Evening star., 1943-10-28
Plane Gas Refinery
Al Marcus Hook, Pa.
Covers 1900 Acres
Bv NORMAN A. KAHL,
Star Staff Correspondent.


Star Staff CORRESPONDENT.
MARCUS HOOK, Pa, Oct. 28.-
Oil goes in one end and comes out
the other as aviation gasoline.
Reduced to it's lowest common
that is what's happen
ing at the Sun Oil Co.'S refinery
here, the latest link of which was
formally dedicated yesterday in
attended by Secretary
of the Interior Ickes and other
notables.
What happens to the oil before it
finally comes out of the refinery as
high powered 100-octane gasoline is
a story that has all the complexity
and mystery of an involved chemi-
cal process.
There probably is enough gasoline
hereabouts to float the entire Navy
Yet the newspapermen who spent a
day exploring the refinery, sprawled
over l 800 acres of land. didn't see a
drop of it. It's all in valves and
pipes-miles and miles of pipes-and
gargantuan hulks of machinery that
perform the magic which turns
ordinary crude oil into the stuff
that makes American airplanes fly
Inventor on Hand.
Actually. lOO-octane gasoline is
manufactured at the Sun company
through catalytic cracking. a proc
ess invented by Eugene j. Houdry
who was on hand yesterday to help
celebrate the opening of the new
plant. Briefly, fractionated crude
oil is subjected to heat and pressure
in the presence Of catalyst After
the oil is cracked" it goes through
an alkylation process which provides
the required octane
1t was to set up an alkalizing
plant and streamline the entire pro-
duction of aviation gasoline at Mar
Gus Hook that the new plant was
built at a cost of s13,0O0,0O0. Cur
rent production of 100-octane gaSo-
line here is sufficient each week to
send 1000 Flying Fortresses from
England to Berlin and back.
Mr. Ickes, an early advocate OF ex-
the Nations aviation gaso-
inc facilities. expressed delight with
he completion of this latest link in
he gasoline program. But he was
oessimistic about the gasoline supply
hat would be available to civilian
Civilian Quota Dropping.
The Secretary said that 1900 900
barrels Of gasoline are being pro-
iuced daily in this country and that
ess than two thirds of this total
low is available for civilian use.
1eXt year, he said, even more gaso-
inc will go to the military and, of
,ourse, less to civilians.
"All of this means inconvenience
n our civilian lives" Mr.. Ickes said.
1t means deprivation and even
including serious monetary
osses in the case of persons whose
livelihood depends directly or indi-
ectly upon the motoring public. We
n the Petroleum Administration are
ware of all of this. We regret that
has to be, but the facts are plain
nd simple: there just isn't enough
automobile gasoline in the United
states any more-and it is not pos
lble to make enough. so that We and
he men in service can both have all
hat We want"
5000 Attend Ceremonies.
In referring to the new refinery,
dr. Ickes said that he wished every
American could see the plant and
hat certain others could be here,
oo.'
Il am thinking particularly of a
ouple of fugitives from the funny
'apers,' he said, who have been
laving more trouble lately than
hungry cannibal with no red
oupons. You know whom I mean
me OF them used to be a paper
langer in Austria and the other is
as an apprentice to a crepe
Hanger in Toxic. I wish they could
ee what Is being cooked for them"
Mr.. Ickes was introduced by J.
Toward Pew. president OF the COM
,anY. Others who addressed the
1000 persons assembled in a tent on
he firms grounds were Rear Ad-
niral Ralph E. Dawson, assistant
'hief OF the Navy Bureau of Aero
nautics, and Col. David G. Lingle.
chief OF the Aviation Petroleum
Branch, Army Air Forces. Lowell
Thomas, radio commentator, acted
As master of ceremonies and Lucy
Monroe sang The Star Spangled
Banner"