The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1905-01-21

ana receive his money. as If his oil had
actually reached its destination.
sometimes the owner OF the we'll
tries 70 get the better Of the pipe lines
company. He does not try it often in
these days, however, for the trick has
been learned by the officials Of the COM
pany, and his guilt is soon found out.
Every day the receipts of oil in the
storage tanks are gagged. If the
amount received does not tally with the
total os the amount measured i'm the
tanks at the different wells the day be-
fore an investigation is set on foot to
discover the location of the leakage
and the cause. Sometimes ii is due to
an accident to the pipes. Sometimes it
IS due TO an effort of an INSCRIPTIONS
owner Of a well to rob the pipe lines.
This Is done By tapping the pipe line
leading from the tank at the we'll to
the storage tank. By means of another
pipe the oil is turned back into the well
again. Thin it is pumped out a
second time, remeasured and resold-
unless the deception is discovered.
The deception is likely to be discovered
in the course of day or two.
There are batteries of storage tanks
in all the oil fields. At some of these
storage points millions of barrels can
be stored, as at Clean n. Y, where
there are more than 200 tanks with a
storage capacity of more than. 7,000,-
600. barrels. In each of the pumping
stations, which are in hilly portions of
the country in the neighborhood of rs
miles apart, the pumps are kept going
day, and night. In some of these a
pressure of 900 pounds to the square
inch is applied to the oil. Although
the pipes are tested to Withstand a
pressure OF from $500 to 1,6OO pounds,
there is always danger that they viii
give away somewhere. The pressure is
indicated by an ink line on a circular
card which is revolved as card on a
recording barometer is revolved. This
card IS watched closely. If the line
remains more or less horizontal, the
engineer knows that all is going well
suddenly drop unduly, he knows that
something has happened to reduce the
pressure 1t MAJ be caused by a chip
in the valve of the pump or from a
leak somewhere in the pipe. He
watches the indicator card for mo-
ment or two. If the needle does not
return to the first point in the course
of minute, it is evident that it will be
necessary to stop the pumps and make
a careful examination. If there seems
to be nothing the matter with the
pumps, they are reversed and the oil
is drawn back from, the pipe in order
to save as much as possible. Patrol
men are sent out from that station and
from the next one beyond. They fol-
low the pipe lie toward each other
until the break is discovered. 1t is
apt to be on the section on the near
side Of the crest Of the elevation over
possible to meet the situation quickly
for a telegraph line follows the pipe
line, and the next station can be in
formed Immediately of any break in
the pipe leading to it. Every day the
indicator card is taken off and sent to
the main Office Of the company.
The pipe line is constantly patrolled
llC t5t&tIOIl1luIIS ire III LlIilGS IL
as tedious and trying as that Of life
saver. Summer or winter, the jour
ney must be made. No matter if the
snow lies several feet deep on the
ground. so much of the line must be
inspected every day. Clouds of snow
blown hfther and thither by the wind
at zero temperature must be faced
Fierce transforms may soak the pa
trolman to- the skin, but that precious
pipe must be watched. Sometimes
the line, leads through the woods
which are cool and inviting in sum.
mler, but bleak and lonesome in win.
! ter. 1T may lead across ploughed
| field uDon which the sun beats fiercely
in the summer time and across which
the wind blows with singing force In
| the winter. The journey usually is d
week long, and 1t is made every week
For INSTANCE, from olean, the junction
piont. several different patrolmen are
sent out, one going to Kane, McKear
County, Penn, another to Colegrove
Penn, and a third to Wellsville, N. Y.
the location of the next pumping sta.
ton on the trunk line to Bayonne
| Kane is the station next beyond Olean
on the line from Cygnet. 1t is Y
miles away. On Monday morning the
patrolman starts from Olean. He is
expected to reach Kane on Saturday
and return by rail to Olean in time tt
begin the 10 mile tramp again the
following Monday morning. On the
same morning a patrolman starts from
Wellsville for Olean.A He is expected
to cover the2S miles before Wednes-
day night so that he can start back
again on Thursday morning. The mer
are known along the line. They spend
their nights sometimes at farmhouses
sometimes in inexpensive boarding
houses. It is an exciting moment when
they suddenly come upon a fountain
of oil rising to height of 100 feet from
a slit in the pipe. This is the time
! one earns his salary. They are equip.
ped to climb telegraph poles and tar
telegraph lines. This|fs the time to dc
it, for the pumping station must be
informed and the precious oil saved.
In order that the flow of oil may moi
be decreased BY the collection of para
fin on the inside of the pipes, a scrapel
is sent through them every two weeks
The scraner is a stem about two an6
one-half feet long having at its front
end diaphragm made of wings which
can fold on each other, and thus en-.