19. Rockefeller and the Pennsylvania Railroad’s private war
In 1877 Rockefeller, believing that extensive pipelines owned by the company were a viable alternative to shipping some of his products by rail, began exploring the means of building them. The Pennsylvania Railroad believed that pipelines were within the provenance of the rail companies, since they held the easements necessary to locate them across the country. The Pennsylvania (PRR) began buying and building pipelines supported by their existing rail network through the creation of a subsidiary. They also began buying oil refineries to feed the pipelines, an act which Rockefeller saw as a declaration of war against Standard Oil, and one which he refused to tolerate.