The Driller
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
  • NEWS
  • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EQUIPMENT
  • SAFETY
  • VIDEOS
  • EDUCATION
  • SOURCEBOOK
  • EVENTS
  • SUBMIT
  • ABOUT
  • SIGN UP
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • NEWS
  • Water
  • Geothermal
  • Construction
  • Environmental
  • Mining
  • All Industry News
  • EQUIPMENT
  • Rigs & Heavy Equipment
  • Consumables
  • Pumps
  • Featured Products
  • VIDEOS
  • Newscast
  • Drill Talks
  • Ask Brock
  • Emerging Drillers
  • EDUCATION
  • Drilling Business Insights
  • Reference Desk
  • Sponsored Insights
  • EVENTS
  • Conferences & Demo Days
  • Newscast LIVE
  • SUBMIT
  • Drillers @Work
  • ABOUT
  • Contact
  • Advertise
The Driller
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
The Driller
  • NEWS
    • Water
    • Geothermal
    • Construction
    • Environmental
    • Mining
    • All Industry News
  • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EQUIPMENT
    • Rigs & Heavy Equipment
    • Consumables
    • Pumps
    • Featured Products
  • SAFETY
  • VIDEOS
    • Newscast
    • Drill Talks
    • Ask Brock
    • Emerging Drillers
  • EDUCATION
    • Drilling Business Insights
    • Reference Desk
    • Sponsored Insights
  • SOURCEBOOK
  • EVENTS
    • Conferences & Demo Days
    • Newscast LIVE
  • SUBMIT
    • Drillers @Work
  • ABOUT
    • Contact
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP

Porky in Haiti - Part 1

September 1, 2004
Howard "Porky" Cutter recounts a recent consulting adventure.

Porky's consulting work took him to a community near Hinche, Haiti.
I was recommended for a project in Haiti by NGWA president Randy Taylor to Loring Green of Tucson, Ariz., whom I understand was contracted by Mrs. Louise Bowditch, the director of Seed USA, Brookline, Mass. Loring Green, a geologist, had made a previous fact-finding trip to Haiti and needed an experienced drilling instructor, which is why I was recommended.

On July 1, Loring and I went to Haiti to start up a new drilling machine. We had met at a motel in Miami the night before and early that morning, we flew to Port au Prince, Haiti. Haitian customs did not inspect us at all on the way in.

I had only two suitcases and a small carry-on bag. I checked my two suitcases and carried on the small bag. Of the two checked bags, one was full of clothing and one was full of fan belts, a pintle hitch, some bug spray and batteries. When I opened my suitcases at our destination -Movman Peyizan Papay (MPP), the Peasant Movement of Papaye, near Hinche, Haiti - my bug spray and batteries were missing.

Loring, on the other hand, had two large suitcases and several small bags combined into one. Most of his luggage was filled with drilling supplies and equipment. His all arrived OK.

Upon our arrival in Port au Prince, we were met by many local people wanting to carry our luggage for a small fee, which we declined. The people were kind and friendly but almost demanding in wanting to carry our luggage. However, we were never concerned for our safety.

We were to be met by others with MPP, taken to the nearby general aviation terminal at the same airport, and then flown by a small, four-passenger airplane operated by Mission Aviation Fellowship to Hinche in the Central Plateau province - or as they call it, department. Prior to our landing in Hinche, the people had to run the goats off the short, narrow runway. Once we were on the ground, there were many people under nearby trees waiting to greet the arrivals. A four-door pickup truck met us and took us through Hinche over some very bad roads to the MPP compound near Papaye.

Upon arrival at the compound, we were escorted to our rooms to get settled in. Then we were taken to the dining hall and had lunch. All the food was excellent but different from what I was accustomed to. The meals usually consisted of a brown rice, bean sauce, peanut butter and jelly, bread and a juice. All food was covered with a plastic basket to prevent flies from getting to it.

The DeepRock rig had not arrived from Port au Prince, Haiti. We were advised it still was tied up in customs.

We were introduced to our six drilling students and decided to teach them in a classroom until the rig arrived. For the next several days, we taught the students to sort and screen-pack sand from the river in the classroom and on-site.

