All About Inventions and Discoveries
The Romance of modern scientific and mechanical Achievements

The Age of Oil 289 At this moment another brilliant genius burst upon the oil world. If water could be pumped from here to there through a pipe, why should not oil be capable of conveyance in a similar manner ? True, it might be less fluid than the more plentiful liquid, but that was immaterial. Its sluggish movement could be assisted by mechanical agency. At all events, it was decided to submit the idea to a trial, and a pipe line was laid down. Needless to say, it proved highly successful, and all difficulties concerning the bulk movement of oil seemed to be overcome. But the genius who conceived the pipe idea was a little too brilliant in the estimation of those among whom he moved. A formidable army of men, the teamsters, who then, as now, ranked as some of the hardest specimens of humanity, were not disposed to submit to such a summary filching of their business. They were making merry and money out of the situa- tion, and were far from being reasonable in their charges for the conveyance of the oil. Now they were faced with disaster. Those who had invested large sums of money in the purchase of horses, mules, and oxen for the haulage of the tank wagons saw their speculations endangered by the simpler, more expeditious, and cheaper pipe line. So they decided to protect their interests in the only effective manner. They demolished the newfangled idea and cast the fragments to the four winds, at the same time breathing dire threats against those who dared to rob the teamsters of their livelihood. But the avaricious teamsters were no more able to arrest progress than Canute was able to stop the movement of the tides. The first pipe line was de-