This Day in History (1967): Al-Khobar Co., DESCO merge for better service

From the Aug. 16, 1967, edition of the Sun and Flare

Al-Khobar Electric Company and DESCO (Dhahran Electric Supply Company) have concluded a working incorporation this summer in an effort to supply the utility needs of the consumers of this area.

Headquarters of the new company are located in Dammam, the whole operation going under the name of DESCO. Certain economies and efficiencies are attained in centralizing the offices, in engineering, and in billing; combined capital of these companies makes possible substantial additions to the system.

Power for Dammam, Saihat, and al-Khobar was initially supplied by diesel plants, and gas turbines were introduced with the opening of a plant near Dhahran in 1965. At present, the plant consists of two gas generator sets each capable of producing 6,000 kilowatts of electric power.

To eliminate "blackouts," large areas of electrical failure, the new Dammam switch station is being divided into seven circuits so that a failure in one area will not become a community affair. A general coordination of the relay system in all these circuits is being undertaken, with the aid of Aramco technicians, so that power failures can only occur in small areas.

An American firm, Jones and Feller of Atlanta, Ga., has been retained by DESCO to prepare plans and supervise the expanded electrical system.

Caption for the top photo: MASTER CONTROL PANEL for the DESCO power plant in Dammam is operated by a Saudi employee. Currently being installed at the DESCO power house is a new 14,000-kilowatt generator that will boost the output of the station to 26,000 kilowatts, with a similar unit scheduled for installation next year.

Also on this date

2020 — The August Complex fire in California burns more than 1 million acres of land

2013 — The ferry "St. Thomas Aquinas" collides with a cargo ship and sinks at Cebu, Philippines, killing 61 with another 59 missing

2008 — The Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago is topped off at 1,389 feet, at the time becoming the world's highest residence above ground-level

1989 — A solar particle event affects computers at the Toronto Stock Exchange, forcing a halt to trading

1975 — Australian Prime Minister Gou8gh Whitlam symbolically hands over land to the Gurindji people after the eight-year Wave Hill walk-off, a landmark event in the history of Indigenous land rights in Australia, commemorated in a 1991 song by Paul Kelly and an annual celebration

1960 — Joseph Kittinger parachutes from a balloon over New Mexico, U.S., at 102,800 feet, setting three records that held until 2012: high-altitude jump, free fall, and highest speed by a human with an aircraft

1954 — The first issue of "Sports Illustrated" is published

1944 — The first flight of a jet with forward-swept wings, the Junkers Ju 287

1930 — The first color sound cartoon, "Fiddlesticks," is released by Ub Iwerks

1923 — The United Kingdom gives the name Ross Dependency to part of its claimed Antarctic territory and makes the Governor-General of the Dominion of New Zealand its administrator

1913 — The completion of the Royal Navy battlecruiser "HMS Queen Mary"

1906 — A massive earthquake hits central Chile, killing 3,882 people

1896 — Skookrum Jim Mason, George Carmack, and Dawson Charlie discover gold in a tributary of the Klondike River in Canada, setting off the Klondike Gold rush

1841 — U.S. President John Tyler's veto of a bill to re-establish the Second Bank of the United States enrages opposing Whigs, who riot outside the White House in the most violent demonstration on White House grounds in U.S. history

1570 — The principality of Transylvania is established

1 BC — Wang Mang consolidates his power in China and is declared marshal of state. Emperor Ai of Han, who died the previous day, had no heirs