Venango County, Pennsylvania: Her Pioneers and People (Volume 1), Part 35

Author: Babcock, Charles A.
Publication date: 1879
Publisher:
Number of Pages:

USA > Pennsylvania > Venango County > Venango County, Pennsylvania: Her Pioneers and People (Volume 1) > Part 35

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Pumps of all sizes and powers are manu- factured here, from the small gas-engine- driven, gas-pumping unit, built to take care of the little gas production, formerly considered negligible, to the last call in economical oil pumping, a horizontal six plunger triplex power pump arranged to have a Diesel oil en- gine directly connected to the pinion shaft, with a 36-inch stroke for 42,000 barrels in twenty-four hours, against 900 pounds pres- sure. The following taken from the Oil City Derrick of Oct. 14. 1918, under the heading "That Naval Pipe Line," exhibits the resources of this institution :

"On Tuesday the papers who are members of the Associated Press printed a story from Washington telling of the activities of the United States Navy department in construction work and among other important achievements noted was the construction of a pipe line to carry oil across Scotland to 'avoid haulage.' The line supplies the big naval station of the Allies at the Firth of Forth. Under any cir-

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cumstances the feat would interest the people of the Oil country in general because of its demonstrating the great part petroleum and its products are taking in the war for democ- racy, but Oil City people are entitled to be especially interested because it was the Na- tional Transit Pump & Machine Company plant, this city, that furnished the tools with which the line was laid. The fact was known to a limited number, including the newspapers of Oil City, but because of the aid it would give the enemy to know of the facts no intimation was made of Oil City's great part in the enter- prise. By the use of the line the long sea voy- ages of tankers carrying fuel oil were elim- inated and with that elimination of distance was also the elimination of the destruction or capture of the oil carrying vessels in making their trips with fuel oil to the great Scotch naval base.

"Since the announcement of the existence of the pipe line in Scotland has been officially given for publication it is now no violation of confidence to recall some of the early his- tory of its construction.

"Forrest M. Towl, head of the Southern Group of Pipe lines, Standard Oil Company subsidiaries, was asked to send an expert to France to consult with the Lords of the Admi- ralty of England and other Allies of America regarding the feasibility of constructing and operating such an oil carrying line. He went himself early last May. It was suggested to him several weeks would be required to com- plete arrangements and contracts, but his an- swer, in effect, was characteristic: 'We do not build pipe lines that way in America.' All the routine of 'red tape' was eliminated and in three days he had shown how the line could be built and had all the contracts signed up. Then he sent a cable message to the National Transit Company ordering pipe line construc- tion equipment sufficient for two full gangs sent to New York. The best in stock was selected, the railroad company furnished a special express car, the material was loaded and one of the trusted men of the company was put in charge of the car, which, leaving here at 5 o'clock in the afternoon, was landed in New York at 11 o'clock the following morn- ing.

"Theodore Towl, a son of Forrest M. Towl, was assigned the important duty of getting the construction gang together. Among the cantonments in New York and vicinity he found among those in training eighty men who were skilled in pipe line construction, who were selected both for their experience and

trustworthiness, and men of similar quali- fications were selected from the best men in the employ of the Prairie, Tidewater and other pipe line subsidiaries of Standard Oil to add to the selected soldiers, making a party of one hundred and fifty men.

"Eight-inch pipe of the highest grade was as quickly brought to the seaboard and within three months the line was completed and was in operation, supplying the big warships and smaller craft with fuel.

"The National Transit Pump & Machine Company is now running very close to the 100 per cent. mark in United States government essentials. They at present have in course of construction between three hundred and four hundred pumps of various types, vertical sin- gle, vertical duplex, horizontal duplex and oth- er marine pumps, including many sizes. These have all been preceded by an advance guard of several hundred pumps of the same type and calibers, which are now in service and ful- filling their destined duty in the hearts of Uncle Sam's ships already sailing the high seas. The Emergency Fleet Corporation and its subcontractors are absorbing a goodly por- tion of the output of this plant. Besides this the National Transit Pump & Machine Com- pany has in process work of a very interesting nature, as well as of vital importance to our government, at this time, such as recuperators and slides for 75-mm. and 155-mm. guns, some of which are expected to be, within thirty days from this date, assembled and in action on the battle front hurling shot and shell into the Ger- man hordes.

