By Antonio Salgado Perez * | Mrs. María Luisa Hanke, the daughter of the German Emil Hanke, the inaugural technician at the Santa Cruz Gas Factory, passed away in the autumn of 1996, leaving behind a legacy devoid of bitterness, characterised by her remarkable discretion and the graceful demeanour that perpetually surrounded her.
Exemplary in her interactions with others, Mrs. María Luisa, who possessed an unyielding shyness, never flaunted her knowledge through elaborate speech. Above all, she inspired a heightened interest in the old Gas Factory of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, a relic of industrial heritage located adjacent to the Regla hermitage, between the current Bus Station and the Commercial Dock, merely a stone’s throw from the modern Palace of Justice that stands today.
At the onset of the 1980s, the ancient gas factory captivated us from the first encounter. Its allure, along with its surroundings—little known to the residents of Santa Cruz—drawn us in, perhaps due to the building’s modest concealment of its “distinctive architectural eclecticism,” as the late Sebastián Matías Delgado Campos pointed out in his time. Beneath the shade of those lush Indian laurels, araucarias, and palm trees, we pondered: where could that little oasis have gone? Does it still offer its refreshing shade? Amidst all this, we, those with professional connections to the site, had the unique ecological privilege of experiencing the tranquility, listening to the croaking frogs in the oriental-style ponds, and the incessant warbling of birds in that concealed orchard. In a way, we were entranced by those furnaces, coal hoppers, retorts, and casings, which, in their enduring silence, appeared to call out for recognition, much like the iron ribs, guide rails, and the distinctive spiral staircase adorning the imposing gasometers.
As time progressed, we became more engrossed in the rich history of that old gas factory, its peculiar aroma still perceivable, with the earth saturated in the components that generated this vital fuel. It was a singular example in the Canary Islands and one of the very few constructed in Spain. Serving as a significant energy resource in Santa Cruz from 1907 until its ultimate closure nearly seventy years later.
From its inception in Santa Cruz, gas, produced through the combustion of coal from the Ruhr valleys, stood steadfastly against its fiercest rival, electricity, which had inaugurated its public lighting system in Tenerife on 7 November 1897. To attract customers, it was proclaimed that “gas lighting has the noteworthy technical advantage over electricity in that the light’s intensity, and therefore consumption, can be adjusted, while electric lamps and voltaic arcs always maintain the same intensity and current…” Many households in Tenerife began to adopt the “lyre,” which, suspended from the ceiling, provided “light that did not distort the colour of objects, unlike electricity.” This “lyre”—named for its resemblance to the musical instrument, albeit much larger—was equipped with a silk sleeve, akin to traditional oil lamps, which was fuelled and ignited following the combustion of the aforementioned German coal, said to be richer than Cardiff coal, despite its rather unattractive and opaque appearance as it was “the size of a walnut.”
Furthermore, gas prevailed in many contests as a cooking heat source in Tenerife kitchens, gradually displacing coal, wood, oil, and spirits.
The retorts at the gas factory produced various by-products, including naphthalene; a special coal designated for electric arcs; and tar, which began to be used for paving the main streets and roads of the island. Notably, the factory for several years advocated the utility of tar by providing substantial quantities free of charge to individuals and local councils for trial. However, no further testing ensued, nor was there a determined effort to pursue large-scale projects, until the Automobile Club, akin to those operating abroad, “completed the work of tarring the roads for the betterment of the country, earning widespread acclaim.”
On 26 June 1911, Pedro Blasberg, the manager of the gas factory, wrote to the director of the newspaper Diario de Tenerife in these terms:
“The company, keen to offer the public all manner of conveniences and amenities, will supply subscribers who wish for it a stove with one or three burners accompanied by three lamps for illumination, with the installation of both the stove and lamps provided at no extra charge, while the company will always retain ownership of these appliances.”
He concluded his letter, a well-coordinated and likely cost-free promotional initiative, in the following manner:
“If, as we anticipate, the public responds positively to our sacrifice, we will soon eliminate the charges for meter rentals, thereby further lowering the price of gas. Lastly, to enhance user convenience, we have contracted a specialist in this style of lighting, with considerable experience in the field, who will manage the maintenance and cleaning of the lamps and also replace the hoses used, for a modest monthly fee.”
However, this factory, as we will explore in another section, was not confined solely to the production and sale of gas, but also distributed a variety of additional products.
*Member of the Friends of July 25th Tertulia
