Years ago, I got the bright idea that I could build a machine that could wash dirt. Yes, that right I was an environmental contractor removing and installing underground fuel tanks. While removing the fuel systems I would encounter spilled gasoline, diesel, creosote, heavy greases and many other forms of petroleum products. At the time I was working in the Bay Area of California, U.S.A.
I worked for and in many cities, San Francisco, Oakland, Monterey, Redwood City, well I could go on and on because I was like stink, I covered the Northern California Area like fog I was everywhere. I could tell many stories but today I want to tell of the humongous idea I had that if you can wash grease out of a pair of pants you can wash it out of dirt. I remember one truck load of dirt I loaded on to an end dump (large trailer) and took to Kettle man City in California. Down on Hwy 5 and not counting the loading trucking or any overhead the cost of the one load was over three thousand dollars. I could be wrong it has been over 35 years sense then, but the cost was so high that I was amazed. Like I said, 35 years ago that was a lot of money then today that could be over ten thousand dollars just guessing.
Deciding that if the landfill can charge this much money for one load how much could I earn if I were to build a machine that would wash the dirt. I started a Corporation Called βSoil Cleaning Corporation of Americaβ, SCCA was what customer would be told. I invested over one million dollars in building this machine. The idea I came up with was to drop the dirt into a large pipe laying on its side at such an angle that the oil would come to the surface as it always does when placed in water. So, laying this 24-inch pipe on its side and installing a auger which would turn the dirt and allow the water to wash the dirt. I had put a funnel on the bottom, and it was high enough that the water would come up into it but not escape. On the drawing board I knew that one barrel or pipe would not be enough, so I put two more now I had three 24-inch pipes laying on their side but at about a 38-degree angle. I cut a hole and tied the three pipes together below the water line so that when the dirt was washed it would fall into the next pipe and get another washing.
The Health Department of California sent a man by the name of Snorkel to investigate what I was doing, and he did major testing of input of soil samples and output of soil samples. Caterpillar in San Leandro had a pile of contaminated soil in their yard and I was allowed to test washing this soil. While doing this the General Manager Caterpillar Tractor ask Mr. Snorkel what allowed Verl to wash this Β soil when the state of California refused him from touching the soil because of contaminations. The response is engrained in my mind. Snorkel held out his hand like he had a stick in it and said andΒ I repeat; βSnorkel, Snorkel you are no longer contaminated.β The manager said do that for me and I will truck it off and get rid of it. Snorkel said if Verl can wash this soil the State of California and many other places will benefit from it so with my powers I allow him to demonstrate what the State of California believes he can do.
Cutting to the facts I ended up in the head office of the U.S. EPA in Eddison New Jersey meeting with the top brass and we talked about all this for almost a week. While I was there a very large spill in Alaska happened and shell oil had a major spill. While standing at a punch bowl one night two of the guys I was working with joined me while dipping into the big punch bowl. One said to the other that we should make them pay for that. The other fellow said yes lets do that and one guy turned and walked away the other reached for a cup of punch and I said do you think you can do that. The other fellow said you just watched us do that watch the news tomorrow. That meeting at the punch bowl cost Shell Oil Company millions of dollars and I found how the EPA did things.
I could not market my services or get SCCA into a marketing market because I was VCI of California (Verlβs Construction Corporation of California). Had I been a larger company it would have worked but no one wanted to do business of this amount of money with a unknown company. I was not large enough to have the credibility of what was necessary. I learned a lesson in life doing that, the big boys play ball hard and the little fish go on down steam.
Why do I tell this? Because as I write my stories, I make my books I know that those that went to the prestigious schools have the backing of the right people know the difference between a noun and a verb will eat those like me up. What keeps me in the game? God and only my belief that the love I feel in my heart for him is what keeps the heat in my chest alive. If there is no God, then the heat I feel the love that I know the friends that support me will not matter will they.
I write what I feel I put to words what crosses my mind I live to love and I love to live so as long as I can feel that heat in my chest, I will continue telling that which crosses into my fingers and to the world.
A Messenger,
Verl K.