"Throughout all this. however, this company has not failed to take care of the requirements of the oil and gas industry, which latter are also classed as government essentials. No ef- fort is spared to turn out machinery for the handling and transporting of those essential war products-oil, gas and gasoline.

"Although every resource of the manage- ment and splendid loyal force of men in the employ of the company is being drawn upon to keep up with the demands of the govern- ment there are still orders unfilled. Just now the Fuel administration is urging early com- pletion of one of the big horizontal duplex power pumps. 6 feet by 25 feet, for the Mid- west Company. The War Industries board is equally as insistent on the early completion of pumps for the Ranger Pipe Line Company in Texas, the Magnolia Pipe Line. same State. "The Ranger line is in process of construction and is of 8- and 12-inch pipe. The pumps re- quired are 61/2 by 24 and 6 by 36, both horizon-

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tal duplex and triplex. Altogether, the com- pany is making at the present time eighteen pumps for the Prairie Pipe Line, six for the Magnolia, two for the Oklahoma and one for the Midwest Pipe Line, all under contract with the Fuel administration or War Industries board. These pumps when completed weigh 60,000, 90,000 and 185,000 pounds.

"Altogether, the work being done in the Oil City plant is 98 per cent. for the govern- ment. Thirty-eight per cent, approximately, is for ships, the remainder for oil and gas lines equipment, largely pumps. One of the most interesting phases of the work, however, is that on the 'recuperators.' These are forgings made by Carnegie Steel Company and sent here to be rough-planed and sent to other plants es- pecially equipped for big gun manufacture in this country to be finished. These are for the French 155-millimeter guns ( American meas- ure about 6 inches). The recuperators for the 75-millimeter guns-about three inches- are finished at the National Transit shops and sent directly to France for completion. The shops there are splendidly equipped for this work, which leads all others, in the construc- tion of guns, both large and small.

"The action of the Oil City plant in turning over its complete equipment to war work has been general throughout the country, and prac- tically all other plants here have taken similar action, thus saving the government the expense of at least $5,000,000 in the erection of a new plant-besides, the work is gotten out more rapidly."

The United Natural Gas Company .- The Oil City Fuel Supply Company bought the charter of an old company which had done some drilling and failed to find gas. This was done in the spring of 1883 by the new com- pany, composed of E. Strong, president ; O. H. Strong, secretary ; R. W. Porterfield, treasurer.

Two other companies, the Northwestern Pennsylvania Natural Gas Company, which supplied Oil City, and the Manufacturers Gas Company, which also supplied Oil City, are now all united under the ownership of the United Natural Gas Company, which supplies all this region with gas for heat and light. The officers are: W. Raymond Cross, president ; L. I .. Graham, vice president and secretary ; F. Sartorious, treasurer; W. P. Craig, general superintendent. This company looks after the comfort of its patrons and provides so far as possible a supply equal to the needs of a con- stantly increasing clientele. The luxury of cheap natural gas is one of the best of nature's blessings in this happy region. It helps to

make a contented people, which it is safe to say coal and its ashes never did.

The United Natural Gas Company owns and controls approximately three hundred thou- sand acres of territory, the greater part of which is tested, proved gas territory, and a lesser portion is what would properly be termed gas territory, not fully developed. On Jan. 1, 1917, it had approximately one thou- sand eight hundred producing gas wells, all connected to and producing into its lines dur- ing January and February all the gas they could produce ; and at the same time and dur- ing the same period it was receiving from other ·producers, under contract, the full production of approximately five hundred other gas wells. The number of wells so controlled by the com- pany was far greater than it ever had under its control previously, and the amount of gas produced by them far exceeds the company's previous production. This company has drilled forty-eight wells since the first of Jan- uary, 1917, and more than forty strings of tools are now being operated continuously in drilling additional wells on the territory held by it.

The Penn American Refining Company, re- finers of Pennsylvania petroleum, is a Penn- sylvania corporation, operating two refineries : Plant No. 1, located at Rouseville, and Plant No. 2, located just outside of the limits of Oil City. The combined daily capacities of these two refineries is three thousand barrels of crude oil. The company does a general re- fining business, manufacturing all grades of lubricating and illuminating oils, gasoline, ben- zine and paraffin wax. It draws its supplies altogether from the Pennsylvania oil fields, and its products are marketed in this coun- try and in Europe. The Penn American is undoubtedly the largest independent refining company in northwestern Pennsylvania, em- ploying about 250 men.

