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AMOCO'S YORKTOW?* REFINERY
James River Chemicals,
1607-1957 Lower James River basin, site of first chemical plant in the N e w World, beckons modern chemical industry
V IRGINIA'S James River flows through some of the most historic land in the United States. Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in t h e New World, was founded on its banks 350 years ago. Celebration of this event started last week a t a reconstructed Jamestown village near t h e original site. But the James River has other attributes too. And the chemical industry has been quick t o recognize a n d use them. From Richmond to H a m p ton Roads, some 8 0 miles away, plants 16
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make chemicals ranging from sulfuric acid a n d ammonia to textiles, gasoline, and fertilizer. Latest news: Union Carbide's ore processing plant at W a r wick, supplementing Dow's Zefran plant going u p at Lee Hall and Amoco's refinery at historic Yorktown. Chemical growth in this area h a s a character all its own, though. It has not been of the Ashtabula, Ohio, t y p e , where industries locate near each other to exchange raw materials and p r o d ucts. Nor has it been similar to that of the Northeast where large markets
are literally at the back door. A n d it is not like the Southwest's petrochemical industry which is built on t o p of its crude supplies. Rather, chemical plants have located on die James for one or more reason • W a t e r Supply. T h e river downstream from Richmond has a flow of about 300 million gallons per day. Virginia's antipollution laws have kept t h e water relatively clean. • Labor. Virginia workers h a v e a long record of amicable labor-manage-
nient relations. Virginia Chamber of Commerce points out that the state has had a "right-to-work" law since 1947. • Climate. Relatively mild weather makes the area .1 pleasant place to work and live. • Transportation. There are six trunk railroads, five major airlines, good highways, and a 25-foot channel up the James as far as Richmond. • Consistent Government Attitudes. Although they do not fawn upon in dustry, state a n d local governments are friendly. Combined state and local taxes are high, but there are many other states with higher rates. • Geographic Location. When trans portation costs are a major factor in product costs, location on t h e James River between sources of supply and markets may be a deciding factor. • Growth Rate. Since World W a r II, the James River area has grown a t about the same rate as me rest of t h e country, judging by the rate of growth of available power. Typifying this growth a r e activities of t h e major chemical producers in the area—D11 Pont a n d Allied Chemical & D y e . D\\ Pont built its Spruance Works for rayon and cellophane just south of Richmond early in t h e 1930's. Pulp comes from either Maine or Washington state, a n d markets a r e in t h e Northeast, hence, it chose this area for these advantages. Allied chose Hopewell in 1927 t o compete against Chilean sodium n i trate. Chile h a d been supplying ports along the Southeastern and Gidf coasts by shipping through t h e Panama Canal. Allied h a d to locate near water for both transportation a n d cooling. And it h a d to be near these same ports t o compete against Chile. Du Pont has converted most of its rayon production at Spruance to heavy denier yarn for tires and industrial products. Now, it is building a plant to make 4 0 million pounds a year of heavy denier nylon yarn, also for tires and industrial products. Down the river at Hopewell, Allied has also been expanding. Nitrogen Division has increased its ammonia, ammonium nitrate, and ammonium ni trate-limestone storage. And, around Nitrogen's plant. Allied has been creat ing a small chemical complex all its own—the only one in the area. Next to Nitrogen's plant. National Aniline h a s put in facilities to make caprolactam, one basic ingredient for Caprolan fiber. At nearby Bermuda H u n d r e d across t h e Appomattox River, National Aniline has
America's first chemical process industry—glassmaking at Jamestown
Chymists at Jamestowne E D W I N C O X , Virginia-Carolina Γ RACTITIONERS O F CHEMICAL
Chemical, Richmond, Va. ARTS among
the
first
colonists
are
generally unsung. Yet the London Company that received the charter for a colony in Virginia h a d a m o n g its financial backers merchants a n d several chemical process g\iilds. T h e products needed most to meet England's expanding industry were naval stores for shipping a n d "sope ashes" for wool scouring. The merchants chose John M a r t i n , a member of the first council of the colony, to look after their interests. Almost as soon a s the colonists landed o n M a y 1 3 , 1607, Martin started gathering products of the land—sassafras roots a n d some "mysterious stuff in a b a r r e l / ' Martin assayed this "stuff," and although his experimental technique w a s erroneous, it was the first chemical analysis i n t h e colony. The first return voyage to England carried some clapboard and t h e material collected by Martin. The "mysterious stuff" was first evaluated there a s high as $200,000 a t o n . But when refining was tried, it turned o u t to be pyrites, n o t gold. But, though the colony's first analysis was unsuccessful, the sassafras roots sold very well. In J a n u a r y 1608, TO new colonists arrived. T e n were technicians. Five of these were in the "metallurgical" field. Probably at no time in our history has there been such a high ratio of technical personnel to the total