
                                                            Exhibit 24



                             POWER OF ATTORNEY


KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS,  that each of the undersigned Directors and
Officers of ASHLAND INC., a Kentucky corporation,  which is about to file a
Registration  Statement on Form S-3 for the  registration  of up to 482,575
shares of Common Stock,  par value $1.00 per share of Ashland Inc. with the
Securities and Exchange  Commission  under the provisions of the Securities
Act of 1933, as amended, hereby constitutes and appoints PAUL W. CHELLGREN,
THOMAS L.  FEAZELL and DAVID L.  HAUSRATH,  and each of them,  his true and
lawful  attorneys-in-fact  and  agents,  with full power to act without the
others  to sign and  file  such  Registration  Statement  and the  exhibits
thereto and any and all other  documents in connection  therewith  with the
Securities and Exchange Commission,  and to do and perform any and all acts
and  things  requisite  and  necessary  to be done in  connection  with the
foregoing  as fully  as he or she  might  or  could  do in  person,  hereby
ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents, or any
of them, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

Dated:  January 28, 1998



/s/ Paul W. Chellgren                            /s/ James B. Farley
---------------------------------               ------------------------------
Paul W. Chellgren, Chairman of the Board        James B. Farley, Director
and Chief Executive Officer



/s/ J. Marvin Quin
---------------------------------               ------------------------------
J. Marvin Quin, Senior Vice President           Ralph E. Gomory, Director
and Chief Financial Officer



/s/ Kenneth L. Aulen                             /s/ Mannie L. Jackson
---------------------------------               ------------------------------
Kenneth L. Aulen, Administrative                Mannie L. Jackson, Director
Vice President, Controller and 
Principal Accounting Officer


/s/ Jack S. Blanton                             /s/ Patrick F. Noonan
---------------------------------               ------------------------------
Jack S. Blanton, Director                       Patrick F. Noonan, Director



                                                /s/ Jane C. Pfeiffer
---------------------------------               ------------------------------
Thomas E. Bolger, Director                      Jane C. Pfeiffer, Director



/s/ Samuel C. Butler                            /s/ Michael D. Rose
---------------------------------               ------------------------------
Samuel C. Butler, Director                      Michael D. Rose, Director



/s/ Frank C. Carlucci                           /s/ William L. Rouse, Jr.
---------------------------------               ------------------------------
Frank C. Carlucci, Director                     William L. Rouse, Jr., Director



                                                /s/ Robert B. Stobaugh
---------------------------------               ------------------------------
                                                Robert B. Stobaugh, Director



<PAGE>
                              CERTIFICATION

The undersigned certifies that he is an Assistant Secretary of ASHLAND INC.
("ASHLAND"), a Kentucky corporation, and that, as such, he is authorized to
execute this  Certificate  on behalf of ASHLAND and further  certifies that
attached  are true and  correct  copies of  excerpts  from the minutes of a
meeting of the Board of Directors of ASHLAND  duly  called,  convened,  and
held on  January  28,  1998,  at  which a quorum  was  present  and  acting
throughout.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF,  I have signed and sealed this  Certification this 13th
day of March, 1998.


                                              /s/ T. Cody Wales
                                             -------------------------------
                                              T. Cody Wales
                                              Assistant Secretary

<PAGE>

                               EXCERPT FROM
                       MINUTES OF DIRECTORS' MEETING
                               ASHLAND INC.
                             January 28, 1998

                            ACQUISITION OF EGL-1

         RESOLVED,  that the  acquisition by the  Corporation,  through its
         division known as The Valvoline Company  ("Valvoline"),  of all of
         the outstanding  shares of common stock of EGL-1, Inc.  ("EGL-1"),
         for the  consideration set forth herein (the "Purchase") is hereby
         in all respects authorized, ratified and approved;

         FURTHER RESOLVED,  that the total  consideration to be paid by the
         Corporation  for the Purchase  (the  "Purchase  Price")  shall not
         exceed  $27,000,000 and shall be paid in cash, Common Stock of the
         Corporation  ("Common Stock"), or a combination of cash and Common
         Stock;

         FURTHER RESOLVED,  that the number of shares of Common Stock to be
         issued shall be determined  by dividing the Purchase  Price by the
         lesser of the closing price of the Common Stock as reported on the
         composite tape of the New York Stock Exchange for (1) the business
         day immediately preceding the closing of the EGL-1 transaction; or
         (2) the  average  of the twenty  (20)  business  days  immediately
         preceding such closing;

