Sixty years ago today, the city of Laurel gave birth to the world’s largest natural gas pipeline. On that humid morning, about 2,200 people gathered to break ground for Transcontinental (Transco) Gas Pipeline’s Texas to New York gas line.

“At the time, the pipeline was the longest single-project construction venture ever attempted,” said Chris Stockton, a Transco Media Relations spokesperson. “Today, Williams’ Transco pipeline remains one of the largest pipeline networks in North America, transporting more natural gas in 2008 than any other pipeline operator.”

The company’s 10,500-mile system provides interstate natural gas transportation from the Gulf Coast to markets in eastern and southern states. Its size is second only to Columbia Gas Transmission, with a system design capacity of 8.2 billion cubic feet.

“That is a long way from where the pipeline started, delivering just 350 million cubic feet per day back in 1951,” said Stockton.

Stockton has old photos, articles, newspaper clippings, and even a video of the historic day in Laurel. Claude Williams, founding president of the Transco pipeline was there to turn the first shovel of dirt on the project.

“Claude wasn’t a pipeliner,” explained Stockton. “He had long been employed as a Washington lobbyist, but in post-World War II America, he saw an opportunity to bring together the financing, engineering and vision to launch an entire industry.”

Also, for many years Williams supervised large utility investments for Irving Trust Company in New York. That history, along with his Washington government contacts, gave him the knowledge to navigate the difficult regulatory waters ahead.

Recognizing the value of pipeline infrastructure in meeting America’s growing energy needs while in Washington, Williams pulled together a handful of investors to make a bid on the U.S. government’s war emergency pipelines (Little Inch and Big Inch).

The bid failed, but Williams didn’t give up. He decided to build his own pipeline: a 1,832-mile pipeline from Texas’ Rio Grande Valley to 134th Street in New York City.

“For the fledgling natural gas business, the period after the war was difficult,” said Stockton. “Gas producers were slow to commit reserves, potential customers and investors were skeptical, and steel plate for constructing the line was scarce.”

The Federal Power Commission issued Williams a certificate in May 1948, following nine months of hearings, 125 witnesses, 10,000 pages of testimony and more than 1,000 exhibits.

“Once Claude finally arranged the financing for the mammoth $240 million project, the course was set,” said Stockton. “Thirty-five surveying parties worked at break-neck speed, crossing swamps, rivers and mountains.

“By the summer of 1950, 14 mainline construction spreads were running simultaneously. Construction on the 19 compressor stations was also underway, with eight completed in 1949 and 11 more built in 1950.”

Nineteen months later, on Dec. 5, 1950, gas began to flow. The first delivery was made to Danville, Va. On Saturday, January 16, 1951, gas was delivered to New York City and the Transco pipeline was finally in official operation.

Williams was an ambitious businessman. A few months after the first gas delivery was made to New York City, he was already looking to the future, telling employees: “…so the little celebration of turning on the gas in New York City was but a moment of gaiety similar to Cinderella’s night out, only to return to our day-to-day task of operating the line along with preparations for the future expansion of the system. Your company has a great future ahead of it…”