Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1884-06-25
The United Pipe Lines and the
National Transit Co.

Dor involved, the capital engageu anu
the business energy displayed in the
storage and transportation of crude
petroleum as it is brought forth from
its hidden recesses in the earth's crust
and delivered over to the manufactur-
ers of the refined product. The owner
of an oil we'll is in direct communica-
ton with freight carrier and mar
ket at all seasons of the year. No
sooner has he produced hundred bar
rels of oil than, by proper notification,
his tank is measured, its contents re-
moved from his sight, and receipt
given him for the amount, which is in
stantly convertible into cash at the
ruling market price.
The United Pipe Lines is the prin-
cipal corporation engaged IN running
oil from the wells through pipes to the
immense storage reservoirs in which it
is held until delivered to buyers. As
matter of fact, the process of taking
the oil of the producers to the tanks Of
the company, and from thence deliver
ing it to the railroads or the seaboard
pipe lines for shipment to the remote
refining and exporting points, is con-
slant one.
Every thousand barrels Of oil in the
possession of the pipe lines, with the ex-
ception of the amount necessarily kept
on hand to offset evaporation, waste,
&c, is represented by an acceptance or
order. These acceptances or certit-
Gates are payable on demand in crude
oil at any shipping point within the oil
regions. They are subject to pipeage
charges of twenty cents per barrel,
when oil is delivered to d purchaser,
and to storage charges of $6.25 per,
thousand barrels for every fifteen days
the oil remains in the company's tanks.
The company is never holder of oil
on its own account, and simply acts in
the capacity of a common carrier be-
tween the oil producers and the oil
refner. These certificates have
acquired a speculative value. and
exchanges in various cities are
entirely devoted to their purchase
and sale.
The pipe line is a natural outgrowth
OF the petroleum business. 1t has per-
fectly solved the problem of oil trans
portation. The railroad tank car and
shipping rack, though still in use, are
now only of secondary Importance.
The Oil Greek teamster with his jaded
horses and load of wooden barrels,
dragging the crude petroleum over
mountain sides and down muddy hill
sides, from the wells to the Allegheny
river fiat. boat, or to the nearest railroad
station, is no longer familiar object
in oil region scenery. His occupation
ceased with the advent of the massive
steam pump and the huge cistern Of
boiler iron.
The United Pipe Lines Association,
first known as the Fairview Pipe line,
was organized by Capt. j. j. Wander
grift and George V. Forman. 1t is
incorporated under the provisions of
the general Act of the Pennsylvania
Legislature of the 29th of April, 1874.
1t commenced business on compara-
tive small scale, and at Il time when
there were numerous lines in existence,
all actively engaged in a ruinous
competition. The new company en-
deavored to avoid this suicidal policy
and was successful.
Other lines were merged with it
from time to time, until it became the
rich and powerful organization of the
present day. The lines that have been
bought and consolidated with the
United since 1871, are the Antwerp,
Oil City, Clarion, Union, Conduit,
Karns, Grant, Pennsylvania, Relief,
the Clarion and Mexican divisions of
ofthe American Transfer Co., the Prem
tiss lines, the Olean Pipe, the Union
Oil Co.'S line at Clarendon and the
McCalmont line in Cherry Grove.
The United Pipe Lines cover the
oil region from Allegany to Butler,
with a net work of iron through which
the wealth of the country continually
pulsates. It's only competitor of i'm
portance at the present day is the
Tidewater Pipe Line a much smaller
organization, but persistent and en-
ergetic rival The United Lines own
3, 900 miles of iron pipe, and control a
storage capacity of 100000 barrels.
With it's present force it can remove
10000 barrels from the producers
tanks in single day, and place it
where it can be taken out of the region.
| One hundred and eighteen pumping
stations are required to do the work of
transferring from one part of the field
to the other, These stations range
from the smallest boiler and engine to a
rude hut in some remote section, to the
nicely fitted buildings containing from
one to five seventy horsepower boilers
with engines and pumps of commensu-
rate magnitude. The largest of these
stations are at Tarport, Duke Centre,
Richburg and Kane. OF the entire
number, 81 are located in the Bradford
and Allegheny fields, 30 in Warren and
35 in the lower country. The United
Pipe Lines employ 81 guagcrs in Brad
ford and Allegheny and 30 in the other
portions OF the field. The chief officers
are at Bradford and Oil City, and each
station is connected by telegraph with
one or the other of the n.ain offices.
The employees at the pump stations are
required to be telegraph operators as
well as engineers. When the gauger
measures up the tank OF producer
and the oil is passed into
the pipe line, the report is wired to
the central point of that section of the
field. Here accurately prepared tables
representing the measurments of pro-
ducer's tank in the region are at hand,
properly labelled and numbered. A
reference to the right table shows at a
glance the amount Of oil in barrels that
corresponds to the feet and inches run
as reported by the gauger, and this
amount is immediately credited to the
producer on the books of the Pipe Line
Office There reports are carefully
summed mn and the company knows