GAS GOES TO HOLLYWOOD ... See Page Mueller Record January Published by 1957 MUELLER CO. 512 West Cerro Gordo Street, Decatur, Illinois NEW LOOK FOR AN OLD MAGAZINE Editor: WALTER H. DYER Member Industrial Editors Association of Chicago IT IS WITH mixed emotions that and International Council of Industrial Editors we launch the MUELLER REC- ORD on its 47th year as a company publication. This magazine has FACTORIES been calling on customers, em- Decatur, 111. Chattanooga, Tenn. Los Angeles, Calif. Sarnia, Ont., Canada ployees, and friends since its found- ing in 1910, and for that reason, SALES OFFICES we hope you were somewhat New York San Francisco startled when this issue arrived. The name MUELLER is a registered trademark of Mueller Co. You see, to make use of a phrase coined a few years ago, the MUEL- LER RECORD has taken on a new look. CONTENTS The emotional problem we men- tioned is the result of desiring to CANADIAN GAS MEN SEE NO-BLO DISPLAY Page 3 publish a more attractive maga- MUELLER CO. ENTERS IOOTH YEAR Page 4 zine in this easier to read, standard size, and yet we naturally hesitated "PLAYHOUSE 90" Page 6 to drop the familiarity of a maga- zine that has enjoyed 46 years of A NEW GAS RECORD Page 8 nearly continuous publication. ROY ABEL HEADS DECATUR FACTORIES Page 15 In the event you are reading the Record for the first time, it form- GAS INDUSTRY CAN'T MISS Page 16 erly was a two-column publication and was 6%" by 10". The new for- GAS INDUSTRY IN THE MOVIES Page 18 mat is 8i/4" by 10%". NEW MUELLER MACHINE DEMONSTRATED Page 20 The begining of our 100th year in business seemed like a good time AROUND THE GAS INDUSTRY Page 23 to make the change. We hope you will continue to enjoy receiving THE JOKES ON ME Page 23 Mueller Co.'s oldest "field repre- GAS SAFETY RECORD IMPROVES Page 24 sentative." * * * GAS MAN OF THE YEAR Page 24 What's ahead for gas in 1957? Two men high in the industry give their report on that question in this issue. We are proud to present cvi the remarks of Mr. Clare H. Zachry, President of the American Gas As- NO LONGER is it necessary for persons living near sociation, and President of South- factories to undergo llie unpleasantness brought ern Union Gas Company, Dallas, about by smoke rising from the plant. In keeping Texas, and Mr. Julius Klein, Presi- dent of the Gas Appliance Manu- with the policy of being a good community citizen, facturers Association, and Presi- Mueller Co. installed electric furnaces in our Brass dent of the Caloric Appliance Cor- Foundry a short time after Decatur's new Plant 4 poration. was placed in operation. Smoke was eliminated at a * * * cost of one-hall million dollars to the company. One Money isn't everything. There of the seven new Ajax furnaces is shown in operation are other important things such as on our cover. Oil burning furnaces formerly were stocks, bonds, letters of credit, tra- used. The workman is Arthur Kay, a ladleman. veler's checks and drafts. MUELLER RECORD connections without the loss of any fluid and made it possible to remove Canadian Gas Men and re-use expensive valves when abandoning a connection and even to re-use the connection at some future time. See No-Bio Display He said that typical uses for these nipples was for gathering-line con- BY RAY BLAIK by the tremendous demand placed nections in gas and oil fields, for on gas distribution systems in re- (Reprinted with permission from the purging and by-passing connections cent years. This increased demand used with Mueller line stopping Canadian Gas Journal) has made it necessary to increase equipment or other similar tempor- gas line pressure. ary installation. MUELLER method of mak- Because of this increased pres- The Mueller steel wedge stoppers, ing gas installations safely, under sure, specialized new and modern another piece of equipment, were pressure, proved of considerable in- equipment and machines became designed for high, medium or low terest to gas men in Hamilton and necessary to make under pressure pressure stopping jobs. He ex- district recently, as a goodly connections safely. Hence, the Muel- plained they were capable of stop- number turned out to the Royal ler school to explain its equipment ping off pressures up to 500 p.s.L, Hamilton Yacht Club to watch a and the No-Bio principle. but were limited at the present demonstration by F. X. Uhl, of Since 1952, the school has trav- time to 250 p.s.i. maximum due to Pittsburgh, Mueller Co. sales repre- the pressure withstanding limita- sentative. elled 70,000 miles in every province of Canada and every state of the tions of the gate valve. He, and the Mueller Co. No-Bio He added that each stopper came safety school, were brought into United States. It has put on demon- strations for the personnel of 400 complete with a steel protector Hamilton by Mueller, Limited, of sleeve which provided a means of Sarnia, sole manufacturers and dis- gas companies which have an esti- mated 17,000,000 gas services under bonding pressure when replacing tributors of the equipment in Can- the cover and protecting the cover ada. From the Ambitious City, the ground. In Hamilton, these were some of from damage when not in use. Each school went on to Toronto and a consisted of a double-action expand- session with that city's Consumer's the men, and their firms, who took advantage of the school: ing mechanism inside a split steel Gas Company. cylinder covered with a replaceable Mr. Uhl set up his display boards K. J. Burnett, and H. W. Hyslop, neopreme sheet. The split function- and equipment in the well-ap- of United Gas and Fuel and United ed as a by-pass and allowed pres- pointed club rooms in the early Suburban Gas and Fuel Companies, sure to assist in the stop-off. morning, assisted by the Sarnia Hamilton; Allan Crowley, of Do- This was the type of explanation firm's assistant sales manager, W. minion Natural Gas Company, and demonstration carried out by G. (Bill) Gansler, who brought Brantford; Sidney Wooler and W. Mr. Uhl, who is one of two sales along several other Mueller hands: L. Augustine, of Provincial Gas engineers, on the road with the Jack McClure, Jack Richardson, Company, Fort Erie; Gord Russell, school for Mueller Co. Hugh Morton, Larry O'Neill and G. I. Russell and Company; M. J. The growth and future expansion John Milne. Poirer, J. H. Mahoney and R. of gas services in southwestern The demonstration took the en- Flament, of Gas Machinery Com- Ontario has turned the eyes of gas tire day, with a luncheon break, pany, Hamilton. men to the equipment and machines and it proved of great interest to Also on hand were H. Allan and they must use. They saw in Hamil- Hamilton and district gas men, who John Simmons, representing the ton how to do their job safely and listened intently, occasionally put- Ontario Fuel Board. economically, using equipment pro- ting forward questions to better duced by a firm in Sarnia, Decatur, understand the presentation. These men heard Mr. Uhl explain Mueller's No-Bio principle was Illinois, Chattanooga, Tenn., and The Mueller Co. put the demon- Los Angeles, Calif., that has been stration unit on the road in August, established about 15 years ago and that it enabled gas men to work serving Canada and the U. S. since 1952, as a means to help train gas 1857. company personnel in making in- and control gas under pressure stallations safely, under pressure. without interrupting customer ser- vice on any part of the line. The average motorist is sure he Its prime purpose was to make gas drives carefully, but the fellow service connections safely, under He went on to explain and dem- ahead always stays too close. pressure, without loss of gas. Ac- onstrate the use of such equipment tual demonstrations were hit upon as drilling machines, service con- as the best method by which the nections, meter stops, curb stops, Woman (about to attend political step-by-step procedure for making flanged tees, extension stoppers, meeting) : "I'm not prejudiced at these connections could be ex- service tees, and Save-A-Valve drill- all. I'm going with a perfectly open plained. ing nipples. and unbiased mind to listen to The need for such a school had About the last-named, he ex- what I'm convinced is pure rub- been indicated to the Mueller Co. plained that they made possible bish." JANUARY • 1957 Mueller Enters 100th Year Company has grown from small gunsmith shop to five plants JTROM A 20' by 40' gunsmith shop Although the birth of the com- of the special centennial ads will near what is today the heart of pany is officially listed as Septem- also appear in the MUELLER REC- downtown Decatur, Illinois, to a ber 7, 1857, Albert G. Webber, Jr., ORD. five-plant company that manufac- the fifth president in the company's Photographs of the five men who tures one of the most complete lines history, said a number of special have served as Presidents of Muel- of water and gas distribution and events and other means are being service products available . that devised to observe the centennial. ler Co. are shown on the adjoining page. It is somewhat interesting to is the 100-year growth of Mueller A letter has been mailed to some Co.