April 8, 2012 — As gas prices hit an all-time high in Cecil County today, slipping past the $4.00 mark for regular for the first time, those posted amounts called to mind the 1970s energy crisis. The spike occurred at the John F. Kennedy Highway Service Center, but most spots around Cecil offered a gallon for a few pennies or a nickel below that price.
The difference between today and nearly forty years ago is that the current supply is plentiful. It’s just sky-high prices now, so as long as drivers empty their wallets to fill ‘er up things are fine.
When the nation faced the first energy shortage in 1973-74 following an oil embargo the Federal Energy Office developed an allotment system to help balance out the distribution of the nation’s supply. In the spring of 1973, the retail gas price for a gallon of regular was around 38-cents. By June, it had shot up to a shocking 55 cents a gallon. A second energy crisis occurred in the wake of the Iranian Revolution in 1979. At that time the price got up to around 99-cents a gallon.
The allotment wasn’t enough to keep pumps from running dry as long, long lines formed at gas stations all over Cecil County in 1973-74. With so many motorists rushing to keep their tanks topped off at all times and worry that the shortage was accelerating, lines of cars snaked through the streets of towns, cars idling for an hour or longer waiting for the pump. Frequently tempers flared during those tedious, wasteful waits and stations closed once the big underground tanks were pumped dry.
On most days during the height of the energy emergency, the line at the North Street Exxon Service Center, owned by Jack Fears, jammed up traffic in downtown Elkton as vehicles stretched down North Street. Over on High Street motorists idled their engines waiting for a turn to fill the tank with the Firebird brand at Charles R. Browns. Chief Thomas McIntire and his officers monitored the jam up each day until the pumps ran dry, keeping things orderly while also making sure people didn’t get too impatient. Similar scenes occurred at other stations around the county.
Since the gas lines steadily lengthened and the number of closed stations increased, the state implemented an odd-even rationing system. Drivers of vehicles with licenses plates having an odd number for the last digit filled up on odd-numbered days, while drives with even-numbered tags got their ration on even days. This seemed to help as lines were shortened in the days after the system was implemented.
Conservation procedures were also needed. Buildings turned off extra lights, thermostats were turned down, and sweaters were worn inside. Outside street lamps were darkened and during the Christmas of 1973 few decorative lights brightened the holiday as Cecil Countians worried about heating supplies for the cold winter ahead.
But after the shortage disappeared and the supply met demand once again, the energy crisis of the 1970s was forgotten. However, that expensive gasoline out on I-95 today brought to mind another time when shortages and costly gasoline shocked the nation and called for urgent action.
The state also exempted certain professional people, doctors, nurses,police and firefighters. If asked, one had to show proof of their occupation.
Follwing this, sometime later, Maryland passed legislation, something to the effect of gas companies could not own/operate a gas station in Maryland. There were those who believe was engineered because it ended as it began, slowly moderating back to “normal”.
The picture appears to have been taken in the 100 block of E. High St. The cars would have been lining up to get into Charlie Brown’s gas pumps. Around the corner was Jack Fears Esso station that had similar lines. Both are gone now, the owners and the stations.
I seem to recall gas topping out around $4.25 or so a few years ago when oil speculators drove prices sky high in 2007 or 08. The problem today is there’s really no good reason for gas to be this high. Suppy is plentiful, crude oil isn’t outrageous at about $50 a barrel cheaper than in 2007. Plus, we also had about the most mild winter ever which cut down fuel usage for heating considerably. This is about to become a major problem, I think, if it continues upward. I believe to 07 spike is what set off the mortgage crisis as the extra budget strain exposed the cracks in that mess. What’s going to be exposed this time? Our economy’s tenuous enough as it is, $5 a gallon gas has the potential to drive heavy inflation on just about everything. That and we’ve got a governor who seems insistent on adding even more to the gas tax and/or another sales tax increase. With such a large portion of the population living right on the edge financially, things could go very wrong very quickly and the gas lines of the ’70s might look tame in comparison. I hope not, but things aren’t looking good.
Thanks for sharing that John. I remember Jack Fears, one of the service station owner, taking care of Singerly’s personnel. Jack was president of the fire company sometime during that era, and might have been serving in that role at that time.
Thanks Scotty. I’d entirely forgotten about Charlie Brown’s gas station. Gosh there was so much downtown in those days.
Thanks Dan for making those observations. Did gas top off at $4.25 around here? I remember the earlier spike. What a difference this time with supply being so plentiful and the price soaring.
No shortage, no lines, plenty of gas but unheard of prices. Ouch my wallet is empty.
Tony the Tiger, it does make you say ouch.