Daily American organ., 1856-02-16
The Cost of Gas.

sioner Of Public Buildings the correspondence
with the Mayors Of several cities in relation to
the cost of gis.
The gas company in this city has labored
very zesiously to prove that their price. docs
correspondence win determine this question.
There is no reason why tho gas should cost
more in this city than in any other city, for as
we have shown in an article published in De-
cember the government has contributed libe-
rally towards the capital of the company by
laying the pipes and erecting the lamp posts
along the avenues.
We shall ailude to this subject again, and
will endeavor on Monday next to lay before our
readers the entire report of the commissioner
WAsHIsGroS, d. O., August 80, 1855.
EIR In compliance with your directions, / ad-
dressed letters TO the Mayors Of the cities of Bos
ton. New York, Philadelphia, Cincinnati, and Bal
timore, requesting any information 1t might please
them to give To the price paid in their respective
cities for gas per 1000 cubic feet, or per lamp,
and the number Of hours sthe street lamps were
lighted.
Enclosed herewith you will find copy of my
letter Of inquiry and the repleS received from the
gentlemen addressed, who responded in the most
prompt and courteous manner.
Ii will be seen that
In Boston, the price paid for gas is $2 80 per
1000 cubic feet For the street lamps the city
pays oneoent per hour for each lamp--the number
of hours they are lighted being regulated by the
moon The lamplighters are paid 43-l00 cents
per lamp per night
In New York, gas made from the best quality
OF coal, is sold by the New York Gas Light Com
pany for % per 200 cubic feet. The price paid
per street lamp, including lighting, putting out,
and cleaning, is $40 ls 2-S per annum. They are
now lit every night The number of hours to be
lit Is 3, ,s3S Ia.
The cities of Brooklyn and Albany pay 81 30
. per ! 900 cubic feet Cor the gas consumed in the
street lamps
In Philadelphia, the price paid for gas consumed
in the public buildings is 81 90 per 1000 cubic
feet. The city pays $2b per annum for each street
lamp, which is estimated to be about 81 20 per,
900 cubic feet. The street lamps are lighted by
schedule every night, except those when the moon
shines.
In Cincinnati, the price paid for gas consumed
in the public buildings is So per 1000 cubic feet
The city pays for each street lamp per annum, in
cludng lighting and extingushing the same, sl7
so. According to the schedule they are to be lit
in 1855, 2,lls hours M
In Baltimore, the city pays $22 so per annum
for each street lamp, and are authorized to burn
the gas 1900 hours in the year, the estimated cost
per 1000 feet of gas for the street lamps being
81 80.
The gas consumed by metre measurement is
charged for at the rate of a per 1000 cubic feet
"with deduction of % per cent, at settlement
quarterly, for cash"
The government pays for the gas consumed in
the Capitol, Presidents house, public grounds,
Pennsylvania avenue, &C., 80 50per 1000 cubic
f.et The street lamps are lighted the whole, or
part of eighteen nights in each month, at esti-
mated cost Of S26 per lamp per annum. We have
metre attached to one of the street lamps. and
multiply the amount registered by the whole num-
Der Of lamps. We light much less number of
hours than they do in the other cities.
Hon. f. Wood, Mayor of the city of New York,
kindly enclosed, among other documents bearing
upon the subject, very able report Of the COM
mittee on lamps and gas, made to the Board of
Aldermen of that city in 1853. At that time the
street lamps were lighted $500 hours, at cost of
Sl5 per annum, and it was estimated that, If light
cd $500 hours the cost per annum for each lamp
would be 424 78. The committee, in their report
advocating the lighting OF the street lamps every
Il Good gas light Illuminating the whole city all
night, and during every night in the year, is the
cheapest police force, or rather it would greatlv
aid the police in their duty it would add greatly
aud bene6cially to the protection of property
against fire and theft and exert salutary infu-
ence in p~eventing plunder and murders, now too
frequent In our city, and committed in the dark
ness Of night which, under present system of
public lighting, too often favors the prowling in
csndiary, burglar or assassin, in his schemes for
the perpetration of crime" st
From the same document 1t appears that the
public lamps of Liverpool are lighted every night
In the year the average number of hours is ,620.
In Manchester the lamps are lighted every night
in winter, but in summer they omit moonlight
nights, say five nights In each moon. They are
lighted half an hour after sunset, and extnguished
half an hour before sunrise, and burn about $500
hours per year.
In London, Birmingham, and other cities, the
lamps are lighted every night, and burn from sun
set TO sunrise. The average is twelve hours per
night, or 1880 hours per year.
The vast amount of government property in this
olty, aud the great number Of persons drawn here
by business with the government, or by curiosity,
renders ii desirable that the streets should be well
lighted and If the Washington City Gaslight
Company could be induced to enter into q contract
with the government for supplying gas for the
street lamps at stipulated sum per annum for each
lamp, it would be better than the present mode of
measurement by metre, for experience has shown
that the metres are not always reliable.
When gas first superseded the use Of oil for
lighting the public grounds, buildings, &c., It was
manufactured from oil, by the government In
room attached to the Capitol but its manufacture
became such an intolerable nuisance TO the occu-
pants of the north wing of the building, that the
works were removed, and contract entered into
with the Washington Gaslight Company which
had Just commenced operations for supplying the
government with gas, made from oil or rosin, at
S6 per 1000 cubic feet. The next contract was
made for coal gas at 81 per 1000 cubic feet, and
the present contract in consideration Of the sur
render to the company of certain street mains,
(which, in my opinion, ought to have been retain
ed by the government was made for S3 so per
1000 cubic feet.
Should any new arrangement be made, would
respectfully suggest that the coptrol Of the lamp