The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1876-08-02
An Oil Pipe Three Hundred Miles


The Pennsylvania Transportation
Company, OF which Mr.. Henry Harry is
president, has been chartered by the
state of Pennsylvania for the purpose OF
transporting Oil from the Oil regions to
the principal Atlantic seaboard cities.
The plan proposed is to run the oil
through iOuI-lnch pipe laid on the sur
face; the forcing power will be nine
hundred pounds 10 the square inch;
here are to be stations at distances Of
h,teen miles, at each of which an engine
oil hundred horse power will be erected
TO work a pump TO continue the flow
from point to point. Tue company hav-
Ing decided upon the construction of the
work, the president sought the services
of General Harman Haupt, of HJosac
tunnel fame, and who, during the war,
was CHEZ Ofthe Bureau OF Military Rail-
roads, and hyurographical engineer OF
great skill and experience. He pro-
hounced the scheme, alter a thorough
examination, to be entirely pracLIcable,
and he is now acting an englneer-in-
chief.
In view of the enormous product of oil
in this countrY-tnirLy thousand barrels
per day-and the rank IL now holds
among the leading articles of export,
coupled with the eXorbitant charges Tor
railroad carriage from the wells to the
.seaboard, by the completion OF the enter
prise aud Its successful operation, a
complete revolution will he accom-.
plished in the handling OF this article.
Asa proof OF how valuable this traffic
has been to the several railroads over
which the oil has been borne, it is
only necessary TO say that up to the
present time the railroad charges
aggregate $40 000,0 The minimum cost
Of transporting oil by ral is so cents per
oalTel, and Inc minimum cost by tue
pipe process is 16 cents. The average
charge by rail is 81 25.
The estimated cost Of the entire work,
including fixtures, etc., is LOO, 600, and
considering the difference i'll Gust be-
tween this method and that by rail,
upon the hypothesis that the company
Will discount at least % cents u barrel
on rail rates,it will readily be seen that
with all the expenses of operating, the
nrsL years earnings will pay the first
cost OF Lne work.
The Pennsylvania Company is the
parent company, but there Is also the
Baltimore Transportation Company,
chartered by the state OF Maryland, and
some i've other companies are expecting
20 unite. The first objective point OF
terminus will be Baltimore, as being the
most IedSlDle anu ulret route I0f Tue
pipes. Following which other termini
VIII be established, in Philadelphia, New
York, eIc.
The pipes being laid on the surface
anu there being no obstacle in the way
Of forcing the oil 10 any height, the liue
will literally be an air line, ana the dis
tance from the oil regions to Baltimore
is tnree hunured miles.
The vn will be distributed from the
pipes into immense reservoirs with
refining establishments adjacent. Oi
course the whole railroad sl stem Will
oppose II, for it is taking from them a
traffic from the very nature OF which
there could be no competition, but the
advantage to the oil producers, who Wi l
have the entire control, WILL be i'm
mense, and the advantages which will
accrue from such facilities to this i'm
portant branch Of our export commerce
will be incalculable.
The feasibility OF this enterprise, so
far as the passage of the oil through
pipes is concerned, has been fully es-
LaDlished by the present system III opeI-
alton in tue oil reg IONS, where the. aggre-
gate length OF the pipes conveying the
oil from the several wells to the reser-
vnirs i, nearly TWO hundred and fifty
Travel +.