Comprehensive records of the numbers and actual location of former manufactured gas plants of this country do not exist. The author keeps an expanding tally based on his discoveries of such sites in the vast literature of manufactured gas. The known and estimated numbers of these plant sites in major cities are presented below, current through March 2001.
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Estimated Numbers of Former Manufactured Gas Plants and Other Coal Tar Sites of the United States
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Category of Site
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Number
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Remarks
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Brown’s Directory of North American Gas Plants (From 1887)
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1500
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Based on USEPA contract assessment of numbers as reported and differentiated as single plants, in ten-year, even-decade tallies.
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FMGP’s not reported to Brown’s Directory (From 1887)
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1000
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Non-detection by virtue of non-membership in gas associations or non-participation in voluntary reporting to publishers of the directory. Non-reporting of multiple or replacement plants by some gas-making entities. Not detected by the level-of-effort USEPA survey (1985) of Brown’s Directory by the decade only.
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District Gas Holders built as below-ground components (To about 1910)
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500
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Common to larger cities with distribution holders and gas compressors were used to extend the radius of distribution beyond the original area. Below-grade holders subject to out-leakage of tars accumulated from purified gas.
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Pintsch plants at rail yards (1873-1960)
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100-150
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Produced compressed illuminating gas for use in all manner of human-occupied rail cars; Not reported in any single journal or listing.
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Gas plants at military posts, yards and stations (1849-1945)Gas plants and gas producers at arsenals and munitions plants
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100-150
50-100
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Virtually any post in operation prior to 1910; As a result of general isolation from commercial sources, particularly of the WW I era.
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Institutional gas machines (1850-1950)
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5000-10000
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Hotels, resorts, hospitals, colleges and schools, estates and mansions, and asylums.
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Kerosene refiners (from soft coal);1850-1870
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100-150
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Distilled lamp oil from boghead coal; Mainly located in New England and generally operating with Scottish coal or oil shale.
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Domestic/Residential gas machines (1890-1950)
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10000- 15000
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Large homes, mansions and country estates; Examples are the mansions of railroad magnates James J. Hill (Minneapolis; Intact today) and Edward Harriman (Rural New York).
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Gas producers (1880-1950)
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11000- 15000
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Fuel supply units for industrial plants incorporating furnaces or kilns; Factories, smelters, iron and steel plants, brick, terra cotta and cement plants.
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Bottled manufactured gas plants (1912-1940
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100
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Manufactured enriched water gas or solvent-vapor gas; Compressed to liquid state into small, portable cylinders.
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Compressed fuel briquette plants (1910-1940)
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100
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Blended and fine-crushed anthracite and bituminous coal; Roasted to recover gas and tar residuals; Bound by-product and compressed into 2X2-inch briquettes.
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Beehive coke works (1800-1930)
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2000-4000
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Produced coke without recovery of by-products.
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Merchant and utility coke works (1890-1996)
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250-300
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Produced coke with recovery of coal-tar by-products.
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Tar distilleries (1900-1960)
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200-400
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Converted tar residues to industrial chemicals and useful by-products.
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Wood preservation plants
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800-1000
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Pressure and non-pressure impregnation of timber with dominantly coal-tar products, mainly creosote. Many lumber yards also participated.
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U.S. Bureau of Mines (1947-1990)
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5-15
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Coal gasification pilot plants operating in study of WW II German technologies (1938-1945)
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U.S. Department of Energy and predecessors (1970-1985)
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63-75
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Coal & oil shale gasification and synthetic fuel coal-gasification pilot projects; Widespread in many States; Operations generally lacked acceptable management of tar residuals.
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Totals
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32,860 - 50,108
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Individual sites at which substantial amounts of coal-tar residuals can be expected to been countered.
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| Relative Numbers of Former Manufactured Gas Plants in Major American Cities |
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City
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FMGPs
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Other Coal-Tar Sites
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Special Situations
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Atlanta
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2
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Undetermined
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Atlanta Gas Light Company name has been retained through several holding-company changes in ownership. Believed unique in the U.S. for this Particular situation of name retention.
