Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1942-12-13
Eastman Plans Boost
OF 70 PET. in Fuel
Shipments 10 East
Sets 10000 Barrels
As Goal for Daily
Delivery by Roll
Continued From First Page J

Production Board had written him
requesting every possible effort be
made to increase to 100000 barrels
q day the rate Of petroleum move
ment by rail.
Mr.. Eastman said that in the fu-
ture at least IS per cent of rail-
carried oil would be moved east
ward in solid tank-car trains. More
ef1lcient use of cars is made in this
way since an entire train of tankers
Is made up at one place in the
Southwest oil districts. 1t is deliv-
cred at one point of need, say Wash
ington. instead of dropping of cars
along the line. ODT initiated this
method of moving. oil last summer
Currently about 70 per cent of cars
are handled in this manner. Empty
cars, too, will be returned in solid
trains.
Direct Routes Planned.
The "solid-oil" trains will be oper-
Ated on through schedules and over
specified routes. One official said
that in the past the railroads. in
order to spread revenue over a num-
Der of lines, had not always desig-
mated the shortest route to the East
ern city to which the trains were
destined.
ODT said its order specifying
routes for tank cars, together with
the return of cars to Oil sections
In solid trains, would shorten the
average round-trip time Of cars in
Eastern service from 20 to Is days.
The average round-trip distance
travelled by the cars is $500 miles.
In addition. ODT will take the
following steps to effect the 20 per
cent increase in operating efficiency
of tank cars:
l. Limit shippers and receivers Of
oil to four hours for loading and
unloading of tank cars, and require
that the cars be released within
an overall total of Is hours after
they have been delivered, AS against
the presently permitted 48 hours.
Q. Hold carriers wherever practic-
sble to four hours for switching
cars to the plant of the receiver or
originating cars to the plant of the
shipper.
3. Assign certain tank cars ex-
clusively to the Eastern petroleum
service and eventually all of the
Nations $4,000 cars to specific
services.
4. Require the immediate repair
ct defective cars by the carriers or
their agents without regard to own
ership of the cars.
5. Obtain a comprehensive inven-
tory of available transportation,
loading and unloading facilities and
unloading facilities and day-to-day
information about the operation of
valid" petroleum trains.
6. Continue the tank car permit
system, now greatly simplified, to
require a special or general permit
for the movement of any commod-
itv In a tank car for a distance of
less than 200 miles. as measured by
the shortest available published rail
tariff route.
7. Require the participating car
rier to assemble and dispatch a
solid" train % within 10 hours
after it has received or been ten
dered 30 or more cars destined to
suitable concentrated points. or 90
within IS hours after there has been
rendered to 1t trainload of cars
30 destined.
Railroads Praised.
Mr.. Eastman praised the efforts
OF the railroads and of their work.
ers lin assuming the burden of the
Eastern petroleum traffic which for
merly moved by ocean tanker" and
which has been increased from a
negligible pre-War trickle to many
thousand cars daily" He added,
however. that the "exigencies of the
situation now require still greater,
and indeed superlative effort"
The ODT director addressed let
ter to the chief executive of every
railroad participating in the East
ern oil traffic, and one to employees
Of each road. calling for greater ef-
fort to complement ODTs height
ened efforts to meet the oil crisis. "
I'm this winter weather this will
mean hard and even painful labor. "
Mr. Eastman wrote, but do not
forget that it will be for the pur-
pose Of saving the people Of the
Northern States from what might
be serious suffering"
To permit oil to flow smoothly to
Eastern cities on the solid trains of
tank cars, Mr. Eastman directed the
railroads to ignore shipper instruc-
tions wherever necessary to meet
the requirements of the order He
ordered carriers, however, to make
every lawful effort to apply to the
shipments the rate applicable to the
ro,,fe deSio,ooted hv tho shippar