by Bruce Wells | Sep 1, 2025 | This Week in Petroleum History
September 1, 1862 – Union taxes Manufactured Gas –
A new federal tax of up to 15 cents per thousand cubic feet was placed on manufactured gas to help fund the Civil War. Often processed from coal and stored in large gasometers, “town gas” had become popular for street and residential lighting. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle accused the local gas company of passing on the new tax, which “shifts from its shoulders its share of the burdens the war imposes and places it directly on their customers.” (more…)
by Bruce Wells | Jun 3, 2025 | Petroleum Technology
Gas lamps illuminated Baltimore streets in 1817 after a dazzling demonstration at an art museum.
America’s first public street lamp (fueled by manufactured gas) illuminated Market Street in Baltimore, Maryland, on February 7, 1817, making the Gas Light Company of Baltimore the first U.S. commercial gas lighting company. A replica of the original street lamp, which burned gas distilled from tar and wood, was erected there a century later. (more…)
by Bruce Wells | Nov 10, 2024 | Petroleum Companies
New York, Manhattan, Metropolitan, Municipal, Knickerbocker and Harlem gas companies merged in 1884.
The history of Con Edison includes stories of work crews from New York City’s many competing gas companies digging up lines of rivals — and literally battling for customers, giving rise to the term “gas house gangs.” (more…)