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Baltimore
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32
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150 estimated
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Currently demolishing its gas holders, among the very few survivors in the United States.
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Boston
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8
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Undetermined
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Pre-1911: Consolidated by Boston Consolidated Gas Company; Now Boston Gas Company.
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Chicago
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85
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Undetermined;
Hundreds expected
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1897-1898: Consolidation begun Peoples Gas Light & Coke Company, and completed in 1907, with ownership control held by Samuel Insull.
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Denver
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8
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Undetermined
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1891: Consolidated by Denver Consolidated Gas Co.1893: Reconsolidated by Denver Gas & Electric Co.1910: Reconsolidated by Henry L. Doherty as Pubic Service Company of Colorado
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Detroit
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13
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Hundreds expected
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Unknown date: Consolidated by Detroit City Gas Company, a private utility; later American Light & Traction Company.
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Kansas City, MO
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8
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More than 2
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Ca. 1895: Consolidated by UGI, Philadelphia; Then Cities Service Company, ca. 1912.
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Kansas City, KS
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2
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Undetermined
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Single-firm monopoly; Various owners; Eventually Cities Service Company.
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Long Beach
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7
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Undetermined
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1895: Colonized by UGI, of Philadelphia, PA1914: Consolidated by Southern Counties Gas Co. CA. 1925: Municipal take-over of gas services.
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Los Angeles
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30
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2 known at present
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Eventually takeover by UGI spin-off- Pacific Gas Improvement Company, formed in 1882; Grew Into today’s Pacific Enterprises.
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New Orleans
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8
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Undetermined
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Details presently unknown to the author.
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New York City
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99
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Approximately 1000 throughout the five borroughs
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1884: Partial consolidation of 7 gas companies into Consolidated Gas Company1891: Gas war between the 16 companies in placepost-1891: Continued consolidation1936: Final consolidation into Consolidated Edison Company of New York City.
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| Brooklyn |
30 |
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Oakland, CA
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6
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Undetermined
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1905: Consolidated by Pacific Gas & Electric Co.
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Philadelphia City and its near Suburbs
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17
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Many more than 7
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First gas plant a municipal venture; Plagued for decades by scandal; City contracts with UGI for long term operation. Urban and suburban systems strong and operated apart but all owned, after 1882 by UGI operating with J.P. Morgan financing.
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Phoenix
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3
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Undetermined
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1882: originated by UGI; passed to Pacific Gas Improvement Co., then to PG&E1920: Arizona Public Service Company formed.
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Pittsburgh
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9
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Many more than 9
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Topographic irregularity of terrain suggests original need For relatively greater number of gas plants.
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Portland, OR
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15
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More than 3
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Never any competition; Growth of original 1852firm, Portland Gas Light & Coke Company.
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Providence
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5
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Undetermined
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Remained in perpetual control by Providence Gas Co.
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St. Louis
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54
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26 known; 150 expected
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1890: Consolidated by Laclede Gas Light Co., third historic gas company of the City, with 1909control by Samuel Insull interests of Chicago.
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Sacramento, CA
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7
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Undetermined
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1912: Consolidated by Pacific Gas & Electric Co.
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Salt Lake City
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5
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More than 6
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1920s: Consolidated by Utah Power & Light Co.
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San Antonio, TX
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2
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More than 2
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ca. 1894: Municipal take-over.
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San Diego
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Unknown
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Undetermined
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Pre-1906: Consolidated by H.M. Byllesby & Co., of Chicago.
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San Francisco
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31
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Undetermined
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ca. 1912: Consolidated by Pacific Gas & Electric Co.
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San Jose, CA
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5
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Undetermined
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ca. 1912: Consolidated by Pacific Gas & Electric Co.
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Seattle
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10
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Undetermined
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Pre-1913: Consolidated by Pacific Northwest Public Service Company
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Washington, D.C.
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10
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Undetermined
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Post-1906: Consolidated by Washington Gas Light Company, the original manufactured gas company
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Compiled by Allen W. Hatheway, as presently known to or suspected by the author. Note that district stations are counted in FMGP column, when known as such and as potential locations of tar residuals.