This company was incorporated in the year 1894 under the name of Germania Refining Company. The present officers and directors are : C. L. Suhr, president and treasurer ; Louis Walz, vice president; D. J. Cavanaugh, secre- tary; Louis Walz, D. J. Cavanaugh, E. C. Breene, C. H. Duncan, C. L. Suhr, directors.

Reid Gas Engine Company .- About 1878 Joseph Reid came to Oil City and established a general repair shop on Seneca street, opposite the present Odd Fellows building. He built a foundry back of the shop. In 1884 he went across to Elm street, to a property between those now occupied by the Swift's and by the Enterprise Milling Company. This property

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had been used for a roller skating rink. He duced seems yet far off. The demand for the converted the building into a shop and built a engine is absolute proof of this statement. The works have continued to grow with the wider distribution of their products. During the past year the number of men employed has Been from 350 to 400. Only a few weeks ago a dis- astrous fire occurred which destroyed the ma- chine shops with much valuable machinery, and the entire force of the works is now en- gaged in the task of rebuilding and replacing what was lost. foundry on the end of the lot near the rail- road. In the early nineties he bought land on the corner of Elm and Duncomb streets for iron foundry, machine shop, barn and pattern shop, still keeping shop where the skating rink had been, and erected the building on the cor- ner of Elm and Duncomb streets to make needed room for his growing business. He had already started the first brass foundry in the city in the building on Seneca street. This Besides the invaluable contribution which Joseph Reid made to the world in this gas en- gine there is a still farther one in the fact that he educated a number of men capable of understanding his work and of continuing it, and even of changing it to meet changed con- ditions if they arise. The present officers of the company are: W. O. Platt, president ; John N. Reid, vice president ; A. S. Turner, secretary and treasurer. enabled him to send out burners of various kinds, for which he soon had a large sale. His foundries were burned down three times, and each time rebuilt, the last time of brick. The last building is still standing on Duncomb street, and is used by the company. Mr. Reid manufactured the first locomotive made in Oil City. This was to run in the lumber forests. The business continued to increase and he bought the land in the Third ward where the The American Railway Appliance Company. -Among the growing industries of Oil City is this company, whose officers are: Louis Schwartzcop, president ; L. E. Kellar, treasurer and general manager ; D. K. James, secretary. The company manufactures railway appliances and oil well supplies, and it employs twenty- five men. There is an increasing demand for its products. It is located at No. 638 Seneca street. works now are, still retaining the shops on Duncomb and Elm streets. He first put up the machine and office buildings, followed by the pattern shop and blacksmith shop, and by the casting, cleaning and storage buildings. Soon after the production of the Lima oil began he manufactured many kinds of burners to consume this oil, which was for a time con- sidered unfit for refining. In 1894 he put out the first Reid gas engine for use in the oil Continental Oil Refinery .- This company is owned by the Anderton Estate. It has still capacity of one thousand barrels daily, man- ufacturing all the products obtainable from Pennsylvania crude oil, and gives employment to from forty to fifty men. The officers are : A. F. Anderton, president ; Thomas A. Ander- ton, treasurer; J. W. Anderton, secretary. Their output is valuable, trade always increas- ing, and the concern is one of the city's solid institutions. The founder of the estate is deceased, but his good work is continued by his sons. fields. This was a great achievement, the result of years of study to make a machine adapted to the end sought, namely, to make a power that did not require a trained mechanic to run it. The production at many wells was small, the price was low-dollar oil was then hoped for, and the owner of a small production could not expect to come out even unless he could keep his expenses at the lowest possible point. The power that would pump hour after hour and day after day, and, for that matter, month after month, without attention except to keep the cups of lubricating oil filled, was a The Independent Refinery has a capacity of one thousand barrels daily, and produces also all the products of Pennsylvania crude oil. Their output is recognized as first class and is in constant demand. Eighty men are employed. This was one of the first refineries to be es- tablished, and its reputation has lived and grown with it. The officers of the company are: President, Samuel Messer ; secretary and treasurer, E. P. Theobald; sales manager, Ralph Byles. godsend to the oil region. The engine is run by a mixture of natural gas and of air. Many gas engines are intended to be run with manu- factured gas, which is unlike the natural gas, requiring a different proportion of air in the mixture. If natural gas is not obtainable the Reid engine can be run by using crude oil in- stead of gas. The engine is simple in con- struction, very strong, with few parts to get out of order, and with these parts easily re- placeable from the factory, in fact the time The Crystal Oil Works are owned by J. W. Fawcett and E. V. D. Selden. The daily ca- pacity of this refinery is nine hundred barrels, when some new invention better adapted to oil country needs than the Reid shall be pro-

