The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1851-03-10

value il al its market price, just a. if none Of il
were used in heating the furnaces. Assuming
that the consumption of camel coal, manufactured
into gas at the Now York works, is fifty tons per
day, the coke thus reduced would amount to
about two thousand bushels, which, at ten cents,
(the lowest price), would come to 5000 per day,
or $4,000 per annum. Yet we are told the
proht from coke is mere nothing, and would not
materially affect the price Of gas Supposing, how
ever, that thret-ffrhs of the coke were consumed
In heating the furnaces, (Which is about the pro-
portion), then The sale of the remaining twotifths
would pro iuce nearly $4,000 per annum of clear
profit to the company from this source alone. Now,
the coke argument of the city fathers is like two
edged sword-it cuts either way. In England,
they say the gas companies make large
profit out oft, and, there ore, ev n afford to
| sch gas cheaper. la New York, coke brings from
| ten TO twelve nd half cents per bushel. Ia
Philadelphia, where coal for domestic purposes is
| che aper than in New York, coke only br ngs five
cents per bushel The New York Gas Company
! ought, therefore, 20 be able to eel gas cheaper
than the Philadelphia works but instead of
doing so, they charge 81 % per one thousand feet
more, an excess of nearly thrty.six per cent
| Thus are the Common Council judged out of their
own mouths
Let us take another city. In Baltimore, where
/ the gas Is de from rosin, and consequently pro-
duclng richer and more expensive light, the
public lamps are lighted for the same period as in
| New York, at Sl0 per annum. In Philadelphia,
the cost of each lamp is abou! $40 per annum; but
the quantity of gas burned in each lamp is more
than doube--the burners in Philadelphia con-
Stunning seven feet per hour, against three feet in
New York. To make the lighting Of the public
lamps as cheap here as there, the price ough. only
to be IS 81, instead of SIS The poorest and faint
est lights IN the world, are those in the city of
New York.
The report, in abiding TO the ctst OF manufac-
turing gas, introduces staten ent said TO be OBJ
tanned from the Halifax Gas Works, Nova Scotia,
TO the effect that gas is there made al an expense
of about 81 10 per 1000 cubic feet It says
In Halifax where coal costs about third of the
price Il does in this city the actual Of the
made is q cents 100 feet and it cold at 80
eight per the capital ace 600, a.er slo sing
tailed account of the affairs of the company
year from LIST February 1ais, to Is: Fsbrusry lsas
abstract OF which sufficient for the purpose follows
Labor making gas, line, salaries, o1icsex-
penses' ''''''' .''''.'.'''' '....'..Ilg9se = y
Cost OF coal tor making gss .......... lis5 IS
Do, do fuel OF furnaces ......s...... AIS 10 !
Repair OF works. ................... o72 ~ !
From thi. Statement. 1t win be s.en that while the
raw material coal cost but Us iss I'd or s454s TO-
more than wothrds Of the whole sfacture This,
on full examination viii be found to be tie With
every company, whether located here or else wheren
We call the particular attention of the reader to
the foregoing statement. of the grossest de-
ceptions attempted to be palmed on the public
| The Halifax company have made, according to
their own account of the cost of the raw material
Us. per l000), about 5,679 600 cubic feet of gas
I Now, if the information of the committee here be
correct that the price of coal in Halifax is only one
third the price OF coal in New York-it shows that
the s4,543 10 would have purchased l,sl7 tons of
| coal at 81 90 per ton. That number OF tons con-
tsns 4,G70,0S0 lbs. 1t has therefore taken very
nearly three-quarters of pound of coal to produce
one cubic foot of gas; whereas three quarters of
pound of coal ought to produce nearly four feet of
gas; and the result would be- that the receipts
of the company would be quadrupled But the
farce is no. over. The amount of coal said to be
consumed would yield about Il, COO bushels Of coke
yet, in the same account, we find an extra charge
Of 675 for coal for fuel for heating the furnaces
whilst, in the accounts of the year, they state that
they have received for coke, tar, and lime,
.e3l5 lis, I'd.
| II this extraordinary statement recoils upon the
Common Council, they have their committee 20
ihark. We only turn their own weapons against
themselves. AT most, 600 tons OF coal should
have both made the gas and supplied the necessary
fuel (coke) for the furnaces; and as the greatest
quantity made is little than Is 900 feet per day,
the charge for labor, salaries, &c. most extrava-
CANT as is also the charge for rerairs. Indeed the
whole affair is disreputable TO the Halifax com.
| pany, as il is to the Common Council Of New York,
| to attempt TO deceive the public with such infor-
/ nation.
We have thus eiie ctually disposed OF the report
Of the committee Of the Board Of Aldermen, aad
shown, even from their own data. that gas can be
manufactured from coal, and sold TO the citizens,
thirty.six per cent cheaper than is presen, price
We have right to as cheap gas Or our neighbors
! of Philadelphia, and We shall not he satisfied with
| less The committee Indeed tell Us thar a new
| company cannot compete with the old Letus
| have a trial Of that experiment The same argu-
ment was once used by the moHorolists Ia London,
and Their friends. /, failed therc-t will also fail
here. By all means let us have a new company;
1T the doors be thrown open TO competition, and
we have no fears for the result The company
no~ IN possession are clearing 81 900 per day'
Moss NOISY roR THE wiDow % VI II. T4oursoy ~
We have received the rublo,si lette- euco.ipgf 2i
for Ms Thompson We have sent h. the money aaI
80 fhall allow the letter TO peak fsr ils,lf
TO JAMES GORDON EENNE r. TsU.
Dear Sir take the libsr'y Of enso,is, tE.nty.dve
ionsr to your which you will truly o5lre b
snGing TO Nre Thomp.on, evi cnee he syta.
rathy experienced for her by of nsr ssx and I
accompany with ths vish that, la this in every