Ross Dyke's Letters

Ross Dyke drilled for oil in Egypt between 1920 and 1925. While we know that a number of International Drillers wrote letters to friends and family back home, the Oil Museum of Canada is fortunate to have been given copies of some of Dyke's correspond by his family.

Dyke wrote mainly to two people, his sister and the woman he would eventually marry, Annie Duncan. The following are a selection of Dyke’s letters that give a sense of the daily life of an International Driller.

Dear Annie:

I arrived at Suez last night. This is not a very nice place, but the weather is beautiful (not too warm). I leave tomorrow for the oil fields.

(Rev) Dr. Greenwood, whom I stayed with at the hotel, and I parted at Alexandria. He prayed for my success and safety. I gave him your picture; he promised to write to you when he is in Windsor. His home (in New York) is open to us anytime. We drove around Alexandria (a dirty place) and looked at the sites.

I am busy today getting white cloth and things for the oil fields. Hope your mother is well again.

I remained your faithful friend,
Ross

Tuesday, February 10, 1920
Hughada, Egypt

Dear Sister:

I arrived last Saturday at about 3:00pm, and found everything real nice. We have quite a little town here, about 75 men and about 25 women and expect more people to arrive right away. The climate is good and is supposed to be one of the best for health. This company has been here for 12 years and they had to kill a man to start a graveyard. It is very cold here right now. Although it does not freeze, a cold north wind blows off the sea. I need an overcoat at night. My bungalow is fixed up nice. A nice bedroom with oil cloth and a small rug and good board. They have a large cookhouse that does all the cooking and a boy to bring it to you at mealtime. We also have a carriage that will take us to work and bring us from. Everything is lit with electricity. Some people have been here longer than six years. Our club has a piano, Victrola, reading room, smoking and billiard room and bar. As well, there is a moving picture show once a week.

I had a nice time coming over. The company has raised the wages again. If you bank 10% of your wages with them they will do likewise and give you a percentage on your money (providing that you fulfill the contract). Also, they give two weeks of paid holidays. So, that is good.

Your brother,
Ross

Friday, May 7, 1920

Dear Sister,

As the boat leaves for Suez tomorrow at daylight and the mail closes at six tonight, I thought I would write. I am not working today on account of my eyes. I was in bed for 2 weeks, not entirely, but they were bad for 3-4 days. The Doctor says that I had a ticoma in one of them. That is a disease that the natives have here. He was going to send me to a specialist in Cairo if they were not better today. But, they are a lot better, so I will have not go [sic]. I don't think that I will stay here 3 years. I can leave here anytime by giving 6 months' notice and the company will pay all expenses. However, I will stay long enough to pay for the farm and get a good start. I like the "Last Chance" [family farm] a lot better than I like it here. And also my little Annie, who I know is lonesome. I feel that way at times myself.

A person can get very lazy here. Jack Josh, my partner whom I work with, said I have the dropsy; everything my ass gets near it drops into. He is a fine fellow. He owns a farm next to Iveson, but now he lives in England. We have a good time together.

From your brother,
Ross

August 22, 1920

Dear friend [Robert Duncan],

I received your welcome letter some time ago and was real glad to hear from you, and that all of you are well. We have had some very warm weather this last month; it was 101 in the shade. It has fallen 12 degrees this week. I avoid that daytime heat by working from 2am till twelve. Although it means that I have to sleep at the hottest time, this arrangement works best. I do not altogether like it here, but we have a very good time and it is a great deal better than some places. The Company has opened up some new fields and likely us single fellows will have to go. It will be lonesome because there will not be a Club, only two white people and the rest natives. The Company has recently paid a big bonus, 20% on our wages amounting to over $500. We all are getting along very well with our well and are now down 600 feet. It has been very poor drilling; very sticky clay and gypsum.

This is a holiday today. It is the native Christmas celebration. We have a tennis tournament and I won today. That puts me in the finals tomorrow. I play the Manager, and if he wins, we will get the first prize, about 10 pounds. We have a real nice club here. We keep all kinds of liquors and there is a lot drank, but I have never seen a man drunk here yet. The chief drink here is whiskey and soda. The doctor claims that it does you no harm.

