Lucas Gusher, (also called the Lucas Spindletop Gusher), produced around 14 000 t of oil a day. The occasion witnessed by about 50 000 spectators was the earliest mass exploitation of the crude oil, in the entire world. Soon, the black gold rush began, and entrepreneurs from all over poured into Texas. The city population mashroomed from 8 000 to 60 000 within a year. With 1902 as many as 285 wells were operating on Spindletop Hill and over 600 oil companies had been chartered. Lucas possesed just a tiny share in company he helped to establish. Because this and other reasons at the end of 1901 he left the company.

The discovery revolutionized world fuel use and transformed the economy of Southeast Texas. It did help the development of just recently invented car, and it's manufacturing since significant amount of new energy needed for the new kind of transportation became available. With the time, the city of Houston become nationa center of the oil industry. It was Anthony F. Lucas who allowed the United States to surpass Russia, at the time the world's leading producer.

His knowledge in geology was so broad that enabled him to differentiate prospective from unprospective fields considered for exploration. He learned about natural properties of petroleum reservoirs, (also mineral deposits), and is considered to be the founder of modern petroleum reservoir engineering too. He later served as a consulting engineer in Romania, Russia, Mexico, Algeria, various fields within the nation. As sucessful businessman and undisputed expert in mining, Lucas was the life long chairman of an American Comittee for Oil and Gas.

Inventions and Applications

Great number of Lucas inventions, scientific or technical knowledges were applied for the first time in the oil exploration, extraction. Most of them are still used. Some of them are:

• overhead method of mining in salt mines
• surface exploration of underground mineral deposits
• application of hydraulic rotary rig in oil well drilling
• construction and application of back pressure valve
• use of clay for drilling fluids
• construction of blowout, so called "killing" equipment
• designing of well logs

Heritage

Lucas died in Washington, D.C on September 2 1921. As to his nationality, he is often mistakenly described as Austrian, sometimes even as the Italian born in Trieste. On his grave in Rock Creek cemetery in Washington, D.C. he is said to be of Illiric origin, what was once standard name for Croatian.

In 1936 the American Institute for Geological and Metalurgical Investigations founded the Anthony F. Lucas Gold Medal prize for development in the area of oil exploration. The museum with granite obelisk was built to honor the explorer. Related inscription states that his discovery revolutionarized industry and transport,changed lives of people in the whole world. As the true pioneer of oil mining, Anthony F. Lucas is with among 200 most deserving Americans in the course of country's entire history.

External Links

• Antony F. Lucas