We taught them to slot PVC well screen with hacksaws and clean out the slots. Then with drawings on a blackboard, we taught them about drilling tools and the names of tools. Mironda Heston, an American who speaks Haitian Creole, translated all of this and was a vital link in our teaching. First Loring and I would teach Mironda. She would interpret to our students, and then she would interpret their questions back to us. Mironda was a fast learner and understood our drawings on the blackboard. This was great because Loring and I were not the best blackboard artists.

The following day, we would have a classroom review of what the students learned the day before. They had retained everything we had taught them in detail, including re-drawing exactly what we had drawn on the blackboard the previous day. Mironda would manage the review, as Loring and I could not understand Creole. We could not have managed without her.

Since the drill still had not arrived, we decided to visit a drill site with a drill in operation some 15 miles and more than an hour away, as it involved transversing a very bad road. We loaded our five students, Wendy Flick - an associate from New Mexico, Loring, Mironda, Louise Bowditch, our driver and myself in a four-door four-wheel drive Toyota pickup and traveled some destructive roads to the job site.

We watched the drilling for a time, discussed the drilling bits and procedures and then returned to the classroom for more blackboard drawings and discussion of what we had seen at the drill site.

These students were great learners; they never wanted to stop learning. I would be proud to work with them anytime. I hope that one day soon that I will be asked to return to Haiti to work with these students.

One evening, we were invited to a birthday party for Agathe Jean-Baptiste, a medical doctor who has just opened a small clinic in Papaye for the villagers and who also is the daughter of Mr. Chavannes Jeans-Baptiste, the director semence of MPP. A woman, the instructor and teacher for 37 midwife students at MPP, asked me to dance … and I did. Everyone took photos of Porky dancing and said this event was worthy of publishing in the National Driller.

After nine days, the drill had not arrived and still was not on the way to Papaye. On Thursday evening, since it did not look like the drill was going to arrive before we were to leave on the following Monday, Loring and Louise decided we should just head for the United States. So Loring and I packed our suitcases.

About 9:30 a.m. on Friday morning, Louise came running to our guesthouse and told us to get in the truck, because the charter plane was waiting for us in Hinche to take us to Port au Prince for our trip home.

We loaded up and headed out of the MPP compound on a fast trip to Hinche. We waved good-bye to our students - they had no idea we were leaving Haiti at the time. We arrived at the airport in Hinche, and the plane was waiting for Loring and myself. We loaded up and headed down the runway, mud slinging from the wheels to under the wing. After a 30-minute flight to Port au Prince, we were meet by MPP associates at the general aviation terminal and taken to the international terminal. We immediately checked in, paid our additional fee for early departure and a $30 airport tax, then had to wait two hours for our plane to depart. Once going through baggage claim and customs in Miami, Loring and I went our separate ways - Loring to Tucson, Ariz., and myself to Charlotte, N.C., and on to Norfolk, Va., in a very fast 12-hour trip. Loring did not arrive home until a day or so later.

Our son, Chris “Piglet” Cutter, CWD/PI, left for Papaye, Haiti, on August 5, immediately after the South Atlantic Well Drillers Jubilee, to continue the job that Loring and I started. Watch for the continuation of the MPP drilling project in Haiti in a future issue of National Driller.
ND

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
to unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • geotechnical drilling rig

    6 Onsite Phrases Environmental Drillers Hate

    Here are six phrases that highlight common frustrations...
    Environmental Monitoring
    By: Jeff Garby
  • Wayne Nash

    Pipe Stuck? Common Causes and Solutions for Drillers

    If you have drilled for any length of time, sooner or...
    Markets
    By: Wayne Nash
  • submersible pumps, water well pumps

    Selecting and Sizing Submersible Pump Cable

    This article helps pump installers and servicers decide...
    Markets
    By: Bob Pelikan
You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Report Abusive Comment

Subscribe For Free!
  • eNewsletters
  • Online Registration
  • Subscription Customer Service
  • Manage My Preferences