Well, Mr Duncan, this is not much of a place for news, as every day is alike. I have yet to see a day here yet without sunshine. It did rain here a year ago last January. So, you can imagine how dry things are. Well, this is all for this time. Give my best to Mrs. Duncan and all the rest.

Am very glad to hear from you anytime, as home news is so good.

From your friend,
Ross
Hurghada

December 9, 1920

Dear Brother,

I thought I would drop a few lines this morning so I have nothing else to do. I have recently left Hughada and moved on to an island in the Red Sea, which is about 9 miles away. We are now working afternoon hours. The head driller at Hurghada and I never got along very well. Had I stayed in the main field under him, I would likely have locked horns and got fired. I thought it would be best to get out when I had a chance. Although I like it here much better, the drilling is much harder than in Hurghada.

There are about 40 natives and the three of us. This is very lonesome here on Sunday, but you do not mind it when you are working. I took a ten-day holiday in October and went to Cairo with John [Jack] Josh and John Blackwell. You know Josh, and Blackwell is Roll Blackwell's brother. Both are nice fellows. We had a good time taking in all the sites. I am sending you a photo taken at the Pyramid and Sphinx. This Pyramid is 441 feet high and 441 feet square. I bought some cloth that would be about $175 in our money.

I made the Company pay up my back money. My contract called for American money and they had only been paying the Toronto Bank, in Wyoming, $200 a month in Canadian [currency]. I found out the exchange and they owed me $188 more, so they paid for it. So, I can now save $3000 now, which will easily put me on the level and a little to the good. I am glad now that I left the farm and took up drilling. I have had a good time, seen some of the world, and I believe have made more money than if I had stayed farming.

I have six men and who all are very good, so I work but very little. I have a good time fooling with then. They like you all the better if you do and they work better than if you damn them all the time. There is not much news here so will close. I would like to hear from you any time. Don't forget to take a look over the farm once in a while. Give my love to Susie and the family.

A Merry Xmas to you all,
Ross

July 24, 1922

Dear Sister:

I received your welcome letter yesterday and was glad to hear that everybody was well. I saw in the paper before I got your letter about my new niece Mildred Mabel [Hay]. We are having very warm weather here now, about 100F. You never mentioned anything about the farm or whether you got it all seeded down.

The company is very quiet here this summer. There are lots of the good sports who have gone home on leave. I have got a lot of letters to write, but I don't seem to get time and there is nothing to write about. It will likely be three months until we are finished this well; that will bring my contract nearly to an end. I will be glad since I would like to be home. However, it will be hard to settle down on a farm there is not much money to be made. After having servants to wait me, I will notice a great difference. Right now, if I want anything done, I just press the button. I can't talk their language very well […]

When you write, remember to tell me all about the farm. I used to think at one time that if I only have it paid for, I would be O.K. Now, I am not satisfied.

Well, this is all now. Take a trip down to see Annie if you have time.

Give my love to all,
Your brother,
Ross

May 29, 1924
From Habashi
A.E.O. Ltd Refinery
Suez, Egypt

Dear Lottie,

I got your letter that you wrote to Anne. She sent it on to me. You have likely heard the news that we have a daughter. How big or how small I do not know. I got word from Dr. Turnbull saying, "Baby girl, both well." I was in bed about nine when they fetched the wire. I lay on the bed for about two hours, and do you suppose that I could go to sleep? NO! I do not know what name Annie intends calling it. She was talking about Doris or Dorothy.

I told her if it was a boy that I would like to call it William Robert and if a girl she could call it what she likes.

I intend to come home next spring. I would have travelled this spring but it cost me around $400 to send Annie home. I am in the Suez at present staying in a French hospital and have been here since last Friday. I had a bad fall. I got caught in the bull rope. The native said it caught me on the foot and threw me on my head injuring my face, especially around the right sinus. I walked to the house alone, change my clothes, wash myself and did not know I had done it. Fortunately Hamilton, my mate, was in the house. I never knew anything until much later. When I came to, I was all changed and ready for the trip to Suez. The Doctor here has my eye all fixed up. I intend on going back Saturday again to Habashi. A bitch of a place, it is. I intent to be damn careful for the next 10 months, as I am anxious to see my kid…

Some of my letters have gone astray since I changed my address. We are now 4 miles inland. We depend on the natives to carry our mail to and fro. And some of the bastards, I believe, take the stamps off them.

Ross