Tidewater Oil Company (rendered as Tide Water Oil Company from 1887 to 1936) was a major vertically integrated oil company that operated independently from 1887 to 1926, when it was sold to a holding company. Over the decades, it passed through various corporate hands. It sold petroleum and gasoline products and fuel under various brand names, including Tydol, Flying A, and Veedol.
In 2011, Veedol was sold by British Petroleum to Tidewater India. Now it is part of Andrew Yule and Company's Indian group and manufactures automotive oil for the Indian market on the sub-continent of South Asia. Tidewater does not have its own refinery, so it is dependent on base oil suppliers like HPCL and BPCL. It also manufactures a wide range of automotive lubricants. Its corporate headquarters is in Los Angeles, California.
History
Tide Water plant in 1891
Tide-Water Pipe Company
In November 1878, the Tide-Water Pipe Company was founded by Byron D. Benson (ca. 1828-February 1888[1]), Robert E. Hopkins, and David McKelvy (died May 10, 1918[2]). Other sources include as founders Samuel Q. Brown (died October 5, 1909[3]:32) and Alanson Ashford Sumner.[4]
The capital at incorporation was $625,000 of which $500,000 was paid in as cash and $125,000 represented the rights-of-way for the Seaboard Pipe Line which were eventually not used. The Reading Railroad Company subscribed to $250,000 of the stock.[3]:11
Benson, Hopkins, and McKelvy had forged a deal with Franklin Gowen, president of the Reading Railroad, to build a pipeline from the new Bradford oil field at Coryville, Pennsylvania, eastward to Williamsport, where the oil would be loaded into Reading tank cars for transport to independent refiners in Philadelphia and New York. Gowen agreed to put up $250,000, half the predicted cost of building the pipeline.
The result was the world's first long-distance oil pipeline: 102.87 miles.[5] The line included 6-inch, 18.5 pounds per linear foot wrought iron pipe joints, ordered from the Reading Iron Company, which began shipments on January 30, 1879, and the National Tube Works, which followed on February 12. Railroads delivered construction materials to 10 shipping points along the route.[a] Laying of the pipe began near Oleona on February 22 and the last joints were put in place on May 22. The line rose 1,200 feet to cross the Allegheny Mountains near Waterville, then descended by gravity 2,100 feet. The cost of laying the line was 15.449 cents per foot, including freight (5.227), hauling (6.4) and joining (3.822). Through May 28, 1880, a total of 1,097,761.06 barrels (3,008 per day) was moved, of which 943,483.02 were transported to eastern refineries.
The pipeline could move 6,000 barrels per day. Starting at Pumping Station No. 1 at Coryville, oil flowed 22.43 miles to No. 2 station at Olmsted near Coudersport, then 80.44 miles to Williamsport. The pumping engines at Coryville began operation at 4 p.m. on May 28; oil arrived at 10:18 a.m. on May 30 at No. 2 station, which began to pump the same day at 3:20 p.m. After a pressure drop was detected, a piece of wood and some rope were removed from the pipe. Olmsted resumed pumping at 5 p.m. on June 2. Oil arrived at the tank farm 1.5 miles east of Williamsport at 7:20 p.m. on June 4. From there the loading station of the railroad could be reached by 12,700 feet of 8-inch gravity-flow pipe. [6][3]:23
In 1880, the Equitable Pipe Line was absorbed, the Coryville pumping station was moved a few miles to Rixford and the 4-inch pipe was replaced by 6-inch pipe. The line was extended from Williamsport to Tamanend in the winter of 1881-82 and new pumping stations were built at County Line (No. 3 halfway between Olmsted and Williamsport), Muncy (No. 4 just southeast of Williamsport) and Shumans (No. 5). From Tamanend the New Jersey Central Railroad provided a direct route to New York bypassing Philadelphia in rail shipments. In 1887 the line was extended from Tamanend to Bayonne and pumping stations built at Hudsondale, Pa. (No. 6) and Changewater, New Jersey (No. 7).[3]:29
The company owned a refinery in Bayonne, New Jersey, next to the larger refinery of the Standard Oil Company. On July 20, 1887, a fire that destroyed the Standard Oil Co. refinery at Constable Hook, also destroyed facilities belonging to the Tide Water Pipe Co., the Polar Oil Co., and the Ocean Oil Co.[7]
In 1908 and 1909, the line was extended westward 546 miles from Rixford to Stoy, Illinois. The joints, made of basic steel, were laid from August 1, 1908, to April 13, 1909. Telegraph poles were erected from August 3, 1908, to April 10, 1909. On May 11, 1909, testing of the line with water began. The first oil arrived at Rixford at 7:15 a.m. on July 7, 1909. Seven pumping stations were later added. Pipeline loops were later added to the eastern portion of the line[b], which at the beginning of 1913 could move more than 10,000 barrels per day.[3]:33
Tide Water Oil Company
The Tide Water Oil Company was incorporated in New Jersey on November 17, 1888.