The Driller Newscast: 21st Century Drillers | Part 1 DEMAND

The Driller Newscast: 21st Century Drillers | Part 1 DEMAND

The Driller Newscast: New York Geo Talks 2025 Conference with Hands-on Driller Education

The Driller Newscast: New York Geo Talks 2025 Conference with Hands-on Driller Education

The Driller Newscast: Coiled Tubing Drilling and the Future of Geothermal

The Driller Newscast: Coiled Tubing Drilling and the Future of Geothermal

The Driller Newscast, Episode 147: Global Geothermal Collaboration at NY-GEO 2025

The Driller Newscast, Episode 147: Global Geothermal Collaboration at NY-GEO 2025

More Videos

Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content is a special paid section where industry companies provide high quality, objective, non-commercial content around topics of interest to the The Driller audience. All Sponsored Content is supplied by the advertising company and any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily reflect the views of The Driller or its parent company, BNP Media. Interested in participating in our Sponsored Content section? Contact your local rep!

close
  • demo of a DM450 drilling rig during a customer factory visit
    Sponsored byGeoprobe

    Built for You: Smarter Drill Rigs, Stronger Support, Bigger Opportunities

Popular Stories

MainPhotoTwoBrothers.jpg

Two Brothers' Journey Through the Drilling Industry

AI and Drought Concerns

AI’s Growing Thirst for Water and Power

demo of a DM450 drilling rig during a customer factory visit

Built for You: Smarter Drill Rigs, Stronger Support, Bigger Opportunities

The Driller Classifieds

COMPRESSORS

EAST WEST MACHINERY & DRILLING IS BUYING AND SELLING AIR COMPRESSORS, AIR BOOSTERS, AIR ENDS & PARTS
Company: East West Machinery

DRILL RIGS

LOOKING FOR LATE MODEL TOPHEADS & DRILLTECH D25'S
Company: Spikes’s Rig Sales

DRILL RIG PARTS

MEETING DRILLERS NEEDS AROUND THE WORLD
Company: East West Machinery

ELEVATORS

SEMCO INC. PIPE ELEVATORS
Company: Semco Inc.

GROUTERS

GROUTING EQUIPMENT - GROUT PUMPS & GROUT HOSE REELS
Company: Geo-Loop Inc.

PUMP HOISTS

SEMCO INC. - BASIC PUMP HOISTS
Company: Semco Inc.

WELL PACKERS

LANSAS PRODUCTS - INFLATABLE WELL PACKERS
Company: Vanderlans Lansas Products

WELL SCREENS

WELL SCREENS & SLOTTED PIPE
Company: Alloy Screen Works

Products

Water Quality Engineering: Physical / Chemical Treatment Processes

Water Quality Engineering: Physical / Chemical Treatment Processes

By carefully explaining both the underlying theory and the underlying mathematics, this text enables readers to fully grasp the fundamentals of physical and chemical treatment processes for water and wastewater.

See More Products

Subscribe to The Driller Newscast

Related Articles

  • Porky in Haiti - Part 2

    See More
  • Porky's Hole Thoughts
    Rough and Tumble - Part 1

    See More
  • Water Wells

    Calculating Pressure Drop Due to Friction in a Piping System - Part 1

    See More
×

Dig deeper into the drilling and water supply industry!

Build your knowledge with The Driller, covering the people, equipment and technologies across drilling markets.

SIGN UP NOW
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Directories
    • Store
    • Want More
    • Classifieds
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eNewsletters
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing

The Driller
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
The Driller
  • NEWS
    • Water
    • Geothermal
    • Construction
    • Environmental
    • Mining
    • All Industry News
  • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EQUIPMENT
    • Rigs & Heavy Equipment
    • Consumables
    • Pumps
    • Featured Products
  • SAFETY
  • VIDEOS
    • Newscast
    • Drill Talks
    • Ask Brock
    • Emerging Drillers
  • EDUCATION
    • Drilling Business Insights
    • Reference Desk
    • Sponsored Insights
  • SOURCEBOOK
  • EVENTS
    • Conferences & Demo Days
    • Newscast LIVE
  • SUBMIT
    • Drillers @Work
  • ABOUT
    • Contact
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP