Big Inch
Encyclopedia
The Big Inch and its companion project, the Little Big Inch, are petroleum
pipelines
constructed during 1942 and 1943 as an emergency war measure from Texas
to New Jersey
. Until World War II
, petroleum products had been transported from the oil fields of Texas to the northeastern United States
by oil tanker
. With the entry of the United States into the war, this vital link was attacked by U-boats, threatening both the supplies to the eastern United States and onward transshipment
to Great Britain
. The Inch pipelines were conceived as a way to transport increased quantities of petroleum by a secure, interior route, with the additional benefit of freeing tankers for other tasks. At the time of their construction, they were the longest petroleum pipelines ever built. The pipelines remain in use.
Harold Ickes
, when it became apparent that large-scale shipment of oil by sea would become untenable in time of war. By 1941, planning was initiated, with construction the following year. Two lines were built by the quasi-public War Emergency Pipelines, Inc. (WEP).
The Big Inch was a 24 inches (609.6 mm) pipeline for crude oil, running from the East Texas Oil Field
at Longview, Texas
, to an interim terminal at Norris City, Illinois
, and later extended to Phoenixville, Pennsylvania
. At Phoenixville, the line branched into 20 inches (508 mm) segments, one serving New York
and terminating at Linden, New Jersey
, and the other serving Philadelphia and terminating at Chester Junction, Pennsylvania. The Little Big Inch was a largely parallel twenty-inch-diameter line intended for refined products that ran from Beaumont, Texas
to Little Rock, Arkansas
, where it joined the path of the Big Inch. From there it ran along the same right-of-way as the Big Inch to New Jersey
and Pennsylvania
.
Men dug a ditch 4 feet (1.2 m) deep and 3 foot (0.9144 m) wide and laid pipe over the Allegheny mountain range, through swamps and forests,
under 30 rivers and 200 creeks and lakes, beneath streets, railroad rights-of-way, and through backyards, often during severe weather conditions. The Inch Lines traversed 95 counties in 10 states. Approximately
7,500 individual right-of-way grants and tenants’ consent were procured and construction damage claims paid. About 300 parcels required condemnation proceedings.
The first purchase order, for 137500 short tons (122,767.5 LT) of 24-inch-diameter pipe, was placed on July 2, 1942. To meet a construction deadline of January 1, 1943, the laying of pipe began on August 3, 1942, near Little Rock. Other pipeline crews began work immediately on segments elsewhere in Arkansas and Texas. By September 10 all eight pipelaying crews, each consisting of between 300 and 400 men, were in the field working. The schedule called for 5 miles (8 km) of the Big Inch pipeline to be laid each day. But soon men were laying as much as 9 miles (14.5 km) a day. In all, roughly 7000000 cubic yards (5,351,884 m³) of material were excavated. The trench was 36 inches (91.4 cm) wide and excavated to a depth of 4.5 feet (1.4 m), except in solid rock. Oil began flowing through the Big Inch Line between Texas and Illinois on New Year's Eve 1942.
The first crude oil arrived at Phoenixville via the Big Inch on 14 August 1943, and the first refined product in the Little Big Inch arrived on 2 March 1944. The lines were capable of transporting in excess of 300,000 barrels of oil per day, and the lines were among the largest industrial consumers of electricity in the United States.
and included the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey, Cities Service Oil Company
, Gulf Oil Corporation, Atlantic Refining Company
, Tidewater Associated Oil Company
, Consolidated Oil Corporation, Shell Oil Company
, Socony-Vacuum Oil Company, Sun Oil Company, Pan American Petroleum and Transportation Company and the Texas Pipe Line Company. While the WEP was in charge of building and operating the lines, they were owned by the federal Defense Plant Corporation
on 2 December 1946 for disposal. Pending sale, the lines were leased and used for natural gas
transmission. On 8 February 1947, the pipelines were sold to the Texas East Transmission Corporation
for $143,127,000, the largest disposal of war-surplus property following World War II. TETCO immediately began to convert the pipelines for permanent use as natural gas transmission lines. However in 1957, the Little Big Inch was converted back to use for petroleum products.
The pipelines remain in use, operated by the Texas Eastern Transmission unit of Spectra Energy
. The pipelines have been evaluated and found to be eligible for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places
.