In July 1916, 26,660 shares were offered to the public at $185 per share.[9]
In June 1917, when the company was first listed on the New York Stock Exchange,[10] its main pipeline had grown to include 833.69 miles of 6-inch trunk line from Stoy to Bayonne. Its pipeline system also included 304 miles of 6-inch trunk line loops; 2,000 miles of gathering lines; 20 pumping stations with redundant pump engines; and 92 tanks with a total capacity of 2,672,900 barrels. On one day that year, company pipelines held 1.6 million barrels of oil worth a total of $3,400,000.[10]
The company held all or controlling interest in nine subsidiaries, including:
History of the Tide Water common stock (par $100)[10]
Date
Auth. cap
Purpose
Nov 17, 1888
$5,000,000
Acquisition of Polar Oil Company, Ocean Oil Company, Chester Oil Company[h], Lombard, Ayers & Company and purchase of real estate in Bayonne
May 15, 1907
$20,000,000
acquisition by exchange for stock of the Tide Water Pipe Line Co; for some time this company was the parent company and owned the entire stock of Tide Water Oil Co. until in 1907 the subsidiary took over the parent in a reorganization.
May 6, 1908
$25,000,000
extension of the pipe line to Illinois and purchase of producing lands in Illinois
Illinois oil production boomed in 1906. For a few years it was 3rd largest producing state behind California and Oklahoma.[15]
Mar 15, 1916
$30,000,000
acquisition of oil producing lands in Oklahoma.
Holders of stock were given the right to subscribe at par to 1 share for each 5 shares held from Apr 10 to Jul 6, 1916.[16]
Feb 20, 1917
$40,000,000
in 1917 $2,900,000 issued for a stock dividend[i] and $8.1m unissued. Pursuant to a board resolution of May 2, 1919, 11,870 shares were issued and exchanged for the entire remaining stock (870 shares) of the Tidal Oil Co. not already owned by TWO, whose total issue was then 330,870 shares.[11][17][18] TWO stock was trading between $236 and $250 in June 1919: each par $100 share of Tidal Oil had a market value of $3,220 to $3,411.
Dec 15, 1919
$100,000,000
Dec 1919 $8,617,400 plant extensions, 1 tanker, 1 power barge, employee stock program[k]
Dec 1920, $9,931,500 (failed) Mexican operation, 4 tankers, plant extensions[l]
In May 1925, the common stock was split 4-for-1. Authorized capital was increased from 1,000,000 to 4,000,000 shares and each outstanding $100 par share was exchanged for 4 new shares of no par value.[90]
In August 1925, the company issued $25,221,500 of 5% cumulative (par $100) convertible[q] preferred stock to provide working capital, finance infrastructure, and retire its entire funded debt of $12,000,000.[r][94] The preferred was called on August 15, 1935 at $105 and the final $1.25 quarterly dividend, using ca. $1,800,000 from the cash reserve and a $19,000,000 3.23% 5-year bank loan dated Aug 15, 1935.[s][95] Apparently $20,800,000/$106.25 or 195,765 shares were called and some 56,450 were converted, but a few seem to also have been bought on the market just prior to the call.
Securities owned by Tide Water Oil
Owned company
Date
Authorized
Issued
owned by TWO
% TWO
Notes
Darby Petroleum Corp
1929
31.06%
exchanged for TWO's 51% in Tidal Osage Oil Co in order to avoid internal competition with Tidal Oil Co (100% owned) active in the same area[96] However on May 14, 1929 631,319 Tidal Osage Oil shares were exchanged for a like number of Darby shares and Tidal Osage was merged into Darby (which now had 1,019,392 shares outstanding).[97]
In 1926, control of Tide Water Oil was sold to a new holding company, Tide Water Associated Oil Company, which also acquired a controlling interest in California's Associated Oil Company. Soon thereafter, Standard Oil Company of New Jersey took control of the company. Flying A became the primary brand name for the company, though the Tydol and Associated names were also retained in their respective marketing areas.
