zation or gasification of the petroleum, previous to use, does not take place, the engine using it in its fluid condition. In order to keep the cylinder cool, it is water-jacketed, the water required being taken either from a conduit, or supplied by a pump driven by the motor.

The engine, which has been recently introduced in England, has been thoroughly tested by Mr. John Hopkinson, C. E., who reports upon it very favorably.

The Brayton "hydro-carbon" engine, the invention of Mr. George B. Brayton, at one time was used to some extent in this country. It embodied substantially the same principles as those just described. The claim was made that these engines would develop, with one gallon of crude petroleum, one horse-power for ten hours.

CHAPTER XIV.

TRANSPORTATION OF PETROLEUM.

SOME allusion has already been made to the primitive methods of transporting oil from the wells to the nearest railroad station, or to the most convenient point for shipping on Oil Creek. The business quickly outgrew this mode. The railroad soon entered the oil region, following the tortuous windings of this tributary of the Allegheny River. At first the barrels of oil were placed on platform cars; subsequently two large wooden tanks, holding about 2000 gallons each. In the meantime water transportation had assumed large proportions, quite too large for the volume of water usually flowing in this stream, and the novel expedient of "pond freshets" was resorted to, to which allusion is made in the following terms, in Henry's early and later History of Petroleum.'

Arrangements were made with the mill owners at the head of Oil Creek for the use of their surplus water at stated intervals. The boats were towed up the creek by horses, not by a tow-path, but through the stream, to the various points of loading, and when laden they were floated off on a pond freshet. As many as 40,000 barrels were brought out of the creek on one of these freshets, but the average was between 15,000 and 20,000. At Oil City, the

oil was transferred to larger boats. At one time over 1000 boats, 30 steamers, and about 4000 men were engaged in this traffic. At times, great loss occurred from collisions and jams. During the freshet of May, 1864, a "jam" occurred at Oil City, resulting in the loss of from 20,000 to 30,000 barrels. Bulk-barges were subsequently introduced, having a number of water-tight compartments. A few of these are still employed in the conveyance of oil to the refineries situated at Mingo, Wheeling, Marietta, and Parkersburg.

In 1871 the wooden tanks began to disappear, their place being supplied by the horizontal boiler-iron cylindrical tanks now in general use. These will contain from

3000 to 5000 gallons each.

PIPE-LINES.1

The greatest revolution, however, in the mode of transporting petroleum, occurred when the idea of allowing it to flow from place to place through iron pipes took a practicable shape. The first experiment of this kind, of which I can find any record, was made by a Mr. Hutchinson, and a pipe-line of three miles in extent was laid from the Sherman well to the terminus of the railroad at Miller's farm. For the purpose of equalizing the pressure and to prevent the bursting of the pipe, he placed at intervals of 50 or 100

1 The publishers here beg to acknowledge their indebtedness to Mr. Alfred L. Snell, of The Petroleum Age,' Bradford, Pa., for most of the matter regarding pipe-lines., etc., comprised in the following pages.-H. C. B.

feet projecting air-chambers about 10 inches in diameter. It is said, however, the weak points of this pipe-line were the jointings, and the leakage was so excessive that little, if any, oil reached the terminus. Shortly afterward, however, mechanical ingenuity proved itself adequate to overcome these obstacles, and a successful pipe-line of four miles was laid, extending from Pithole to Miller's farm. This soon disclosed the superior economy of this mode of transportation, and sounded the death-knell of a once profitable business to the thousand teamsters, who, quickly comprehending the situation, resorted to violent measures to destroy the pipe-line and fire the oil-tanks associated with it. Capital, leagued with an armed police, soon found effective methods to quell riotous opposition, and, shortly afterwards, these lines were ramifying the oil-producing territory. At present, trunk-lines of pipe, six inches in diameter, traverse nearly the whole length of the two great States of New York and Pennsylvania, and cover also portions of the adjoining States, delivering thousands of barrels of oil daily to refineries on the route, and at their different termini on the seaboard.

The wells are connected with the trunk-lines by a 2-inch pipe. The oil is first received into tanks at the wells. On the main trunk-lines are placed, at convenient distances, storage tanks, pumping stations, and racks for loading oil from pipe-lines into tank-cars.

"The pumping stations are located at central points in the valleys. These stations consist of permanent buildings, a boiler-house and a pump-house, which contain the

necessary steam power, and a steam and oil pump combined in one. Many of these pumps are of the Worthington pattern, and are very powerful machines, forcing the oil rapidly through great distances and in vast quantities, not only over the hills that are encountered in the course of the line, but against the friction of the pipe conveying the oil; an element in the problem of vast importance, when it is remembered that the friction increases enormously as the rapidity of flow of the oil is increased. The friction on the 108 miles of six-inch pipe between Rixford and Williamsport, Pennsylvania, is found to be equal to a column of oil 700 feet in height; that is to say, if the pipe were laid on a uniform descending grade of 700 feet between the two points and filled with oil, the friction or the adhesion between the oil and iron would prevent the oil from flowing. For these reasons, the pressure carried on these pumps is frequently from 1200 to 1500 pounds to the square inch." The pipes-the main trunk-line pipesare 'constructed to withstand a pressure of 2000 pounds to the square inch. The following process describes the method of loading the tank cars:

"The racks' are used for loading oil from pipe-lines into tank-cars, and are so arranged, that any number of cars from one to an entire train can be loaded at the same time. They are constructed after the following general plan: The line is brought alongside the railroad track, and perpendicular branches are brought up just as far apart as the length of the tank-car. A platform of a convenient height is erected, and each perpendicular branch