Los Angeles herald., 1909-12-31

4 u A
banner year in the production and
n marketing of California oil dur
ing 1910. The demand, at an increase
in price. is looked forward to with as
surance and figures obtainable tend TO
show the expectations of many are
below what may develop within the
next twelve months. The standard
Oil is building huge refineries in the
east for the export trade in oil, and
wells in Indiana and Ohio are being
abandoned faster than new ones can
be developed and the consumption oil
oil at home is growing rapidly through
the introduction of Oil into many new
channels of industry.
Oil has been permanently established
as a lighting and fuel material in
China, causing the export trade on
the Pacific coast of the United states
to be an item of vast commercial i'm
portance to California. And the pro-
duction of California oil is now cheap
er than ever before, through the in
stallation Of the most modern machin-
cry and the growing efficiency of the
operators and drillers, the latter re-
ceiving better wages and enduring
less hardship than in former days.
The increase in oil exports has in
duced the Standard Oil to erect at
Bayway, on Staten Island, the largest
refinery ever built. 1t will have sixty
1000 barrel stills and will be known
as the Linden refinery.
Built in Sections
1t is being built in sections and the
first section will be in operation with
in the next few days. 1t will require
10000 barrels daily to supply this re-
finery with crude petroleum and pipe
line has been built from Stoy, Ill, con-
Meeting with the trunk line of the Tide
water pipe line at Rexford Pa. With
further completions of the refinery it
will be found necessary to parallel this
line from the Pennsylvania oil fields
In the building of these pipe lines
and the immense refinery an excel
lent example Of the growing need OF
oil is shown.
At Baton Rouge, La, eighty miles
northwest of New Orleans, the Stan
dard will have in operation In the New
Year, a monster refinery expressly for
the export trade. The Wood River re-
hnery at Alton. further up the Missis-
sippi river, will be used to meet local
demands.
With this remarkable increase in the
oil trade is evidenced decrease in pro-
duction in at least two eastern states,
q condition most favorable to California
and other ttates where the oil indus
try is in its infancy Abandoned wells
in the Trenton oil fields of Ohio and
Indiana, for fifty-two months endlngl
with November, 1909, make a total OF
12.728. OF this number 7416 wells were
in Indiana and 5312 in Ohio. These
wells played out and there was nothing
for the operators to do but seek other
territory.
Old Wells Are Fivefold
Facts show that as an average there
are five times as many abandoned
wells in Ohio and Indiana as new wells
now producing oil.
To bring the issue home to Califor-
mia ii is found that while fields are OH
the decline in other states the dis
tricts here are forging ahead, with
greater production and higher prices
During the past year the Wlldcatter
was most active throughout California,
hut he has rot extended the boundaries
of the producing area. The Standard
would never have invaded California
had il not discovered a process Of retin-
inc the asphaltum oils of California at a
profit When it began the construction
Of the Point Richmond refinery and
pipe line from the Kern river oil field
20 san Francisco bay it had only the
Price process of treating these oils. At
this time (about seven years ago. 1t
could base profits only on inferior oils
of the Kern River field, Coalinga being
then an unknown quantity.
Since the Introduction of the Stark
process which added to the number
Of by-products, great changes have
been wrought. The most important Of
these was the increase in profits of the
refining of California oils.
Raises Quality of Oil
About a year ago DR.. Stark improved
his process to the extent that even an
expert is puzzled to detect the differ
ence between the finished oils obtained
from California oil and the best prod
ucts obtanable from eastern oil. All
these improvements have added TO
California as a producer OF oils Ger
tain reputation not enjoyed before ana
which will be an important factor in
expanding trade in the future.
Gasoline, dstillates and lubricants
useG i'm the internal combustion engine
are adding more and more to the con-
sumption of oil as the months 80 by.
The rapid advance OF the automobile
has alone played an important part in
swelling this consumption AT the
close of 1903 there were registered in
California 1916 automobiles, and these
figures win be more than doubled in
the number of registered automobiles
in excess of 10000. To compare the At
lantic and Pacific coasts and get a gen
eral idea of the number in use in the
largest states of the respective coasts,
New York might he mentioned as hav-
ing GA 500 registered cars at the close
of 1908 and an estimate of 10000 cars
for the close of 1909. All of these cars
use oil in various forms, and the
gigantic growth of the automobile in
dustry must bring increased profit to
the oil producer.
Railroads Adopt Motor Car
The railroads are also using more oil
and introducing it into new channels
Of transportation whenever possible.
The Pennsylvania company has dis
carded electric cars in it's tunnels and
installed motor cars instead. The city
of Philadelphia is installing motor cars
to displace electric cars, not a s a gen
eral plan as yet, but whenever new mo-
tive power is added. Railroads through
out the country arc adopting motor
cars, the large size of which GOO horse
poWer) enables them to consume a
liquid known as engine distillate. re-
ducing the cost by about one half.
These cars seat 200 passengers and con-
sumo one gallon of liquid fuel for each
four miles travel on average grades,
These cars can consequently be oper-
ated at less cost than electrically driven
cars, If driven by water power. A
Franklin, Pa, concern is making gas
oline car capable of accommodating
ten men end all equipment to carry
on section work.
Right at the door of the California oil
Of 10 sof live, IL,