street and the Allegheny Valley (Pennsylvania Railroad) 
tracks, where four acres are occupied. The capital of this 
concern is $600,000 and its property represents an investment 
of $1,500,000. A petroleum oil refinery in Pennsylvania today 
is very different from what it was 40 years ago, when the 
Waverly Oil Works was established. Pennsylvania was the 
only crude oil then known, while today many refineries run 
both Pennsylvania and western crudes, and some of them 
western crudes almost exclusively. 
Forty years ago the present day petroleum lubricants 
were largely unknown or just coming into use, and the only 
petroleum products then in common use were illuminating 
oil and benzine, which was mostly used in the manufacture 
of gas, together with very small amounts of cylinder stock, 
paraffine oil, black oil and paraffine wax. Tallow was still 
the popular lubricant for steam cylinders, lard and sperm oils 
were largely used for general lubrication, and fish oil was the 
only tempering oil. 
During all these years the “Waverly” has been in the 
vanguard of progress in the oil trade. Away back in the early 
seventies, S. M. Willock, who built the Waverly Oil Works 
in 1880, and who owned and operated it until his death in 
1908, was engaged in jobbing oils, and brought to Pittsburgh 
by river steamer from Cincinnati, probably the first cotton- 
seed oil used for burning in coal mines, instead of lard oil. 
Very early in the 80’s “Mecca” cylinder oil appeared as 
among the very first cylinder oils having a fire test over 600 
degrees. In the 90’s wet distillation was adopted exclusively 
and steam stills were erected. Probably the largest steam 
still ever built, with 1600 barrels charging capacity, is now 
in operation at the Waverly. In 1900 was erected a modern 
Wax plant, together with filter and retort houses, which at 
that time were revolutionary in their design and method of