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1930s
During the First World War, the entire capacity of the Terry company was devoted to the war effort, operation being maintained both day and night. Thereafter, and on through the 1930s, demand for Terry turbines continued to grow.
In 1933, Ingersoll-Rand strengthened its line of turbine driven centrifugal compressors by acquiring a comparable product line from General Electric.
In 1937, the Moore Steam Turbine Company was purchased by Worthington Pump and Machinery Corporation, a world-wide manufacturer of reciprocating and centrifugal pumps, diesel and gas engines, air and gas compressors and steam power equipment.
In 1938, Clark Brothers Company merged with the S. R. Dresser Manufacturing Company of Bradford, Pa. Later, Dresser Industries was incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware in 1956 as a successor to the company created by the consolidation of S.R. Dresser Manufacturing Company and Clark Bros. Company.
During World War II, Dresser Clark designed and built marine diesel engines for use in U.S. Army tugboats and tankers, assisted materially by developing oxygen generating equipment for the Army Air Force, and continued to build some of its regular line of engines and compressors for use in war plants. Through the cooperation of all those working with Dresser Clark during the war years, the company was able to contribute to the United States’ successful war effort. On five separate occasions Dresser Clark received official government recognition for superior performance.
1940s
For Terry, the industrial strength of America was again focused on building the tools of war. The demand for Terry's rugged, reliable shipboard auxiliary turbines was virtually endless. 16 turbines were required for each battleship, 14 for each aircraft carrier and three or four units each for destroyers and escort vessels. During this period, Terry produced 3,242 auxiliary turbines.
Terry turbines also provided power for such critical industries as aviation gasoline refineries and synthetic rubber plants. Terry even had its first contact with the nuclear industry as a supplier of pump drive turbines for the government facilities in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and Hanford, Washington.
With the outbreak of war, Worthington steam turbines and turbine generator sets provided auxiliary power for many combat and transport vessels of the U.S. Navy and Maritime Commission. The workforce doubled; the output increased to 70 turbine generators and 100 mechanical drive turbines per month. Total wartime production of 1,874 turbines with a rated capacity of 627,000 KW earned the Wellsville Works five Army/Navy "E's" and a Maritime "M."
In 1944, Worthington acquired Electric Machinery Mfg. Co. of Minneapolis, Minnesota, a manufacturer of electric equipment.
With the war over in 1945, Worthington developed a line of high-speed two-pole generators which made considerably larger sizes of steam turbine generator sets possible. New technology demanded mechanical drive turbines to power centrifugal compressors and blowers in the range of 25,000 horsepower and at speeds of 10,000 to 12,000 RPM. One of the outstanding developments was the triple flow exhaust design, which enabled stresses to be kept within required limitations, while increasing the output of the turbine.
In 1947, “packaging” (or skid mounting) with process and utility systems included versus block mounting (with all work done in the field) of integal and separable gas engine driven compressors began.
I-R integral engine compressors were packaged by J.B. Beaird Co. of Shreveport, La. and separable, belt driven, model ES/ESH gas compressors were packaged by Wilson Supply Co., Houston. In 1947-48, Ingersoll-Rand and Clark designed the first centrifugal compressors for natural gas transmission.