, 1925-08-06
ARE
UNDER GROUND
7. IN PIPE LINES

CHICAGO, JULY 31.-The trans
continental underground web of pipe
lines thai silently supplement the
surface feeding of industry, has been
developed into an oil carrying sys-
tenn that is comparable with the ex-
pansion of the railroads after the
Civil war.
A network of more than 65, 1000
miles of two to twelve-inch pipes
touch both coasts, and spread into
the mid-continent, connecting crude
oil fields with refineries and indus
trial plants in distant sections of the
country. The system is estimated
to represent an investment Of $751;
500 1000 in the United States.
One Of the largest companies fig
ured that if the work of transporting
the oil were taken over by the rail-
roads tomorrow, it would require
two million tank cars, in addition to
10000 locomotives, to handle it..
Three main or trunk" lines join
the central and western fields with
the Whiting, Indiana, refineries, and
two Of these continue to the Atlantic
seaboard. Another trunk line con-
meets the Salt Creek, Wyo., and Elk
Basin region with this line at Free
man, Mo.
The system is made up of dozens
of trunk lines, tapped by gathering
lines or feeders. If all these trunk
and gathering lines were connected
in n line they would reach three
times around the earth. The most
recent addition was the 1,40O-mile
line from Teapot Dome to Chicago,
via Kansas City. More than 5OO,-
900 barrels of oil are required to
fill this line, which carried a "fr0z-
en- liquid capital" figured at $780,
900.
The funk lines are of eight and
- inch pipe, while the gathering
lines range from two to six inches.
The pipes are laid three feet under
ground.
Oil is forced through the pipes
by powerful pumps, located 80 to
SO miles apart along the line. The
oil moves at a speed of three or four
miles IN hour, depending upon the
contour of the country and the WIS.,
costly of the petroleum.
Building and laying Of the pipe
lines is similar to the construction
of the railroads. Reconnaissance
parties make the survey, the pipe
layers string the pipe along the
ground and when the shallow ditch
has been dug. usually by machine,
II Is eased into place. Under fav-
Orable conditions, a crew OF 40 men
can lay a mile of pipe a day. The
right OF way. Telegraph and tele-
phone lines and sufficient acreage for
pumping sites are obtained by the
purchase of easements" In some
states the right of way may be OBJ
tanned by condemnation proceedings.
The power which the pipe lines
hold has caused them to be defined
as public carriers. and as such are
under strict government regulation.
The holders OF the largest systems
are Prairie Pipe Line company, with
1O,772 miles. representing an invest
ment of $~S6.47S.OOO; the Sinclair
company. 5,732 miles, representing
an investment OF $71 .592.000; the
Buckeye company with 6,455 miles.
representing $41.775,000. and the
National Transit company. with g.
942 miles, representing $16,531, 900.
The operation Of n pipe line is
continuous. Every day In the year
the oil flows steadily. The pump
ing stations are all connected with
communication wires. Road men
daily inspect the lines for leakage.
The quantity of oil handled by
the lines is more than 400. 900 900
barrels annually. transported yer a
distance ranging from a few miles
up to 1.400. They bring 10000
barrels daily from the eastern and
midcontinental fields to the Atlantic
seaboard.