Page 26 - Gi flipbook February 2018

Drawing the retorts at the Great
Gas Works at Brick Lane, 1821,
from Chandler and Lacey (1949)
The Rise of the Gas industry in
Britain. Original source is The
Monthly Magazine

TURNING WATER INTO GAS

The Humphreys & Glasgow formula

By Reg Brown
in Victoria Street SW1, later moving with a total capacity in excess of 800
to palatial premises in nearby Carlisle million cubic feet per day. The company
n 1892, Arthur G Glasgow and Street, which they named Humglas had also opened an office in Brussels
Alexander Crombie Humphreys, House. In 1894, Humphreys returned to deal with continental business.
who had been working for the to the United States to set up a branch The British branch’s orders for new
American gas plant manufacturer of Humphreys & Glasgow in Nassau plants diminished during the First
I United Gas Improvement Street, New York, which subsequently World War and the company took on
Company of Philadelphia, came to merged with United Gas Improvement. the role of consultant engineers to
London and established the firm of By 1904, the combined capacity compensate. In the 1920s and 1930s
Humphreys & Glasgow (H&G) for the of the carburetted water gas (CWG) the firm got back into its stride, once
construction of carburetted water gas plants installed by the British and again building CWG plants all over
plants in Britain and elsewhere. American branches during the the world, including its first contract
They brought with them business preceding 12 years had reached 522 in China. The company’s founder, Dr
methods which enabled them to get million cubic feet per day. By 1909, Arthur Glasgow, retired in 1939 and
their engineers and materials to almost the British branch had installed or his son-in-law, Ambrose Congreve,
any part of the world and to build had under construction 395 individual took control. During the Second
reliable plants at prices which kept their plants and the American branch 671 World War, the firm continued to
orders coming. They opened an office plants in countries across the world, provide a service to the British gas

26

History_WaterIntoGas.indd 1 18/01/2018 11:35