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and a force of thirty-three employes is kept busy. It manufactures a high-grade automo- bile oil, illuminating oil, gasoline, neutral waxes, and all the other products of high- grade Pennsylvania oil. The excellence of the output is conceded. The name of this refinery may well be taken as an indication of the merit of its products.

The Empire Works, at Reno, owned by A. L. Confer, have a daily capacity of six hun- dred barrels, making all grades of lubricating and illuminating oil, neutral waxes, etc. Forty men are employed.

The Reno Barrel Factory, also owned by Mr. Confer, has a daily output of six hundred barrels, and employs from forty to forty-five men. The results of Mr. Confer's enterprises, whether from the refinery or the barrel works, rank in the 100 per cent. class. An interesting feature of these institutions is Mr. Confer's relations with his employes. He owns a tract of land in the vicinity of the works which he has cut up into building lots and sells on easy terms to workmen, assisting them in building homes. He has also secured a copious supply of pure spring water which is furnished to the residents at low rates. He is thus a kindly providence to those who are employed by him.

The Rouseville Cooperage Company is a growing concern. The members of this com- pany are L. M., D. F., J. E. and Peter Manion, of Rouseville, Pa. They manufacture oil bar- rels. The company is well established in the trade, and the works have a capacity of ten to twelve hundred barrels a day.

The Rush Barrel Works, beginning in 1886 in a small way, have grown to a capacity of fifteen hundred barrels per day. Mr. Rush owns the cars in which to ship the output of his works, which is a great advantage. The works cover an area of about fifteen acres, and employ fifty-five men.

The National Transit Company Pipe Lines. -This is the company originally formed by the consolidation of the pipe lines centering at Oil City. It afterward became a part of the Standard Oil Pipe Lines, but at the time of the dissolution of the Standard it recovered its original individuality. It is a manufacturer of storage and of transportation. It is a com- mon carrier. It has gathering lines extending throughout the oil fields of Pennsylvania, which are located in fourteen different coun- ties, collects the oil in this State and delivers it to the local refineries. It also connects at vari- ous points with pipe lines reaching the sea- board at Philadelphia and Baltimore. It fur- nishes some Pennsylvania-grade oil which is

produced in West Virginia and Ohio. It neither buys nor sells, taking oil from the pro- ducer, storing it for a time without charge (giving him a credit balance for it), and de- livers oil of the same grade and amount at any point on its line designated by the owner. If it is stored beyond a stated time a small stor- age charge is made. To note the work of the pipe lines: At first freight on a barrel of oil from the well in Pennsylvania to New York, for example, was about ten dollars. Now oil can be delivered in New York for twenty to thirty cents a barrel.

The officers of the company now are: W. V. Miller, president ; F. D. Williams, vice presi- dent and general manager; D. R. Mackenzie, treasurer; A. W. Baumgart, assistant super- intendent.

. The development of these lines through the county forms an interesting and suggestive story. Many a successful man out in the wide world, far away from Venango county, looks back to the days when as college student, bent on earning money in the summer vacations, he worked for the company, going about with brush and paint and a stencil plate with the word "United" upon it. This was put on the pipes to indicate ownership. It was a fine and fitting task, To crawl about in the woods in places that seemed inaccessible, pushing aside ferns and moss, keeping sharp outlook for rattlesnakes or copperheads, quickened the senses and the observing powers. It was a. worthy part of education with its views of sun- rise and sunset, its healthy appetite, and, above all, the respect engendered by seeing what man had done.

