The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-11-03
OITY INTELLIGENCE.
I Vor Additional Cay Ireu,gcnce Gee Fgn Pagc.l

CONTINUATION OF THE INVESTIGATION
OF THE GAS TRUST WoRKs.-The Trustees of the
Philadelphia Gas Works are playing an open and.
shut game with the Committee of which Colo
mel Page Is Chairman. Before that Committee
the principal officers of the Trust have beer sub
p0naed. Some have refused to obey the sum-
mons, and the rest have insulted the Committee,
and refused to testify. Two exceptions only
we're made. One was Mr.. Riley, the cashier.
He came TO the Committee and sald he would
answer any questions and swear to them after
they were shown him IN print. The other was
Charles Thompson Jones. He is the honored
President oil TIE Works, and gave evidence with
willingness and courtesy.
The CommItIee has a subcommittee II ia
composed OF Colonel Page and Colonel Henry
W. Gray. Its duties are to investigate the
books papers, and contracts OF the Trust, to
verify the contracts of the Board. It's duty is
simply CLERICAL When IL was appointed the
Trust appointed a subcommittee OF its members
TO lay before Colonies Page and Gray the papers,
minutes, and contracts they desired TO inspect.
Last night the Committee held q meeting in
Select Council chamber. Every member at
tended; Lawrence Sheddacher, a very intelli-
gent German, was put upon the stand. He
spoke partly in German and partly in Engllsh,
Colonel Gray interpreting his German esponses
Mr.. Sheddacher has terracotta mandatory
at No. l742 North Eleventh street. He made
the terra-cotta stop.cock boxes which were
some time since substituted by the Trust for the
wooden ones formerly IN use. He made them
Tor Mr.. George W. Mcilvaiue, who made con-
same. The boxes were of three sizes, large
medium, and small. For these were paid
prices, respectively, fifty, forty1fve, and forty
cents each. MIR. Sheddacher delivered them at
the Works. For them he TTusI pad Sl.9O each
40 per cent ddUdnce. Ih0-ty-three hundred and
hirtyfotcr bO1es aoere furnished. Four hundred
more are in the kiln now drying for the use of
Thomas M. Newbold of the firm of Newbold
Son d Aertsen, was examined about the Came
ron coal contract. The leak in that big item
has not been discovered. If perseverance and
honest duty TO the public can reveal it, it will
be made manifest. Forty thousand tons of bad
coal were purchased, but the hidden history of
that purchase cannot be given. Mr.. Ncw6old
simply Is the banker of the company. From
the Trust he collects the money due the COM
pany, and RENTS it. SO he stated, and retired.
:. Peter b Melick, ESQ.,, was examined. He
makes terra-cotta ware. He said that he knew
the boxes furnished under McIlvaine's contract
He saw them at the Office and In the hands of
the workmen: He valued them at ffty cents
each, and said he could furnish better article
profit
He said that between extra brick and No
Dlick, used In retorts there is no difference. If
there be, the No. Is better. They could have
been furnished in 1865 for sixty dollars a thou
sand. For 1885, Colonel Page, reading from the
Trusts contract with John A. Newkufnet & co.
said the Gas Works paid ninety dollars
The most important witness of the evening
was then called This was Wilson Louphridge'
ESQ.,, OF No. 2238 Vine street. Mr.. Loughridge
testified that he was at one time in the employ
OF MI. Newkumet, and afterwards had a manu-
factory OF his own at Beach and Poplar streets
He tined to furnish the Trust with frc-brick.
For that purpose he waited upon Mr.. Manuel.
That officer would not listen to him. He went
every day in one month. in 1865. and offered to
supply the Trust with fre-brick. Mr.. Manuel
wouldn't accept the prohcr.
Then he offered to put in his bricks and erect
them in a Tetort at his own expense, SO that
the bricks could be tested. Mr.. Manuel declined
to allow hlm to make the experiment. Finally,
he met Mr.. Charles Miller, Trustee OF the
works, in the street. Mr. Miller gave him an
order to the engineer to use the bricks, but the
engineer said that the order wasn't strong
enough, and refused again.
Mr.. Loughridge didn't despair. He knew the
character of his ware, and wanted the lucrative
patronage of the Gas Works. So Mr. Lough-
ridge went to Sheriff Howell, and received a
lettert to President Jones' Accompanied by his
salesman, Mr.. Patterson, and also by Mr..
Samuel Fox, he found Mr.. Jones at his Office
That gentleman declined to listen to him. Mr..
Jones wouldn't even receive bid or listen to
the price at which MIR. Loughrldge presented
his bricks, and alter an hour of fruitless apphca-
ton that attempt was abandoned.
Now for the funny part OF this witness story, and
II Is funny. The Trustees can see where the joke
lies. 1t is this:-A man, came to the establish
ment of Mr.. Loughridge and ordered twenty
thousand bricks. He signed his name Lister,
and went away. When the bricks were ready
he called, removed them, and ordered SIXTY
thousand more. They we're all No. brick, and
fifty dollars per thousand was the price. The
witness supposed the bricks were going to
Southern market. He went into the Gas Works
to see Mr.. Archy Curry on business, and there
were his twenty thousand bricks, stamped with
his own name, on the floor OF the Works. Mr..
Lister didn't come back after the other sixty
thousand. A mice was smelled somewhere, and
the blicks were never taken away.
The witness tried afterwards, but could not
sell the Trust bricks. He offered them at fifty
dollars, but Mr.. Manuel would not accept. He
pledged himself to guarantee the bricks, but he
was turned away.
Colonel Page stated that for these bricks the
Trust paid ninety dollars He asked Mr.:
Loughridge what he thought of the prices paid
by the Trust Tor bottom tiles at $l'33 each in
1864; $780, 1920, aud S2'42, in 1865; of top tile
at .$l.25 to $2O6, and shield tile at sixCy to
Mr.. foughridge answered that they were very
high. He stated that so well were his wares
received that Mr.. Newkumet bought him out,
but could he get the prices for dre-brick paid
by the Trust, ne would go into business again
before tonight, and have fifty wagons at ms door
this afternoon. III
Mr.. James Peoples, who for fifteen years
worked in the Point Breeze Works, and who
previously narrated the official negligence and
culpability displayed there, was again put upon
the witness stand. He described the neavy blow"
that occurred there in 1864 MIR. Stewart was
then engineer. He found himself unable to
procure iron retorts, and ordered clay. To rem
der these available, he shortened the pipes that
lead from the retort into the holder. These
pipes are called hydraulic mains. The gas from
The retort passes through them into the reeep-
tacle where II Is stored. MIR. Stewart reduced
the length little, and when the time came to
erect retorts iron ones were unexpectedly re-
celYed, Mr.. Stewart put them up. The men
fred set of benches, and the hydra ~ o,n
wouldn't work, Gas conduit 90 through It,
and the lids OF the retorts were forced of and
the gas blew out into the house.
Toe workmen fred ten more sets OF benches
rms made the blow fearful; and the po Ieriu