Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1910-05-05
Communication.

Santa Margarita, California
April Goth, 1910.
D. M. Harris, Mo. Valley, Ial
Dear Sir and Friend:
sAh! poor indeed is he, who
cannot boast a friend Isn't
there some such a quotation as
that? If not it is original, and
since Sunday l have felt very
rich, for over two score of my
friends, you among the number
remembered that April 24th is
my birthday, and favored me
with a postal card shower, and
they have no idea how pleased
II was to hear from every one of
them, and as it would be some
time before / could write each
one separately, and since you
requested a letter for the Times
| will, as the saying goes. "kili
two birds with one stone," and
take this method, (for of course
they all read the Times), to
thank them one and all for their
thoughtfullness, kindness and
friendship toward me, as we'll as
granting your request.
Each one placed on his or he,
post card: prod, Trans, Co,
and perhaps some have wor der.
ed what kind of a Company that
is, and l will try to explain.
There are in California, three
systems of pipe lines under diff.
ferent ownership They are the
Standard Oil Co., The Associa-
ted Oil Co, and the Producers
Transportation Co, and it is OF
the last named l write. These
pipe lines carry oil from inteli.
or points in the San Joaquin
valley to the coast, the port for
the Prod. Trans. Co., being Port
Hartford, Tor Port San Louis,
which is the same), and here it
is shipped in tank steamers tn
South America, Panama, and
the islands of the sea.
This company was formed by
135 companies combining, but
the Union Oil Co., own over 60
per cent. of the stock, and its
officials constitute a majority of
the board of directors.
The line is 200 miles long, and
is said to be the greatest feat in
the history of the oil industry
in California. 1t is estimated
that the cost of the same was
So, 500, 900; no other pipe line in
the U. S., traverses so rough a
countrv,or has presented so ma
ny difficulties in the laying of
the pipe and moving of the ma
chinery. 1t certainly called for
a great amount of engineering
skill as we'll as ability In mana.
cement. T h e mountainous
country is very rough and for
r a i lro ID transportation,
the cost of moving the material
was enormous; at one time there
was 1,70O head of horses and
mules at work, besides on the
east end they had six "Catepil-
lar" engines, huge traction en-
gines which will haul about 25
ton, and make 20 miles a day.
Some of the turns in the noun
tains are so short the drivers of
an 8 horse team couldnot see the
leaders, and a misstep would of
times mean a drop of 500 feet
to the rocks below. On this
line are Is pumping stations,
the oil is very heavy, being diff
ferent from Texas oil. The ba-
sis of this oil is asphlatum, and
the Texas oil is parrafine, which
makes it lighter. This oil be-
ing so heavy, it i, necessary to
heat it in order that it will run
through the pipe. It goes cut
out of this station sometimes
heated to 1876, and is pumped
from here up the Creesta grade
and then down the other side
of the mountain to the coast, as
this is the last pumping station
before reaching the coast, and
the only one on a railroad
They thought pumping it from
here to the top of the mountain,
he force of gravity would car
y it down to the Port, but Of
tentlmes now they have to build
fires along the pipe to keep it
flowing and may necessitate
another heating plant at the
top of the grade.
So here we are at Santa Mar.
garita. The Company purchas
ed so acres of land of the old
Santa Margarita Ranch, which
contains $4,000 acres, and here
thew have erected an ENGINE