Life — October 3, 1930 — page 10: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "A New Well Comes In" - Oil Boom Satire This page satirizes the oil boom phenomenon in 1920s New Jersey. The main letter, signed by "Jack Cluett," humorously warns Mr. Van Dyke about unexpected oil discoveries disrupting domestic life. The top illustration shows a wife ("George! I'm not dressed!") caught off-guard by an oil gusher erupting indoors—likely from plumbing mishaps when workers mixed pipes during repairs. The lower cartoon depicts men playing football near an oil derrick, with the caption mocking one player's excuse: "Don't take it so hard, Bill—you said yourself you weren't in football for your health!" The satire targets the chaotic, intrusive nature of sudden oil wealth—how industrial development disrupts ordinary life and domesticity without warning.