April 22, 1943

April 22, 1943

425 S. Cabrillo

San Pedro Calif

Dear Father, Mother and the folks at home,

I got both of mother’s letters this week on the same day — Monday. The news that Vincent was in the army came as sort of a shock to me because I had anticipated his being out of it definitely for several months at least. I suppose that anything I would write about it would seem banal, so I won’t, except to say that I hope that this is the right course for him to take. No doubt the relief from uncertainty is to be desired altho it seems hard to think of his being in the army. Especially inasmuch as I am not. I received a card from him on Wednesday which I will enclose. It really doesn’t say an awful lot but I will enclose it anyway.

As a result of the foregoing events I have felt somewhat mentally dispirited this week. I have been feeling physically all right tho. My work is coming along about as usual. When I was working as operator Saturday afternoon on the swing shift a Shell Oil pipeline thru the plan sprung a leak. I didn’t notice it when it happened as it was over by the feed pumps behind the preheater furnace. When I went around to take the regular 9:00 readings I discovered it. The oil was shooting up in a spray all over the pumps, motors, the isomerization unit and the acid treating apparatus.

At first (it was dark) I couldn’t find it and when I did it was because I stepped right into the spray as it came out of the ruptured pipe. My pants got sort of oil soaked. The material was, I think, either a crude or else a very heave cut from some cracking operation. At any rate it was a gooey, non-volatile material and it isn’t going to be removed from the things it got on without a little work. I could hardly get my legs clean after they had come into contact with it. I understand that the office is trying to get Shell Oil to clean up our equipment.

Oh yes, I forgot to tell you what I did when I found out what was going on. There wasn’t any valves that I could close to shut off the flow — which probably wouldn’t have been very wise anyway if a positive displacement pump was being used. The best thing I could think of to do was to put the waste paper basket over the jet from the pipe. Strangely enough it worked fairly well, until I called the dispatcher and told him what was happening when he stopped the flow thru the pipe. I guess it has been fixed by now as I noticed the place was covered up again the other day.

Mel Oldfather says that several more Iowa students have been hired by Shell Development and that some of them may come here. Lawrence, who took Mel’s place as head of the coal lab at the U. is coming out here as is also Hugh Guthrie, who in my opinion is the smartest engineer to graduate from Iowa in a good long time. I guess that here are several others also who have accepted employment by Shell Development. It begins to seem as if they have taken about 50% of the chemical engineers graduated at Iowa in the past two years.

I will not have Easter off as there is to be no vacation then. I will be working days which is unfortunate but which I guess cannot be helped. Tonite I am of course going to the Holy Communion Services.

I bought a pair of brown shoes costing $4.50 but they will feel somewhat uncomfortable. I guess tho that time will improve their fit. I have them on now as it is almost time to go to church.

I will not enclose my bonds in this letter because I couldn’t get this letter registered until tomorrow in the afternoon after work and I want to get it off before then.

I have some pictures of the personnel here taken at the Shell Development party but I can’t locate them so I’ll show them to you some other time.

Incidentally the vacation choice list is out now and I am pretty certain I can get my vacation when I want it since everybody seems to be taking their vacations early so that by September I should have a clear field. Boy! I can hardly wait to be able to come home once again.

I must leave now. I may add some after I get back after church.

Love

C.P.

P.S. I won’t.