         FURTHER  RESOLVED,  that this Board of Directors hereby deems that
         the  value of the  shares  of  EGL-1  being  acquired  is at least
         equivalent to the Purchase Price;

         FURTHER  RESOLVED,  that the Chairman of the Board,  the Executive
         Vice President,  or any Senior or Administrative Vice President of
         the  Corporation,  or the  President  or  any  Vice  President  of
         Valvoline (the "Authorized  Officers") be, and each of them hereby
         is, authorized to negotiate and enter into a definitive  agreement
         to consummate the purchase (the "Agreement"),  and to take any and
         all  actions  and  execute  and  deliver  any and  all  documents,
         certificates,  instruments or agreements  related to the foregoing
         which any of them deem necessary or appropriate,  and that any and
         all actions and execution of any and all documents,  certificates,
         instruments  or  agreements  related  to the  foregoing  occurring
         heretofore   including,   without  limitation,   execution  of  an
         Agreement of Merger and Plan of  Reorganization,  is or are hereby
         in all respects authorized, ratified and approved;

         FURTHER  RESOLVED,  that  any  of  the  Authorized  Officers,  the
         Secretary or any Assistant  Secretary of the  Corporation  be, and
         each of them hereby is, authorized,  acting singly, to execute and
         file  with  the   Securities  and  Exchange   Commission:   (1)  a
         Registration  Statement on Form S-3 or any other  appropriate form
         with  respect to the  Common  Stock to be issued  pursuant  to the
         foregoing  resolutions;  (2) an application to register the Common
         Stock under the Securities  Exchange Act of 1934, as amended;  and
         (3) such further amendments thereto as are necessary or desirable;

         FURTHER  RESOLVED,  that for the purpose of any original  issue of
         the aggregate  number of shares of Common Stock  authorized by the
         preceding resolution,  any transfer agent for Common Stock be, and
         hereby is,  authorized  to  countersign  as Transfer  Agent,  when
         presented to it duly executed by or on behalf of the  Corporation,
         certificates  for  shares of the Common  Stock,  and to cause such
         certificates  to be  registered  by any Registrar for Common Stock
         and  when  so  countersigned  and  registered,   to  deliver  such
         certificates  to or  upon  the  written  order  of the  Authorized
         Officers;  and  further,  that said  Registrar  be, and hereby is,
         authorized and directed to register certificates for the aggregate
         number  of  shares of Common  Stock  authorized  by the  preceding
         resolutions  when  presented to it, duly executed on behalf of the
         Corporation  and   countersigned   by  said  Transfer  Agent,  and
         thereupon to deliver such certificates,  when so registered, to or
         upon the  order  of said  Transfer  Agent  and  further,  that the
         authority of said Transfer Agent and Registrar,  respectively, be,
         and  it  hereby  is,   extended  to  apply  to  the  transfer  and
         registration  from time to time of said  shares  of  Common  Stock
         after the original issue thereof;

         FURTHER  RESOLVED,  that the  Authorized  Officers be, and each of
         them  hereby  is,  authorized  to cause  the  Corporation  to make
         application  to the New York Stock  Exchange and the Chicago Stock
         Exchange for the listing on such  Exchanges,  upon official notice
         of  issuance  of the  Common  Stock to be issued  pursuant  to the
         foregoing resolutions;  and that the aforesaid Authorized Officers
         of the Corporation  be, and each of them hereby is,  authorized in
         connection  with such listing  applications to execute in the name
         or on behalf of the  Corporation  and under its corporate  seal or
         otherwise,   and  to  file  or  deliver  all  such   applications,
         statements,  certificates,  agreements,  and other documents as in
         their  judgment  shall  be  necessary,   proper  or  advisable  to
         accomplish such listings;

         FURTHER   RESOLVED,   that  in  connection  with  the  transaction
         contemplated  under the  Agreement,  there may be  credited to the
         Corporation's  capital  account the sum of $1.00 for each share of
         the Common Stock issued by the  Corporation in the transaction and
         the  transaction  shall  otherwise  be handled on the books of the
         Corporation  in accordance  with the laws of the  Commonwealth  of
         Kentucky and generally accepted accounting principles;

         FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Authorized Officers and counsel for the
         Corporation  and Valvoline be, and they hereby are,  authorized to
         take all such  further  action  and to  execute  all such  further
         instruments  and  documents,  in the  name  and on  behalf  of the
         Corporation  and  Valvoline,  and under their  corporate  seals or
         otherwise, and to pay all such expenses as in their judgment shall
         be necessary,  proper or advisable in order to fully carry out the
         intent and to accomplish the purposes of the foregoing resolutions
         and each of them.

                                   *****