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
pipelines
Pipeline transport
Pipeline transport is the transportation of goods through a pipe. Most commonly, liquids and gases are sent, but pneumatic tubes that transport solid capsules using compressed air are also used....
constructed during 1942 and 1943 as an emergency war measure from Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
to New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. Until World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, petroleum products had been transported from the oil fields of Texas to the northeastern United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
by oil tanker
Oil tanker
An oil tanker, also known as a petroleum tanker, is a merchant ship designed for the bulk transport of oil. There are two basic types of oil tankers: the crude tanker and the product tanker. Crude tankers move large quantities of unrefined crude oil from its point of extraction to refineries...
. With the entry of the United States into the war, this vital link was attacked by U-boats, threatening both the supplies to the eastern United States and onward transshipment
Transshipment
Transshipment or Transhipment is the shipment of goods or containers to an intermediate destination, and then from there to yet another destination....
to Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
. The Inch pipelines were conceived as a way to transport increased quantities of petroleum by a secure, interior route, with the additional benefit of freeing tankers for other tasks. At the time of their construction, they were the longest petroleum pipelines ever built. The pipelines remain in use.
Concept and construction
The pipelines were first proposed in 1940 by Secretary of the InteriorUnited States Secretary of the Interior
The United States Secretary of the Interior is the head of the United States Department of the Interior.The US Department of the Interior should not be confused with the concept of Ministries of the Interior as used in other countries...
Harold Ickes
Harold L. Ickes
Harold LeClair Ickes was a United States administrator and politician. He served as United States Secretary of the Interior for 13 years, from 1933 to 1946, the longest tenure of anyone to hold the office, and the second longest serving Cabinet member in U.S. history next to James Wilson. Ickes...
, when it became apparent that large-scale shipment of oil by sea would become untenable in time of war. By 1941, planning was initiated, with construction the following year. Two lines were built by the quasi-public War Emergency Pipelines, Inc. (WEP).
The Big Inch was a 24 inches (609.6 mm) pipeline for crude oil, running from the East Texas Oil Field
East Texas oil field
The East Texas Oil Field is a large oil and gas field in east Texas. Covering and parts of five counties, and having 30,340 historic and active oil wells, it is the largest oil field in the United States outside of Alaska, both in extent and in total volume of oil recovered since its discovery in...
at Longview, Texas
Longview, Texas
Longview is a city in Gregg and Harrison Counties in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 80,455. Most of the city is located in Gregg County, of which it is the county seat; only a small part extends into the western part of neighboring Harrison County. It is...
, to an interim terminal at Norris City, Illinois
Norris City, Illinois
Norris City is a village in White County, Illinois. The population was 1,057 at the 2000 census.Norris City was incorporated in 1901.-Geography:Norris City is located at ....
, and later extended to Phoenixville, Pennsylvania
Phoenixville, Pennsylvania
Phoenixville is a borough in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States, northwest of Philadelphia, at the junction of French Creek with the Schuylkill River. The population is 16,440 as of the 2010 Census.- History :...
. At Phoenixville, the line branched into 20 inches (508 mm) segments, one serving New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and terminating at Linden, New Jersey
Linden, New Jersey
- Local government :, the Mayor of Linden is . The former longtime Mayor of Linden is 82-year-old John T. Gregorio, who served as mayor of Linden for 30, nonconsecutive years and was repeatedly tagged with scandal during his mayoral career, including one felony conviction, later pardoned, which...
, and the other serving Philadelphia and terminating at Chester Junction, Pennsylvania. The Little Big Inch was a largely parallel twenty-inch-diameter line intended for refined products that ran from Beaumont, Texas
Beaumont, Texas
Beaumont is a city in and county seat of Jefferson County, Texas, United States, within the Beaumont–Port Arthur Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's population was 118,296 at the 2010 census. With Port Arthur and Orange, it forms the Golden Triangle, a major industrial area on the...
to Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census...
, where it joined the path of the Big Inch. From there it ran along the same right-of-way as the Big Inch to New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
and Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
.
Men dug a ditch 4 feet (1.2 m) deep and 3 foot (0.9144 m) wide and laid pipe over the Allegheny mountain range, through swamps and forests,
under 30 rivers and 200 creeks and lakes, beneath streets, railroad rights-of-way, and through backyards, often during severe weather conditions. The Inch Lines traversed 95 counties in 10 states. Approximately
7,500 individual right-of-way grants and tenants’ consent were procured and construction damage claims paid. About 300 parcels required condemnation proceedings.
The first purchase order, for 137500 short tons (122,767.5 LT) of 24-inch-diameter pipe, was placed on July 2, 1942. To meet a construction deadline of January 1, 1943, the laying of pipe began on August 3, 1942, near Little Rock. Other pipeline crews began work immediately on segments elsewhere in Arkansas and Texas. By September 10 all eight pipelaying crews, each consisting of between 300 and 400 men, were in the field working. The schedule called for 5 miles (8 km) of the Big Inch pipeline to be laid each day. But soon men were laying as much as 9 miles (14.5 km) a day. In all, roughly 7000000 cubic yards (5,351,884 m³) of material were excavated. The trench was 36 inches (91.4 cm) wide and excavated to a depth of 4.5 feet (1.4 m), except in solid rock. Oil began flowing through the Big Inch Line between Texas and Illinois on New Year's Eve 1942.
The first crude oil arrived at Phoenixville via the Big Inch on 14 August 1943, and the first refined product in the Little Big Inch arrived on 2 March 1944. The lines were capable of transporting in excess of 300,000 barrels of oil per day, and the lines were among the largest industrial consumers of electricity in the United States.
Ownership
WEP was a consortium of the largest oil companies in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and included the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey, Cities Service Oil Company
Citgo
CITGO Petroleum Corporation is a United States-incorporated, Venezuela-owned refiner, transporter and marketer of transportation fuels, lubricants, petrochemicals and other industrial products. The company is owned by PDV America, Inc., an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Petróleos de...
, Gulf Oil Corporation, Atlantic Refining Company
Atlantic Petroleum
Atlantic Petroleum was an oil company in the Eastern United States headquartered in Philadelphia, and a direct descendant of the Standard Oil Trust. It was also one of the companies that merged with Richfield Oil to form ARCO, now part of BP...
, Tidewater Associated Oil Company
Tidewater Petroleum
Tidewater Oil Company was a major petroleum refining and marketing concern in the United States for more than 80 years. Tidewater was best known for its Flying A-branded products and gas stations, and for Veedol motor oil, which was known throughout the world.Tidewater was founded in New York City...
, Consolidated Oil Corporation, Shell Oil Company
Shell Oil Company
Shell Oil Company is the United States-based subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell, a multinational oil company of Anglo Dutch origins, which is amongst the largest oil companies in the world. Approximately 22,000 Shell employees are based in the U.S. The head office in the U.S. is in Houston, Texas...
, Socony-Vacuum Oil Company, Sun Oil Company, Pan American Petroleum and Transportation Company and the Texas Pipe Line Company. While the WEP was in charge of building and operating the lines, they were owned by the federal Defense Plant Corporation
Name
Until the 1930s, steel pipe did not exceed 12 inches (304.8 mm) in diameter. Advances in technology led to "big inch" pipe in diameters of up to twenty-four inches.Sale
The Inch Lines were transferred to the War Assets AdministrationWar Assets Administration
The War Assets Administration was established in the Office for Emergency Management, effective March 25, 1946, by EO 9689, January 31, 1946. American factorieshad produced massive amounts of weaponry during the World War II...
on 2 December 1946 for disposal. Pending sale, the lines were leased and used for natural gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
transmission. On 8 February 1947, the pipelines were sold to the Texas East Transmission Corporation
Texas Eastern Pipeline
Texas Eastern Pipeline is a major natural gas pipeline which brings gas from the Gulf of Mexico coast in Texas and Louisiana up through Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee, Missouri, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania to deliver gas in the New York City area. It is one of the...
for $143,127,000, the largest disposal of war-surplus property following World War II. TETCO immediately began to convert the pipelines for permanent use as natural gas transmission lines. However in 1957, the Little Big Inch was converted back to use for petroleum products.
The pipelines remain in use, operated by the Texas Eastern Transmission unit of Spectra Energy
Spectra Energy
Spectra Energy Corp is a S&P 500 company headquartered in Houston, Texas, that operates in three key areas of the natural gas industry: transmission and storage, distribution, and gathering and processing. Spectra was formed in late 2006 from the spin-off from Duke Energy...
. The pipelines have been evaluated and found to be eligible for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.