Until the late 1850s, oil had been,really an annoyance to most people.

一直到19世纪50年代末，石油并不受大多数人欢迎

And people would dig water wells,and if they happened to strike oil by accident,they'd curse their bad luck.

当人们想钻水井时，如果不小心钻到了石油会埋怨自己倒霉

But with the development of railroads and with the Industrial Revolution, for the first time,people began seeking oil.

但随着铁路的发展以及工业革命的展开，人们首次开始寻找石油

Until recently, whale oil cornered the market.

不久之前，鲸油还在市场上独占鳌头

It was used in lamps to light homes and streets.

它被运用到油灯中来点亮千家万户 寻常巷陌

But the whales have been hunted to near-extinction.

但鲸鱼已经濒临灭绝

One discovery has saved them.Oil.

一个发现挽救了它们，那就是石油

Made from the remains of tiny organisms in the world's oceans,

形成于海洋中残留的微小有机体

it's been down there for as long as 160 million years.

石油在地下已沉睡了一亿六千万年

Native Americans have used it as medicine.

美洲印第安人曾经把它用作药物

Then, in 1854, scientists in Pennsylvania discover it can be used for lighting.

随后，1854年宾夕法尼亚的科学家发现它可以用来照明

There's no turning back.

从此一发不可收拾

Coal still dominates industry,powering trains and factories.

当时煤炭仍旧统治着整个工业，为火车和工厂提供动力

But it's dirty and less efficient.

但它污染环境，效率不高

A ton of coal has half the energy of a ton of oil.

一吨煤提供的能量仅仅是等量石油的一半

For the right rig in the right place,there are fortunes to be made.

在合适的地方架起钻井台，财富就能源源不断而来

Well, that is the American dream,is that this is a land of opportunity where anything is possible,if you roll up your sleeves and get to it.

那就是美国梦，这是一片充满机遇的土地，如果你卷起袖子大干一场，一切皆有可能

Prospectors have tried drilling at Spindletop before,but all previous wells here came up empty.

之前采油者们尝试在纺锤顶钻井，但都空手而归

The land, great for farming, is lousy for drilling.

这片适合农耕的土地难于钻探

Earlier attempts hit hundreds of feet of sand and collapsed.

早期的尝试因遭遇几百英尺的沙子而坍塌

The Hamills get $2 for every foot they drill,top dollar in those days.

哈米尔兄弟每钻一英尺挣2美元，在当时已算报酬丰厚

And when investors pay top dollar,they expect results.

既然投资者给他们丰厚的报酬，就期待有所收获

Their contract pays them to 1,200 feet.

合约要求他们钻1200英尺

If they don't hit oil by then,the well's a dud and they're through.

如果他们到时没能开采到石油，这口井就一文不值，他们也就前功尽弃

That's good, that's good.Right now, they are at 400 feet.

很好，很好，现在他们已经钻了400英尺

Drilling for oil is dangerous work.

开采石油的工作危险重重

6,000 die in oil explosions every year.

每年有6000人死于石油爆炸

Most rigs are primitive tools,smashing through rock by pounding it with a heavy object on a cable.

大多数钻井架都很原始粗糙，由系在缆绳上的重物来敲打击穿岩石

But this is sand.You can't smash your way through sand.

但这里有沙地，不可能敲碎沙子来开路

The Hamills are gambling on revolutionary technology,a steam engine that drills a pipe through the ground.

哈米尔兄弟赌上了革命性的技术，他们用蒸汽引擎带动钻头开路

So far, it's been able to bore through 500 feet of sand and bedrock with no collapses.

目前，他们已在沙子和岩床中钻了500英尺，未发生坍塌

But at 600 feet...disaster strikes.

但到了600英尺，灾难袭来