population. Instructions from the L o n d o n Company gave high priority to t h e "technical enterprises." The return voyage of this second ship carried n o gold but more pyrites and ilmenite. It also carried "pitch, tarre a n d sope ashes," as well as botanicals. With the arrival of this cargo, merchants in London m a d e a re-evaluation of Virginia's r e s o u r c e s Prospects of gold seemed remote. The "perfumer" and "apothecaries" had been more sucessful than t h e refiners. T h e "trials of pitch and tarre" and t h e 4\sope ashes" appeared profitable. I n addition t o these commod ities, dyes a n d botanicals promised "long profits." In September 1608 the third ship arrived. Of its 70 n e w colonists, eight were "skillful workmen from forraine parts." T h e London merchants had decided t o go from "research" into "development." "Sope ashes" were produced. The "glass house" w a s built a n d used some of t h e potash. Fitch and tar were distilled. On its return voyage, this third ship carried "sope ash, glass, pitch, tar, rootes, dyes,^ a n d lumber products. Also in t h e cargo w e r e two barrels of iron o r e which was "sold to the East India Company for £ 6 8 " — $ 6 8 0 0 today. This led to t h e first iron foundry in 1620. Soon, however, tobacco was king; in 1628 t h e colony exported a half-million pounds. With this market, colonists ignored repeated instructions from t h e London Company for other ventures. But, nevertheless, the chemical industry has a heritage from Jamestown. MAY
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Keeping up with the demand for ^po^ver, Virginia Electric & Power has kept adding to t h e origixial 60,000 kw. installed in its Chesterfield County generating station ( a b o v e ) . Vepco plans to add another 150,000 k\v_ to this station, bringing its total capacity to 350,000 kw. by the Spring of 1960 spent some $28 million on a plant t ο make Caprolan itself. National Aniline takes ammonia an o\v e x pects limited operations by e a r l y 195-^5. Amoco began refining operations sat its Yorktown refiner} last Dec-ember. formally dedicated the plant late in April. This S35 million refinery, t h e first in Virginia, processes 3 5 . 0 0 0 bar rels of crude oil a day t o gasoline, kerosine, L P C , fuel oils, and petroleuin coke. Other oil companies can be e -λ18
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Hopewell, at the junction of the James and Appomattox rivers, is t h e site of an industrial complex containing Allied Chemical & D y e , Hercules Powder, and Continental Can. Allied's Nitrogen Division makes pebbled a m m o n i u m nitrate in this tower
pected to follow for the same reasons Amoco built there—good geographic location close to large markets in the Baltimore-Washington area. Latest announcement comes from Union Carbide Ore Co., which will build a n ore processing plant at War wick, across the peninsula from Yorktown. Here, Carbide will grade and classify manganese and chromium ore arriving at Hampton Roads by ship a n d move the processed materials by rail to Electro Metallurgicals plants in t h e western part of the state. D e e p e n i n g the Channel U. S. Corps of Engineers is now s t u d y i n g the 25-foot-deep channel u p t h e James River to Richmond with an e y e to deepening it to 35 feet. At first glance, this step appears to he rela tively easy and inexpensive from the r i v e r s mouth to Hopewell. About all t h a t would be needed in this area is dredging. But from Hopewell to Richmond, deepening takes on a more difficult look. Much of the river bottom here is rock. And, the river twists and turns so that ships must already he very careful going around corners to keep from running aground. With the larger ships that go with deeper channels, this p r o b l e m would h e intensified. Channel deepening is heing pushed actively by the local Chambers of Com merce, notably the state chamber and t h e Richmond chamber. Also interTHE COVER: M a p of Virginia as discovered a n d described by Capt. John Smith.
esteel are Norfolk and Newport News and the Virginia Port Authority. Some industrialists located on t h e channel feel that deepening it will not eontribute much to their operations. Where Allied now ships oait nitrate cargoes of 8000 tons or s o , it could then ship larger ones, say about 10,000 or 12,000 tons. But this, it feels, may not compensate for the cost of the job. However, early data have convinced the Richmond c h a m b e r that ratio of benefits to costs will he favorable. Those in favor of the deepening, moreover, say the presence o f the deep water channel all the w a y to Richmond will open u p the area to m u c h more industry. Although there is some difference ol opinion on how much value t h e 35-foot channel would have, leaders of the chemical industry in t h e James River area are of one mind a s to t h e sort of development to expect—for the next few years at least. Frank Ernst, man ager of Allied's Nitrogen Division plant at Hopewell predicts: "I believe that more chemical industry will come to the James River because of the favor able factors of water, transportation, climate, and labor. But growth will be selective, with most companies de ciding to come here more for these reasons than to be near sources of raw materials or markets." But whatever h a p p e n s to the chan nel, Virginia Electric & Power plans to provide plenty of power. Vepco has been expanding its capacity rapidly, has about doubled it in the last seven years. It now rates its capacity at 1.3 million kw.. expects to have 1.9 million kw. available bv I960. .
