The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1905-08-15

up to catch the oil should a leak be
sprung or to fight away the flames
should they come in the wake of .
stream of oil that had burst its confines
Each of the tanks is made OF sheet
steel, and cost about $4,000. They are
about so feet in diameter and 80 feet
high. They rest lightly on the ground.
The steel floor is covered with heavy
black oil paper, and conical roof sur
mounts the whole. A stairway leads to
the roof from the ground. In the middle
of it is door locked with Rockefeller
paddock. a special design, which can
not be duplicated, and to which only
trusted employees carry keys.
In these tanks is stored the surplus
Oil of the Kansas field. The produc-
ton has been increased greatly. A year
ago it was about $4,000 barrels day;
now it is more than twice that figure
The Standard refinery here can take
care of only $500 barrels day, but at
Sugar Creek. near Kansas City, the COM
pany is putting up an immense one.
Even this, however, would have been
inadequate.
If the state is going to put the COM
pany out of business in Kansas the
Standard will lose several millions in
investments such as the tank farm
which cannot well be moved without
great impairment. There are smaller
farms at Humboldt and Caney.
These tank farms are connected with
the oil fields everywhere. Big mains
run into each of the six large producing
counties, and from these laterals extend
to wherever there is any oil. The mo-
ment an operator can show production
of so barrels day the Standard will
build him a pipe line. Until the recent
fuss this was the rule, and gangs of pipe
layers were kept busy all the time many
wells being capped awaiting the arrival
of the pipes.
More than 100000 is invested by the
Standard in pipe lines in this state.
Solid trainloads of pipe and sheet steel
were daily sights in the field last sum-
mer Each main line is supplied with
a pumping station which forces the oil
through the pipes. Where oil does not
run by gravity the Standard has beer
paying a cent a barrel for the steam
used in pumping, which in itself has
been good source Of income for the
operators.
Forty men are employed to ride the
pipe lines and gauge the oil. Pheir bust
ness is to look for thefts and leaks
Oil stealings have not been infrequent
in the past line will be tapped at
some secluded point and wagonload of
oil taken, to be sold later to the re-
finery people.
These gaugers visit the oil wells, meas
ure the oil and run it into the line.
They give the operator ticket and he
sends the accumulated ones TO the head
quarters on the first of the month and
gets his check. An affidavit must &C
company each claim, in which is set out
the name of the owner of the royalty.
Few of the wells are operated by the
owners of the land. most of whom take
life easy on their monthly royalties.
These they receive direct from the
Standard Office. In this way they feel
sure the operators are not defrauding
them.
The Kansas field is divided by the
Standard into two districts The diyid-
ing line runs just on the north side of
Neodesha. The company does not be-
lieve that the oil in the north end of
the field is as good as that in the south
end. and difference of 20 cents barrel
is made The man with a well just north
of the line gets that much less than a
man with well a hundred feet away,
but on the south side of it. and this has
aroused much feeling. The company
retorts that il must make the division
somewhere. and somebody must get
hurt. Very heavy oil is produced in the
north end.