They were still writing late that afternoon when, around 4:30, Hunt received the call from East Texas. It was his man in Henderson, Charles Hardin, relaying news from the Deep Rock site. “Mr. Hunt,” Hardin said, “I think they’re right on top of the Woodbine sand now.” Hunt returned to the paperwork. Four hours later, at 8:30, as they haggled over final details, Hardin called once more. Even over the telephone line, his excitement was palpable. “Mr. Hunt,” he said, “they’ve cored sixteen feet of material from the Deep Rock well, and ten and a half feet of it is saturated with oil.
