San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1925-10-04
CONTRACTOR To
OIL HEAD IN
IS YEARS
Texas Man Makes Wonder
ial Record ii Tampico
Oil District. ~

TAMPICO, Mex, Oct. 3.-From an
oil field contractor, with one four
wheel wagon and four mules to the
president Of the largest contracting
concern in Mexico is the story of the
advancement of James F. Martin. In
1912, Jimmie Martin of Clarendon,
Tex, arrived in Tampico looking fol-
work after having driven a four mule
outfit through from Texas.
Today Jimmie Martin is president
of the James F. Martin and Company,
the Cha. CONSTRUCTORS Latin-Ameri'
cana, s. A. and the Cha. Ingenerio
CONSTRUCTORS Martini" s. A. with
a total capitalization of $500, 900
pesos, the largest construction group
in the Republic of Mexico.
From a one wagon outfit Martin
grew to where at the heighth of the
boom in the light oil district, he work
ed 5000 mules in inland transportation
and a large number of automobile
trucks and caterpillar tractors for it
was found by the various oil COM
panies that not only could Martin
move their material cheaper than they
could do it themselves, but that he
could do it in a great deal less time,
and incidentally with better knowl-
edge of trimming. Martin could load
to greater capacity than anyone else.
Land transportation naturally lead to
water transportation and soon Martin
was running n fleet of tugs and
barses from Tampico to the oil dis
trict.
BUILDS PIPE LINES.
From transportation he branched
into pipe line work and from that
into tank and terminal construction
and all other phases of the petroleum
industry. As the oil companies open
ed IN new territory it was necessary
TO build roads to transport material
and Martin became the main road
builder and constructed 500 kilometers
of various kinds of roads from Tam
pico to Tuxpam.
When salt water invaded the light
oil fields and the boom broke in 1922,
Martin found himself with tremend-
Gus equipment and nothing to do, but
with one of the finest working or
carnations ever gotten together in
Mexico.
About this time an era of road
building hit a number of cities in
the republic, including Tampico and
Martin became the successful bidder
for much Of this work with his first
big contract in Tampico. This was
followed by paving contract at
Monterey, Guadalajara, Parral and
Aguascalientes totaling about 1880.
900 pesos.
BIG CONTRACTS.
The Monterey contract calls for
10000, 900 pesos. of paving and is now
about half completed. In Monterey,
Tampico, Guadalajara and Parral,
James r. Martin and Company have
asphalt plants, while at Monterey.
Mr.. Martin is constructing 40 resi-
dences at an average cost of 10000
pesos each.
AS operations spread, the James F.
Martin and Company, which had been
organized in the meantime, took on
new classes of work and much to the
surprise of railroad contracting firms
in the United States. was the success
ful bidder for the IL kilometers Of
most difficult right-of-way on the
Southern Pacific Railroad connection
from Topic to Guadalajara. Work on
this contract. which was started in
1923, and which will probably be CON-
pleted prior to contract time July /,
1875, calls for the construction of II
tunnels from So meters to 1000 meters
in length; a considerable number of
bridges; innumerable side hill cuts
and fills and practically not a single
foot of natural going. In one kilomet.
er of this work alone. two tunnels
have been dug, two bridges built, two
fills made and 150,000 cubic meters of
rock dug from single cut.
LARGEST CONTRACTOR.
The Martin Company is the largest
drilling contractor for oil and water
wells in the Republic as well as being
the largest operator for the salvag-
ing OF pipeline equipment, oil termin-
ais. field steel storage tanks. pump and
heater stations and other things con.
nected with the petroleum industry.
Altogether James f. Martin and
Company has constructed 800 kilomet.
ers of oil field roads in the Tampico
district and are at present building an
average of 125 kilometers per year
For the past year they have built ap-
proximately one and one-eighth- kilom
eters Of oil flow lines per day and will
maintain this rate at least unit
January /, 1926.
The company builds an average Of
six 55,000-barrel steel oil etorag,
tanks per month; handles an average
OF 5000 tons Of material monthly BY
river transportation and 1000 tons BY
land transportation using mule teams
trucks and caterpillar tractors. With
In the past year il has built 1.500, 00C
lpcsoe) Of power and leo plants in
Fresnillo, Torreon, Panuco or Tam
pico; has drilled 81 $50, 900 (pesos) Of
oil wells for the National Railways Of
Mexico, Dutch Shell and Mexican
Eagle oil companies; has drilled 1.
water wells for agricultural purposes
in the cotton district of Torreon oil
in the states of San Luis Potosi Of
Aguascalientes since April 1, and hai
future contracts for 100000 (pesos.
of similar work.
Its salvaging department in addi