The Tide Water Associated Oil Company (incorporated in Delaware on March 6, 1926) offered for each share of Associated Oil stock (of which 2,290,412 shares were outstanding) 1 share of no-par common and 1⁄3 share of 6% par $100 cumulative preferred. An alternative offer by a syndicate formed by Blair & Co. and Chase Securities Corp. offered $58.50 per share of Associated Oil Company. For each share of no-par stock of Tide Water Oil, 1+1⁄3 share of TWAO was offered. The preferred stock of Tide Water Oil remained unchanged.[103] The Blair/Chase syndicate concurrently offered a block of the 6% convertible preferred of TWAO ("the new $240,000,000 dollar company") to the public.[104] The Justice Department concluded an anti-trust investigation on April 22, 1926, declaring the consolidation legal.[105]
Development of properties of Associated Oil Co[103]
Expenditure of $60,000,000
1920
1925
Increase
Lands owned and leased
75,749 acres
173,210
129%
Crude production (gross)
9,027,724 (24,733bpd)
18,211,030 (49,893bpd)
101%
Pipe Line capacity
37,000bpd
165,000bpd
346%
Refinery capacity
24,000bpd
75,000bpd
212%
Marketing stations
130
315
142%
Tanker fleet
203,209bbl
656,955bbl
223%
Storage capacity
12,671,300
24,294,300
91%
...of Tide Water Oil Co
Expenditure of $45,400,000
1920
1925
Crude production (net)
4,571,674 (12,525bpd)
5,576,858 (15,279bpd)
22%
Number of wells
4,776
6,734
41%
Refinery capacity
25,000bpd
53,000bpd
112%
Storage capacity
4,480,000
7,336,200
63%
Tanker fleet
none
319,000bbl
Tank cars
959
1,453
51%
Refined products
5,240,540 (14,358bpd)
11,337,308 (31,061bpd)
116%
Progress of accumulation of subsidiary shares and TWAO shares offered for each subsidiary share during exchange campaigns
After a board resolution on Sep 17, 1936, TWAO bought the stock of the Terrabella Investment Co (California)[t] for 230,000 new TWAO shares, which brought the total common stock registered with the NYSE to 8,751,985 shares.[110]
In August 1936 TWO (New Jersey) spun off all operations into the new wholly owned subsidiary TWO (Delaware)[111] and on November 30, 1936, Tide Water Oil and Associated Oil were merged into the Tide Water Associated Oil Company,[112] which then held 99.13% of TWO and 98.21% of AO stock. The no-par common stock was exchanged for $10 par common to reduce tax payments. Each residual TWO share not already in the TWAO treasury received 3 shares of TWAO stock; each AO share received 2+1⁄4, causing the issue of 149,698 new TWAO shares.[113] The merger was likely among the many executed in response to the Revenue Act of 1936.
During the 1950s, the Associated and Tydol brands gradually fell into disuse, and were dropped entirely in 1956.
Mission Corp
Mission Corp was incorporated at the end of 1934 as a holding company as a means of Standard Oil of New Jersey to distribute its holding of TWAO stock. It had an authorized capital of 1,500,000 shares of which 1,050,000 were initially issued and on March 15, 1935 a stock dividend of 1⁄25 shares of Mission Corp was paid per share to holders of par $25 Jersey common stock. Mission Corp owned only a small amount of working cash and 1,128,123 shares of TWAO common stock. Directors were: Edward Shea, Robert McKelvy (both of TWAO) and Herbert Rawl, Lyman Rhoades and John P. Davis.[115]
Tidewater Oil Company
On May 4, 1956, the name of the company was changed to Tidewater Oil Company;[116] distribution continued under the Flying A and Veedol brand names.[117]
In 1966, Phillips Petroleum Company (now ConocoPhillips) purchased Tidewater's western refining, distribution and retailing network. Phillips immediately rebranded all Flying A stations in the region to Phillips 66. On the East Coast that year, American-born British petrol-industrialist J. Paul Getty merged his oil interests into Getty Oil Company, and Tidewater Oil was dropped as a corporate brand. The Flying A brand continued to be used on the East Coast until 1970, when stations and products were renamed Getty.
