The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1905-04-30
METHODS EMPLOYED BY
STANDARD OIL OCTOPUS
Story OF the Fight In Pensacola Against
Local Concern About Ten
- Years Ago.

Inc IOllOXlQS account VI Inc uBuIl
between the Standard Oil Co. and The
Pensacola Oil Co, in 1894, which ap-
peared In a recent Issue of the Tampa
Times, will be read with interest IN
this city:
Ybor City, Fla, April u, 1895.
AS the Standard Oil Company viii
soon be up for examination sample
OF how it beats its opponents may be
In order, and propose TO give my per-
sonal experience of how 1t fights.
In the year 1885, the city Of Pensaco-
la had two oil yards, the Standard and
the Pensacola Oil Company. Before
the local company started the price
was 25 cents per gallon for kerosene
and all lubricating oils in proportion,
/ all at the $40 per cent. profit mark.
TIE fight commenced and the price
came down TO Is cents in cases and IL
cents in barrels. The people had the
benefit of the conflict and were pleas s.
ed. The Standard made contracts
with railroad and millmen at a fixed
price for one year, for all sorts of oils,
and binding the consumers not 10
buy from anyone else.
fSHe SCSdhiS 0Ch~tNs
In 1885 was employed by the Pen
sacola Oil company and the compound
ing of lubricating oils was commenced
by it. Then the fight became general
along the whole line of the oil trade.
The legislature abolished the inspec-
ton of oils in Florida and thus open
ed this state as a market for the bad
and dangerous oils driven home from
England That was a great surprise
to many and no one could give any
reason for it, A member of the house
said to me fnat il was done 10 save
the expense, and a senator said as
far as could see it was done to move
| the mantle Office was abolished to
| get rid of the officer" The result
was a rush of bad oil into the state
at reduced price 1t was only re-
duced 20 beat the Pensacola company,
and not because the oil was inferior
and dangerous.
The next year. 1896, the Standard
changed its local management-a
change of generals is always made by
4 the losing side. The Pensacola COM
pany shipped oil into Alabama, thus
taking the war into the Standards
territory and proving that the oil sold
in Florida was good by its standing
| inspection in another state. When
/ the Alabama legislature next met IL
did not, like our own, abolish all test
and inspection, but raised the fees
and put the price three times as much
on oil in barrels coming from Pensa-
cola as on oil In taks coming to the
/ CT ondoId II
! lon on the rolling tank of the Standard
and three cents per gallon on the
Pensacola barrel. The people were
getting good Soii and cheap by the fight
between the Standard and Pensacola
| companies, and their legislature be-
came an ally with the monster trust.
With two cents on the gallon extra
and raise in the freight on barrels
the Pensacola company had to retire
and leave the field in Alabama.
Worked Home Market.
In 1887 the Pensacola Oil Company
turned its full force on the home mar
ket and published a statement prov
ing that the citizens and people OF
Eseambia county had saved on tnelr
oil bill for the past year over $4,000
and claiming credit for the same Al
reaction set in and out of forty-twoI
merchants, distributing oil the Pensa-
cola company had SO, leaving the Stan
dard only six and they were bound by
contract BY this fight the Standard
was compelled 90 reduce the price of
oil to 511 cents per gallon. The Stan
dard again changed its local manage
ment and cut of the supply of oil from
the Pensacola company. The Pensa-
cola company was supplied by an in
dependent oil refinery at 3 cents per
gallon I. o. b., and the freight was
about one and a half cents. In all il
stood in the storage tanks about Sc.
And although the Standard wagons
were hawking 1t around the city at
51s cents. the merchants would not
buy.
For about two months we did a good
trade and got little proud Of our sue
cess, and as pride goes before a falI''
we fell into a trap and were caught
and killed. The consumption had in
creased so our stock of oil had run
down, and two rolling tanks of sc, 600
gallons each were ordered and ship
ped to Pensacola. They got lost on
the way. Mail, telegraph and tele.
phone were used, but no tale or tidings
of the lost tanks could be found. The
last gallon of oil was gone from the
warehouse and-a friend got supply
subrosa-from the Standard for US in
barrels. But every barrel was short
from three to five gallons of OiI-,hat
is, they were marked 81 gallons and
held only so OF 40. We learned a
new trick and paid for il. We had
to pay the merchant and he paid tae
Standard for oil that was not" Il
would pass, did pass, and is passing
every day, and very seldom discover
ed, and then when found out Il was
only "a mistake" That fraudulent
marking is pretty common in the oil
trade
Standard Won Out.
When our last customer had return
ed to the Standard and expressed his
sorrow for ever being so foolish as to
leave and promising not TO do so any
more, the lost tanks were found and
came home TO Pensacola They were
lost somewhere in Alabama, and as
that is an Indian word. and means
here we rest and there they rested
until tho Standard man 900,