The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1920-12-19

The writer was very much sur
prised. on visiting the plant OF the
Bay State Refining Company at
Healdton. to find 1t so considerable
an industry. He was also surprised
to find that ii is devoted almost ex-
clusively to the production Of lubri-
eating oil; with this plant, gasoline.
kerosene, naphtha and the other usu-
al output Of an Oklahoma refinery are
but "by.products," saved in rather
small proportions during the process
of the manufacture Of lubricants.
Tho Bay State is, as the name
would Indicate. a Boston enterprise.
That Is, it Is financed, chiefly, by
Boston capitalists, and other eastern
men, and Mr.. Ben T. LINDSEY, the
resident refinery manager. Is an alum
nus Of the celebrated Boston School
Of Technology, more commonly known
an the Boston Tech THE home Of.
flee Of the concern IL at Boston. with
Branches at Tulsa and Ardmore, Ok
lahoma, while Chicago sales office
and finishing plant is soon TO be es-
tablished, through which the distri-
button Of the company's completed
product to the trade will be handled.
The factory at Healdton is located
on a 40-acre tract of land, purchased
something more than year ago from
the Forty-Six Refinery Company. OF
Healdton.
Another surprising fact concerning
the enterprise which the writer was
informed of Is that the Bay State
does not, and has not up to this time,
used either Healdton or Hewitt oils
in the manufacture Of its products.
They use low gravity oils of both
paraffin and asphalt base, and pro
cure them from the northern Oklaho-
ma, Texas and Louisiana fields.
The selection of Healdton as To-
cation for one of their plants was
gov erned chiefly by two factors; that
is, cheap fuel and water. Fuel is
one OF the biggest elements, it seems,
in the production Of lubricants, and
at Healdton fuel natural gas) is both
abundant and reasonably cheap. In
fact, the Bay State has made long
time contract with Mr.. Henry Marcus
for the entire output of one of his
gas wells, near Graham, and have
their own line, eight miles in length.
connecting the well with the factory.
The supply Of water-used in large
quantities in the process Of cooling
is obtained from wells located on the
% ,.,It
one has just been completed at a.
depth Of $50 feet, having 100 feet of
fresh water sand. penetrated by an
eight-inch pipe, and which it is be-
lieved will furnish sufficient for pres.
ent needs. and as the plant expands,
others can be drilled. There is also
a reserve supply in the form Of a
lake covering one and a half to two
acres. which IL kept filled both by
surface run-off after rains, and by
drain-back from the cooling boxes de-
scribed below.
The plant proper consists Of the
office building, eight stills. large
laboratory and storage building. ma
chine shop and store house. six mod
ern cottages for the plant officials
and employees, four cottages across
the railroad track for laborers, 26 steel
tanks for storage Of crude. finished,
and n.process-of.finishing material.
OF these tanks six are for storage Of
crude Oil. six for storage OF finished
product. IA containing material in
process OF manufacture. There are
also four modernly equipped pump
houses for handling the material into.
through and out Of the plant. There
are two large agitators, not quite
completed. the uses Of which are spo'
ken of below. Alongside the railway
track there is a storage yard for Tim.
ber, cement, chemicals, pipe. etc. The
entire plant and buildings mentioned
are enclosed by q seven-foot woven
wire fence. and the interior of the
plant and grounds is lighted at night
by innumerable incandescent lights,
all fed from an electric plant on the
grounds and owned by the company.
The property OF the company Is
crossed by the main line of the O.
~. AVA. a. <AOhbcNN ~
this railroad the Bay State company
It's loading and receiving racks.
built between two sidings, or spur
tracks, on one of which the incoming
crude oil is received, the other being
devoted to the loading of finished
material for shipment. The receiv.
ing tracks are equipped with con-
yenience worth mentioning; 1t con-
sists of series Of pits, forty feet
apart, placed between the railroad
rails, into which crude oil is permit
ted to flow from the railroad tank
cars. These pits are connected with
an S.inch pipe line buried on the
outside OF the tracks, and through
which tho crude oil flows. by gravity.
into u receiving tank, from which 1t
IL pumped into the large storage tanks
on tho property. BY this method ten
2J0.barrel tank cars can be unloaded
In ten hours. To stimulate the flow
of the crude oil through this eight.
inch pipe line In cold weather. q small
steam line is laid inside 1t BY which