The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1921-03-02
STATISTICS SHOW THAT
THERE Is $4,000 MILES
OIL PIPE LINES NOW
IN THE UNITED STATES

Chicago. March 2.-Wlnding back
and forth in an iron network con-
eeAsea beneath the o. neAas Of the
United States, a gigantic labyrinth OF
pipelines $1,000 miles long, daily IS
dong work ha; would require 2ao. zoo
OIL tank cars and 1000 locomoiives
fully one mouth TO handle, according
TO estimates u pipeline transpor;a-
tson experts.
Practically every barrel of on taken
from the nations rs 500 active walls
Today is soot though these pipelines
and in this way teaches the OF re-
fneVies and Subsequently the oil mar
ke's, weeks and sometimes months
sooner than II shipped by railroads
The rapid movement through me
pipes, compared with rail trlnspor-
tauon. IS Gue to The fact mat the
low through the underground system
Is not stopped at any point until it
reaches It's destination in the refn-
ers tanks, whereas the tank c9r,
attached to the freight train, must
wait eo~ block signals. must change
crews at division points and finally
at its destination must await its turn
In the assembling Of the train
Consequently the oil pipe line sys-
tenn OF the country has now come 10
be regarded as essential 10 the ever
increasing rate OF oil production as
the we'll drillcr himself
The history OF pipe lire transporta-
tion gees back to Civn War days
and has its setting In the pioneer oil
fieAis Of Pennsylvania when prodac-
tion began TO outstrip transportation
facilities
This gave birth to the first pipe line
system In 1861 Heman James OF Erie,
Pa. conceived fcur-inch wooden
pipe line from the Tarr farm % on
Then in 1862 a bill to aid pipe line
construction was introduced in the
Pennsylvania legislature but it was
beaten by teamsters lobby.
In 1852 ]. l.. Hutchns. New Jer
sey operator. constructed two-inct
line from the Tarr farm TO Humbolt
Pa But the teamstcrs destroyed the
line tearing up huge strips of it. HI
tried again I'm 1863 but again the linz
was destroyed.
But in 1865, with the aid Of state
police. Henry Harley successfully re
sisted the teamsters and operated thu
first successful line oc two-inch pip
ing. handling from six TO eight barrel
n day from Benninghoff Run to shat
fer. Pa.
Then. the network of lines tina
still operate today IN Pennsylvania
spread with such speed that soon tn,
supply Of lines exceeded the demand
several lines. as result. operated a
loss for years.
The new southern field in Oklahoma
yand contiguous states were equippe'
almost from the state with the nev
oil transporting system.
The southern field is now veri
table labyrinth Of lines. trunk sys
tens extending north to Illinois refin
cries and southwark to the gulf coas
\, stations. The fields proper are honey
combed with the smaller feeder pipes
connecting and feeding the trunk sys
tens. new well usually means
new pipeline.
The flow through this system Is In
cessant hut when there is deman
for different grade Of oil, there
injected into the same system q he'd
der. or slug Of water perhaps thro
feet long and this hedder separate
tho different grades. Then anothe
hcdder is injected and following thl
is the original grade Of oil contint
Ing its flow.
Frequently a hullct-lke "go-devil
Is pumped through the piping in III
midst of the flow. The revolvin
knives at the end Of this projectil
4 fit the pipe snugly. cutting from III
walls as il proceeds an accumulate
sediment which would soon plug u
pipe II left alone.
The oil helped along its course ;
Intervals 10y secondary pumping el
, glnes
IN some places the pipes are 81
posed to view. running along railroa
right. of ways. hut more frequent
they are buried about three feet
the earth to protect them fro
weather and accident. The lines fr
ouently folloy the railroad trucks, b
cause II is simpler to contract
right.of-way with one railroad con
pany than with score Of indivldu
property owners.
II is estimated that the syste
transports total OF 100000 barre
of oil daily.
The United states Geological Su
yey estimated the fixed value OF I
system at $jO0.O000O0.