The spring pole drilling system had been used by the early drillers because of its obvious advantages, it was simple, cheap and already available at the well site. But more sophisticated and efficient equipment existed for those who had the capital to acquire it. This drawing from a manufacturer's catalogue shows a boiler (A) housed in a separate structure. The boiler was connected by a steam pipe (B) to a piston engine (C) which supplied power to the drill mechanism (D). It was this mechanism that provided the lifting action which successively raised and dropped the heavy drill bit in order to chisel through the rock.
The other difference between the spring pole system and the one shown here was the feature which distinguished the "Canadian Rig" from the standard, or cable-tool, drilling system. Both the spring pole and the standard rig used cable as the means of controlling the bit. The "Canadian Rig" had the bit attached to black ash poles nine metres long and fifty millimetres in diameter. These poles were fitted together at their ends and required the tall derrick seen here for drilling and withdrawing the bit.
