The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1905-01-21
OIL FROM A DISTANCE.
PIPES LINES HALE WAY ACROSS
THE CONTINENT.

City From Indian TerritOry-Men
watch the Pipes COntinuaIIy-The
Man Who 'sheots" the OIL Wells.
Within a few months a sluggish
stream of yellow oil will be pulsing
half way across the continent. Start
ing from Red Fork, 1. T., it will pur-
sue its course across Kansas to Kansas
City, across Missouri, under the Mis-
sissippi River, and across Illinois to
Whiting, near Chicago; across Indiana,
to Cygnet, o., where it win receive a
fresh impulse from the largest oil
pumping station in the world; across
Ohio and the northwestern corner of
Pennsylvania to Clean, N. Y, the
junction point of the different pipe
lines. and thence across New York and
Nofthern New Jersey to the refineries
of the Standard Oil Company at Bay
onne, N. J.. and Newtown Creek, New
York City, reaching the latter by a
line laid under the Hudson river, Gen.
trail Park and the East River.
The only portion of the pipe line
which remains to be completed is that
between Kansas City and Whiting, a
line of pipe having already been laid
from Red Fork to Kansas City. Twanty
thousand barrels, the amount required
20 fill it, has been pumped into the lat
ter section from the odorous storage
tanks in Red Fork, and from it thick
greasy stream is now pouring forth in
to the tanks at Kansas City.
This conduit, which will be the long
est in the world, will climb over noun
tain systems, wind down their eastern
slopes into the intervening valleys and
dip down to the beds of some of the
greatest streams in the world. This is
only the main artery of the great pipe
line system Of the Standard Oil Com
pany.s Branches tan every oil field of
Importance east OF the Rocky Noun
tains. They radiate at each oil center
to the tank Of every one of the thou
sands upon thousands of oil wells, and
carry the product to the refineries. in
Chicago, Cleveland, Buffalo, Philadel-
phia, Baltimore, Pittsburg and New
York, It is said that more than 3d.
900 miles of pipe have been laid in or.
der to gather the output of the oil wells
of the country.
Many persons doubtless do not know
that a pipe line before the law occu-
pies the same position as railroad
does. 1t Is common carrier. 1t must
carry all the oil delivered to 1t to any
point reached by its lines. One of the
chief pipe line companies is the Ma
tioy,oy k.rr,o,,Sif TsoY,,,,a,,xy +,a baa5 of
fee of which is in the Standard Oil
Building, at No. % Broadway. OF this
Henry II. Rogers is president. The
Tide Water Pipe Company, Limited
which has a community of interest
arrangement with the other company
Is another. The latter was the first
one to be built. 1t was constructed by
the independents, and it's success
convinced the Standard Oil Company
that this was the cheapest method OF
Transporting oil. Then there is the
United Pipe Transit Company, which
eoIle css the oil from the different wells
and delivers it to the great trunk lines
The small pipes OF the United Pipe
Lines division radiates everywhere in
the oil regions. A typical spot show
ing the ramiications of this wonderful
system is Olean, N. Y. About six
miles from that town is a strange for
nation of conglomerate. From Its
crest one may look down long val
ley. Along the hilltons and across, the
valleys march lines of oil derricks
each one over an oil well. There are
hundreds of them. They rise from
the wooded hillsides, their tops alone
being visible above the trees. They
dot the farms. They, are to be found
within few feet Of the summer hote
which has been erected on the edge
of the preeipice. The odor of petro.
leum pervades the place. Pipes corss
the landscape like cobwebs. Even the
Realistically eroded formation of rock
the chief pleasure resort for the resi-
dents OF the neighboring city, does not
escape the tentacles of the pipe line
They reach the foot of the rock
through the woods, impudently clint
up over its face and, running across
Its very top, reach the wells a few hun
dred feet back. And so it goes all owe,
the land wherever oil has been discov
ereds @
There is a man to watch every foot
4 Of all these pipe lines. Little of the
oil escapes after it has flowed into
these pipes. From the moment the
valve In the pipe at its exit from the
tank at the well is turned, the men OF
the pipe line company keep watch OF
every barrel which flows out until il
reachesits destination in some refinery
First there is the gauger., When a
new well is opened, a pipe is laid to and
connected with the open wooden tank
which has been erected near the well
He Straps or measures the capacity
OF the tank, and then selects the point
where the pipe shall be inserted. This
IS usually 10 inches above the bottom
of the tank. The space below the out.
let is! reserved for sediment. When the
tank is nearly full he comes and puts
his measuring stick down into the oil
Then he opens the valve, and the oil
flows down the hillside into the grea
storage tank of the Standard Oil Com
pany. The gauger gives the owner Of
the well receipt for the oil in his