As natural gas is released from the ground into a transmission pipeline, its pressure drops and it is therefore necessary at some point to recompress the gas in order to maintain the flow through the system. The task of the two mechanics (George Watson, left and Herbert Cartwright) pictured in the engine or compression room of the Calgary Natural Gas Company was to monitor and maintain the company's gas compression equipment. By 1910, some 2,250 Calgary customers were served by the company and people were just beginning to realize the potential for further development of natural gas and petroleum resources. Already some Calgarians were employed in the industry, investor-speculator interest was rising, and many citizens were enthusiastic about the reduced cost and improved heating that came with the new fuel source.
As early as 1892 the Calgary town council had authorized the city's participation in exploratory gas well drilling. At last, on July 17,1912 when the Canadian Western Natural Gas Heat, Light and Power Company completed its 171-mile pipeline from a large southern gas field that would assure an expanded gas supply, an estimated 12,000 citizens gathered to celebrate and watch the ignition of a 100-foot gas flare which illuminated the night sky.