The Pittsburgh Filter Manufacturing Com- pany entered into the engineering and contract- ing business about the year 1903. The busi- ness of this company consisted principally of the complete engineering for filtration and water softening plants, also the manufacture and erection of the above. The manufactur- ing has been done in a great many factories because of the varied line of apparatus enter- ing into the equipment of a filter and soften- ing plant. This company have always done their own engineering, and have had such articles as gauges manufactured to their design and patterns by gauge factories, brass work manufactured in brass facto- ries, cast-iron work manufactured at facto- ries equipped for this class of work. How- ever, business has grown to such a large ex- tent that it has been found desirable to equip one large factory that would handle all of the above classes of work under one roof. This

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has led to the purchase of the large plant for- merly owned and operated by the Riverside Engine & Machine Company, West End, Oil City, Pa. Since this plant was taken over by the Pittsburgh Filter Manufacturing Company, about July 1, 1917, it has been rapidly im- proved and enlarged to furnish equipment for filtration plants for industrial purposes, water companies, cities and the Unites States government. During the year 1917 this com- pany furnished and installed equipment for sixteen United States government water sup- plies at training camps, cantonments, nitrate plants, etc. The business of this company at present runs in the neighborhood of one and a half million dollars a year, and the payroll up to a quarter of a million dollars a year. The number of employes during the last year has averaged from 225 to 250.

The executive offices of this company since the beginning have been located in the Farm- ers Bank building, Pittsburgh, Pa. The offi- cers are as follows: A. R. Fraser, president and treasurer : F. B. Leopold, first vice presi- dent; E. W. Bacharach, second vice president and Western manager ; J. P. Myron, secretary ; W. C. Dicken, assistant secretary ; S. I .. Con- nell, general superintendent.

The Petroleum Telephone Company origi- nated through the efforts of Mr. P. H. Adams, of Erie, Pa., who, with the assistance of Mr. W. S. Paca as construction engineer, built a number of telephone exchanges throughout western Pennsylvania. The construction of the system, including Oil City, Franklin, Titus- ville and Pleasantville, was started in 1901, and continued under the direction of Mr. Adams until the early part of 1903, at which time he became involved in financial difficul- ties, and Messrs. P. M. Speer and W. S. Paca were appointed receivers for the company. Through their exertions the company was re- organized and started business under the new organization Feb. 22, 1904, with the following board of directors: P. M. Speer, R. G. Lam- berton. Thomas Alexander. E. C. Hoag, E. T. Roberts, William B. Trask and W. S. Paca. Mr. Paca assumed the management at the time of the reorganization, and has continued in that responsibility up to the present time. In addition to the position of general manager, he has acted as engineer for the company, the entire system having been constructed under his direction.

Since the company was reorganized its busi- ness' has increased about three hundred per cent, and its lines now very thoroughly cover the county of Venango and a part of Craw-

ford and Warren counties. The company now operates a total of about nine thousand sta- tions, the main office being located at Nos. I-3-5 Sycamore street, Oil City, Pa., in the fireproof office building that the company has constructed exclusively for its own business, the investment in the building and equipment of the building amounting to about one hun- dred and twenty-five thousand dollars. In addition to owning its building in Oil City, the company owns its buildings in Titusville, Pleasantville and Clintonville. The total val- uation of the Petroleum Telephone system is close to one million dollars.

The Petroleum Telephone Company is rated as one of the most successful of the independ- ent telephone companies in the country, oper- ating more than three times as many telephones as does its competitor in the same territory. Through conservative management the com- pany has been very prosperous, and in addi- tion to paying six per cent on its bonds has been paying dividends at the rate of seven per cent on its common stock for a number of years. The present directors are : P. M. Speer, president ; W. A. McMaster, vice president ; R. G. Lamberton, Louis Walz, A. W. Hayes, Axtell J. Byles, and W. S. Paca. W. S. Paca is secretary and general manager, and Mr. C. M. Lamberton, treasurer.

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Venango County, Pennsylvania: Her Pioneers and People (Volume 1), Part 35

Author: Babcock, Charles A. Publication date: 1879 Publisher: Number of Pages:

Author: Babcock, Charles A.
Publication date: 1879
Publisher:
Number of Pages: