Page:The Mexican Problem (1917).djvu/64

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24
THE MEXICAN PROBLEM

Tamiahua, which is continued by another waterway near the coast almost to Tuxpan. Therefore, for almost the entire one hundred miles between Tampico and Tuxpan there is inland water transportation for barges and shallow steamers just inside the coast line.

Between the Chijol Canal and the Panuco River are the termini of the Mexican Petroleum pipe lines "tank farm" and Tankville, with altogether one hundred and three tanks, each filled with 55,000 barrels of oil. There is also a storage basin carrying more than 800,000 barrels of oil. Here are the machine shops, carpenter shops, and shipbuilding plant, piers that will automatically load the largest steamers in a few hours, and a topping plant to take the gasolene or distillate from the crude oil. About ten per cent of the oil is gasolene and its removal does not impair the fuel qualities of the ninety per cent remaining.

Here also on the east side of the river are the Standard Oil and Royal Dutch works and a refinery and topping plant of the Mexican Eagle Company. On the other side of the river are the Pierce Oil refinery, the railroad terminal, and a magnificent government wharf.

The mouth of the river is being dredged by co-