In 2000, BP acquired the Veedol brand when it bought Burmah-Castrol. In February 2011, BP offered to sell the Veedol brand, which was purchased that October by Tide Water India, part of the Andrew Yule and Company Indian subsidiary.[118]
All 4 tankers completed in 1921 had their commercial maiden voyage on the route and it was the only active trade route of the company until the fall of 1922. The round trip time was between 2 and 3 weeks, all 4 tankers had a speed of 10.5 knots. The distance is 2,029 nautical miles.[143] Mexico was the second largest oil producer behind the United States from 1918 until 1926[144] and TWO was naturally not the only company to bring oil from Mexico to New York City, nor should it be assumed that all shipments on behalf of TWO were exclusively with their own tankers. Two deliveries to Boston are included in the summary, because the data is not totally consistent anyway.
↑ Williamsport, Newberry (Reading Railroad); Linden, Jersey Shore, Hyner, North Bend (Philadelphia & Erie RR); Keating Summit, Port Allegany, Turtle Point (Buffalo, New York & Philadelphia RR); Frisbee (Buffalo Creek RR)
in late summer 1910 a base camp was established at Slate Run, Pennsylvania for laying 33 miles of 6-inch pipe.[8]
↑ company was not a corporation, but a Pennsylvania "partnership association" under the act of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Penn. of June 2, 1874: "An Act authorizing the formation of partnership associations, in which the capital subscribed shall alone be responsible for the debts of the association, [...]"
↑ formerly Okla Oil Co, until renamed July 7, 1916;[11] producing subsidiary west of the Mississippi, whereas the Associated Producers Co was the production subsidiary east of the Mississippi[12]
↑ Marketing subsidiary. Engaged in the selling of oil (mostly lubricants) to the consumer trade. Business was small until 1913 when more concentrated efforts were made to gain market share. The Veedol brand was created. After being part of Tide Water for 29 years, the company was dissolved and as of Dec 31, 1917 the business was continued seamlessly as the Veedol Department,[13] which retained all current personnel and management as well as contracts, orders, accounts, notes, etc. of the former subsidiary.[14]
↑ Dec 1919: 66,174 shares offered at par to existing stockholders (1 new share for each 5 held), 20,000 shares sold to trustee at par and reserved for distribution among employees, bringing the total amount listed on NYSE to $41,704,400 (330,870 + 330,870/5 + 20,000 shares). Proceed were used for cash amount of $7,500,000 in real estate, equipment, tank cars, 1 tanker and 1 self-propelled barge and rest for other plant extensions.[19][20] TWO bought the adjoining property of the General Chemical Co.[j] to dismantle their plant and reuse the land.[21]
↑ Dec 1920: 99,315 shares offered at par to existing shareholders (1 new share for each 4 held), proceeds of which were used to finance the Mexican operation (estimated to cost more than $12,000,000): expansion of Bayonne refinery to process 15,000bpd domestic and 10,000bpd Mexican oil, $8,000,000 for 4 tankers delivered in 1921, development of properties in Amatlan and Zacamixtle districts (Veracruz) including a railway, a pipeline and a terminal.[22] President R. D. Benson admitted the failure of the Mexican operation in the 1921 annual report, this was amidst a decline in demand for refined products that began in the last quarter of 1920 and made 1921 a "distressful" year for the oil industry.[23] TWO signed a contract with the Associated Oil Co. in 1923 for delivery of ca. 9,000bpd from California to replace oil formerly produced or purchased in Mexico.[24]
↑ Preferred convertible at rate depending on the order of surrender:
First block of $5,000,000: one share of no-par common for each $37.50 par value of preferred or 2+2⁄3 common shares for each preferred share
Second block of $5,000,000: one share for each $40 (2+1⁄2)
Third block of $5,000,000: one share for each $42.50
For the remainder: one share for each $45 (2+2⁄9)
↑ $12,000,000 of 6.5% 10-year bonds dated Feb 15, 1921 and subsequently listed on the NYSE. At the time of issue was the only funded debt of the company.[91][92] Redeemed Aug 15, 1925 at 101+3⁄4 and interest.[93]
saved on average $496,230 per year compared to the 5% rate of the preferred
↑ had interests in oil lands in Fresno and King counties and a 2.6797% interest (corresponding to an estimated 6,300,000 recoverable barrels) in the Kettleman North Dome Association
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