Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1919-08-03
WILL TRY TO POOL TANK CARS

The Wichita Falls district has
learned that real attempt will be
made within a few days to bring
about pooling of tank cars in the
district in an effort to assist in car
ing for the local over-production in
the Northwest Burkburnett field.
This plan was suggested some weeks
ago at a conference between railroad
officials and oil men operating in the
Wichita Falls district, but the men
owning and operating tank cars OBJ
iected very strongly to any plan call
ing for pooling of the cars.
Last week Superintendent Grace
for the Katy in the Wichita Falls dis
trict stated that if the tank car opera
tors would agree to pool their cars
the Katy could move double the num-
Der of cars of oil it had been able to
move. He explained that separating
the cars, spotting them at the proper
loading racks and the great amount
of switching with limited switching
facilities caused a very great loss of
time.
The Katy the first II days of July
handled an average of 155 tank cars
of oil from the Burkburnett district
and if by pooling the road can handle
$40 cars day this means that the
road would move $1,000 additional
barrels Of Oil a day from the longest
ed district. This would come very
near to solving the vexing problem
and probably would save the day.
Naturally this is based on the ability
Of the Katy to do what Mr.. Grace
says it can do
Just how this pooling arrangement
will be brought about is not known
in Wichita Falls at this time, but it
is known that a very strong attempt
will be made to bring about such an
arrangement, and under the circum-
stances, will likely prove successful.
Those in a position to know say
that the Northwest field is now cap
able of producing at least 10000 bar
rels day and approximately $50
wells are either on the sand or. shut
down very close to the sand and ready
to drill in as soon as it is known that
the flow will be cared for. 1t is esti-
mated that there were around 80 pro-
ducing wells now in the northwest
Burk field and a number of others
will be ready to set castings within two
weeks. Around $4,000 barrels are
being moved daily from the new
field and if the cars are pooled faci-
lities would care for more than $4,000
barrels day not to mention new pipe
lines to be completed in the next two
weeks to two months.
Looking at the situation in this
light it appears that the pooling of
the tank cars is the solution of the
problem, since it has found that shut
ting down of the wells is not feasible
and will not work. The plan of pro-
rating appears to be most uncertain
way to handle the matter as an at
tempt to prorate will likely lead to a
legal battle to settle just what is a
common carrier pipe line. Well
versed oil men are divided in their
opinions.
So far there has been no real break
in the price of crude, although. there
has been lots Of talk of well owners
trying to sell at some price if the
buyer would come after the oil. If
the situation can be handled in the
next ten days the price will be saved,
at least for the time being. The big
carriers are refusing to buy at re-
duction and the smaller buyers cannot
have the oil moved if they did buy.