The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-04-27
PETROLEUM VITAL
 IN THE WAR WORK
By HOLLAND

New York, April 26.- Especially President Wilson, having been con- vlnced that critical condition might arise on account of traffic congestion on the railroads, deemed it expedient Tn January of this year to issue proc lamation in which he said 'It is not possible to move promptly our abun dant supply of fuel oil by reason of the traffic congestion on our railroads and the transfer to transatlantic ser- vice of large number of tank steam CTS ordinarily engaged in coastwise trade The President then knew that there is oil in plenty but, that never theless, much Of it is unavailable bv reason of lack of transportation facil- lties. In fact the fuel administration stated that there is at the present time ample oil available for all possi- ble needs. but there is not sufficient transportation avaiabe to carry it from the source of production to the consumer"
 Tn these statements is embodied the conviction that petroleum is vital to the success of the allies in the war be- cause it furnishes invaluable aid to of peace.
 There is, however to be speedily remarkable increase in transportation facilities for petroleum. particularly from what are now the richest known oil fields in the world, which are located In Oklahoma. A day or two ago an- nounoement was made that the corpor- ations identified by the name of Presi- dent Sinclair have completed a pipe line which will deliver at Chicago from Oklahoma 20,000 barrels of crude oil daily. or considerably in excess of 100000 barrels year.
 This, however, is not the only pipe Line construction completed or in course of completion by this corpora tion The corporation has already built l4oo miles of pipe line and it's pipe line system is the longest in the world not built by Standard Oil capital. There IS already projected and soon to be completed a pipe line from Oklahoma to gulf ports which will be 500 miles in length. When this is done then a pipe line stretching from the gulf to the great oil fields of Oklahoma and then stretching northly to Chi cago will be utilized for the transpor- tation and distribution of many mil lion barrels of oil a year. The rail- roads could not begin to transport this amount of oil.
 A ROMANCE OF INDUSTRY
 The development of pipe line con struction and the untilization of it fur nlsh one of the modern romances of Ameican industry. Somebody of inven- tive mind With a practicable turn, sug- gested years ago when the Pennsylva- nia oil region was at the height of it's prosperity that petroleum be con- veyed from the wells or tanks by means of a pipe so constructed that the oil would flow by the force of gravitation. That proposition was ac- cepted but only in part for it was deemed the better way to equip the pipe with pumps so that the oil could be forced by pressure through it. At hrst this pipe construction and method were found to be faulty but men of science and great inventive capacity perfected the system so that today the pipe lines from Oklahoma to Chicago and the projected line from Oklahoma to the gulf are regarded as the high est type and possibly the highest pos sible type of pipe line construction.
 A WORK OF DIFFICULTY
 The recently completed pipe line from the Oklahoma oil fields to Chi cago is aobut 800 miles long. It was less difficult to perfect apparatus by means of which the oil could be con- veniently and economically piped for that distance than it was to secure rights of way. Many hundred different contracts for rights of way were nec- essary to obtain and it was also in eyitable that there be crossing of ra il- road rights of way in nearly 200 places. There were telegraph and telephone lines whose consent it was necessary to obtain. A last the large force of men employed in this work were able to report that they had done their part.
 1en came other difficulties involy-