New Britain herald., 1921-03-03
5O,0O0 PLUMS TO
 BE DISTRIBUTED
Incoming Administration Has
 Many Jobs for Republicans

and forth in an iron network con- United States, a gigantic labyrinth of pipelines 50.OOO miles long. daily is doing work that would require 2OO,- 900 oil tank cars and 5000 locomo- tivcs fully ono month to handle, ac- cording to estimates of pipeline transportation experts.
 Practically every barrel of oil taken from the nations 25S,6 active wells today is shot through these pipelines and in this way reaches the oil re- fineries and subsequently the oil mar kets, weeks and sometimes months sooner than if shipped by railroads.
 The rapid movement through the pipes. compared with rail transpor- tation. is due to the fact that the flow through the underground system is not stopped at any point until 1t reaches it's destination in the reflners' tanks. whereas the tank car, attached to the freight train, must wait for block signals, must change crews at division points and finally, at its des- tination must await its turn in tho disscmbling of the train.
 Consequently the oil pipe lines system of the country has now come to be regarded as essential to the ever-increasing rate of oil production as the well driller himself. History of System.
 The history of pipeline transpor- tation goes back to Civil war days and has its setting. in the pioneer oil fields of Pennsylvania when produl- ton began to outstrip transportation facilities.
 This gave birth to the first pipe Erie, Pa. conceived a four-inch wood en pipe line from the Tarr farm to Oil City. Pa, but never carried it out. Then in 1862, a bill to aid pipe line construction was introduced in the Pennsylvania legislature but it was beaten by teamsters' lobby.
 In 1862 J. l.. Hutchings, New Jersey operator, constructed a two inch line from the Tarr farm to Hum- bolt. Pa. But the teamsters de- stroyed the line tearing up huge strips of it. He tried again in 1863 but again the line was destroyed.
 But in 1865, with the aid of state police, Henry Harley successfully re- sisted the teamsters and operated the first successful line of two-inch pip- ing. handling from six to eight bar rels day from Benninghoff Run to Shaffcr Pa.
 Then. the network of lines that still operate today in Pennsylvania, spread with such speed that soon the supply of lines exceeded the demand, several lines. as a result, operated at loss for years.
 The new southern field in Okla homa and contiguous states were equipped almost from the start with the new oil transporting system.
 The southern field is now a verit- able labyrinth of lines. trunk sys- tems extending north to Illinois re- fineries and southward to the Gulf coast stations. The fields proper are honeycombed with the smaller, feed CT pipes. connecting and feeding the trunk systems. A new well usually means a new pipeline.
 Separating Oil.
 The flow through this system is in- | cessant but when there is a demand | for a different grade of oil. there is | injected into the same system a he'd l der. or slug of water perhaps three l feet long and this hedder separates the different grades. Then another hedder is injected and following this is the original grade of oil, contin- uing its flow.
 Frequently bullet-like "go devil' is pumped through the piping in the midst of the flow. The revolving knives at the end of this projectilc fit the pipe snugly, cutting from the walls as it proceeds an accumulated sediment which would soon plug the pipe if left alone. I
 The oil helped along its course at intervals by secondary pumping en- zines.
 In some places the pipes are ex- posed to view. running along rail- road right-of-ways. but more fre- quently they are buried about three feet In the earth to protect them from and accident. The lines fre- quently follow the railroad tracks, be- cause it is simpler to contract right -of-way with one railroad com pany than with score of individual property owners. t
 It is estimated that the system a total of 500,0OO barrels of oil daily. ,
 The United States Geological Sur vey estimated the fixed value of the system at $500.0Oo, 900. il