Texas Almanac, 1952-1953 Page: 242
[674] p. : ill. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this book.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
242 TEXAS, ALMANAC.-1952-1953.
$100.000,000 in expansions and new plants There has been some experimental produc-
under way at that time. tion by hydrogenation in Texas, that is, the
The Shell Chemical plant at Houston makes introduction of hydrogen into crude to raise
the world's only synthetic glycerin, among the gravity. There has been no experimenta-
other chemicals, with a capacity of 50,000,000 tion with production of purely synthetic gaso-
pounds annually. The Ethyl Corporation, line. However, Texas, with its great amount
early in 1951, was building a multimillion- of lignite, its large plant investment in re-
dollar plant on the Houston Ship Channel. fineries and its superior technical knowledge
Jefferson Chemical, with a plant at Port and skill in hydrocarbon processing, would
Neches, was also expanding its operations very logically become the nation's center of
early in 1951. A noteworthy industrial devel- production of synthetic gasoline and other
opment in the upper part of the state was petroleum products if the natural crude
the building in early 1951 of a large plant at supply should run short at some future date.
Longview by the Eastman Company for the Though classed under Chemicals and Allied
production of film chemicals. Products by the Bureau of the Census, the
Several factors have entered the rapid de- Texas carbon-black industry is closely allied
velopment of chemical industry in Texas. with the petroleum and gas industries. This
Foremost is the availability of natural gas. Texas industry produces most of the nation's
First, gas is the only fuel adaptable to many supply of carbon which finds wide use in
of these industries. Gas is to the new chem- rubber manufacture and other industries.
Ical industries what coke is to the steel in- Until recent years most carbon was produced
dustry. Furthermore, gas is a prominent, by the channel process of throwing a burning
sometimes sole, raw material in these indus- gas jet against a moving band of steel and
tries. Most of them involve cracking natural scraping off the accumulated carbon, but the
gas, that is, breaking up the hydrocarbon furnace processes have been introduced.
molecule and readapting its component parts. Among the larger of the carbon producers,
PETROLEUM REFINING the J. M. Huber Corporation was expanding
Petroleum refining is the largest single its operations with a new plant at Baytown
industry operating in Texas. As classified by early in 1951. The fact that these plants burn
the Bureau of the Census this branch of in- largely "sour gas" has led to experimenta-
dustry includes also "coal products," which tion with the salvage of chemicals found in
are negligible in Texas, as compared with oil the gas, and in early 1951 production of sul-
refining. Petroleum refining had 29,662 pro- phur from sour gas was begun at a plant in
duction workers and total value added by the Texas Panhandle. (See p. 226.)
manufacture amounting to $105,908,000 in 1947. LEATHER AND LEATHER GOODS
Its payroll of production workers showed a The number of production workers in the
healthy increase from 18,971 in 1939. leather and leather products industries in
This industry, which began as a mechanical ea
"skimming" process and later entered the Texas jumped from 637 in 1939 to 1,470 in
simpler processes of cracking, has become a 1947. The Texas industry is devoted largely
vastly intricate chemical industry in recent making leather consume ers' goods from
years, notably, in the production of high- leather shipped from other states. This state
yearsis the nation's largest producer of hides, but
octane aone gasoline and an increasing line of by- t the ain astr poaraneld hes cote
products. the tanning industry has paralleled the cotton
While refineries are in operation in all and woolen textile industries in failing to
parts of the state the larger establishments develop in anything like proportion to avail-
are at pipeline terminals along the Gulf ability of raw materials. There are several
coast. There were eighty-four petroleum re- tanneries in the state, most notable of which
coas. Tere ereeighy-fur ptroeum is at Yoakum. As a boot, saddle and harness
fineries in 1947 and 109 plants in the general
classification. The tendency has been toward state, however, Texas early developed a con-
fewer and larger plants, as the processing has siderable leather-goods Industry, notably at
become more and more elaborate. An average Dallas, the little town of Nocona and later
FORortWFREE speia OLeSthaLE
of about 66 per cent of oil produced in Texas atbeen the development of leather-goods indus-
A recent tendency in the refining industry tries by the Justin family, started as a
is then brndinou int the maiignutr frontier boot shop at Nocona, and later devel-
of atwe branhg ot by-procts, s mnucoped in that city and at Fort Worth. While
of a wide range of by-products, so much so, much of the leather goods consumed in Texas
in fact, that the term petrochemicals has is shipped in from other states, several of the
come into use as applying -to this field. For Texas leather factories have a considerable
example, Magnolia, at its Beaumont plant, interstate business. In a more mature indus-
produces cresylic acid, a solvent used in the
production of lubricants, and as a plasticizer trial stage, Texas probably will witness a
in resin manufacture. The Humble Oil and development of the primary leather-processing
inrenin plantfatue BaThn prouc le of a industries to consume a much larger percent-
Refining plant at Baytown produces a line of age of its output of hides. (See statistics,
chemicals including butadiene, high-boiling
aromatic solvents and toluene. The Pan- p. 300.)
American plant at Texas City produces dry- STONE, CLAY AND GLASS PRODUCTS
ing oils, benzene, resin plasticizers and other This group of industries includes stone
chemicals. The Shell Chemical plant at Hous- cutting and polishing (after quarrying),
ton produces some twenty or more chemicals brick, tile, pottery and other clay products
including acetone, ethyl alcohol, ethyl chlo- and the manufacture of glass and glassware.
ride, glycerin and isopropyl alcohol. The It is classed under the manufacturing, rather
Texas, Stanolind and other refineries all pro- than the mining industries, though the border
duce chemicals in addition to the standard line is sometimes vague.
fuels and lubricants. This industrial group made rapid progress
WRITE '" RETAIL AND
FOR FREE WHOLESALE
CATALOGUE
Finest in WESTERN IEATNER COOPS
BELTS " BILLFOLDS * BAGS * WATCH STRAPS * SADDLERY
M & M LEATHER CRAFT CO.
Ry E Mormn , MOFI A .. . . .... D A L L A S FO R... s.... P o, RA 222
Y P210 Souwh E'., 51-1 1703 J.'k=- 5".. hoe A 22
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This book can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Book.
Texas Almanac, 1952-1953, book, 1951; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth117137/m1/244/?rotate=90: accessed May 13, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.