Evening star., 1942-04-20
Sunday Motorists,
Out Of Gas, Swamp
Club Tow Services
Many Stranded by
Filling Stations
Weekend CLOSING

"eeN-cHo \iosin9
About ITS calls for help from mo-
torists out Of gas were received
by the American Automobile Asso-
eiation here yesterday and the Key
stone Automobile ClEo was like
wise "swamped." the organizations
reported.
Since few filling stations were
open on Sunday, many drivers rode
home behind tow truck Others
left cars beside the road and took
a taxi.
A spokesman for the A. A. A. said
he knew Of only u stations which
were open even briefly in the Dis
trict yesterday and half-dozen
more In nearby Maryland and Vir-
ginia. After 0 pm. only six Wash
ington stations were doing business,
and after pm. only three. One
station near Highway Bridge. with
q large quota OF gasoline, was sched-
uel TO stay open until midnight. but
exhausted It's supply and closed at
7 pm. he said.
Only One Open All Day.
The automobile club was able TO
locate only one station in nearby
Maryland or Virginia which was
open for q full days sales. This
was at Langley. Va.
Most filling stations, during their
limited hours, are still filing up gas
tanks whenever q driver asks 1t, o
survey indicated today. But opera
tors emphasized that this is on q
day-to-day basis and the policy
may be changed in q hurry.
The manager Of one chain Of Is
stations predicted that before the
end OF this month stations will be
limiting each purchaser TO TO 8
gallons at q time.
Spring induced thousands 10 ig-
more the gas and tire shortage. A
double line Of autos moved ut
snail's pace around Hams Point,
requiring one and a half hours for
the round trip.
Road Demands Increase.
The A. A. AS road service de-
partment reported that the number
of pleas from fuelless motorists has
doubled on each successive night for
the last four days, and motor club
stan members said they expect the
situation to get tighter toward the
end OF this month, as station quotas
are exhausted.
To supply the industrial East with
oil and gasoline. revival of an
old and storied form of commerce
river ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS like
ly today. a
viii Use Every Carrier.
Petroleum Co-ordinator Ickes de-
clared that every available carrier
would be pressed into service to haul
petroleum northward on the Mis-
sissippi and eastward along the Ohio
River.
The petroleum coordination Of
fee and the transportation and pc
troleum industries are rounding out
q program for complete co-ordina-
ton OF rail. pipeline and barge ia
cilities, TO funnel oil eastward.
A survey was ordered to deter
mine how much equipment may be
moved from other waterways to
the Mississippi and Ohio. The CO.
ordination once also was studying
the feasibility OF running q pipe
line from the Southwest oil fields to
Grand Lake, Ark, where the oil
- &,.t~ kn~
for Pittsburgh. This would cut ap-
proximately 800 miles from the
present barge loading stations In
Louisiana.
From Pittsburgh the oil fans out
by rail tank car and transport
trucks to Eastern consuming areas.
New Barges Being Built.
In 1910 some e,459,000 barrels of
petroleum products were moved by
barge to the IA States on the Mis-
sissippi and Ohio Rivers. This
movement was increased to 49,
462, 900 barrels in 1941, and a haul
Of at least 2S,00o,o0o barrels is ex-
pected this year. 1t may be con-
siderably more.
Approximately 100 additional steel
barges are being built and Mr..
1ckes' aides are studying the feas-
ibility OF constructing inexpensive
wooden barges. Some oil men. how
ever, are skeptical about wood bot
toms, because Of the fire hazard.
While the rivers could carry only
q small portion Of the East's demand
OF 100000 barrels of petroleum
daily, oil and transportation men
said the barge movements would be
OF great value in cutting many long
hauls by rail tank cars.
The greatest adjustment to COM
bat the East's oil emergency has
been the pressing of rail tank cars
into service. In the week ended
April II, the railroads used 43.5oo
tank cars to deliver $50 $50 barrels
daily in the seaboard area. In jan
uary, l94l, before any American
tankerS were loaned to Britain or
were sunk or diverted to America s
war purposes, the railroads deliv-
cred fewer than 1000 barrels of oil
To the East during the entire month