Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1867-09-29

right to supply the city authorities or
private consumers. If then the Mem
phis gas company did not get such an
exclusive monopoly from the legislature
It could only have got it through con-
tract with the city.
The first contract with the city was
made March Is, 1852, and was expressly
declared TO be for the purpose OF " en-
cOursging the construction Of gas works
to light the city of Memphis" IL was
to have for twenty years the ex-
elusive privilege of supplying gas
to such puolic lamps as the city
and gas company might agree, pro-
vided, first, that the company used such
inventions or Improvements to cheaper
the manufacture Of gas TO private cou-
sumers, as " might be sdoped in other
cities OF the southwest; and second, that
gas should be furnished to the city, "st
corresponding reduced rates"
The Memphis gas company has not
adopted improvements to cheaper the
price of gas to private consumers, and
instead of being cheapened, the price OF
gas 10 both private consumers and the
city hiss been doubled, perhaps trebled,
since 1852. The exclusive privilege under
contract with the city to supply gas to
such public lamps as the city and gas
company might agree, is consequently
void, because the Memphis gas company
has not complied with the stipulation,
and has not oheapened the price Of gas
corresponding with its price in other
southwestern cities. When the city
made this contract as In the act Of the
legislature, il was intended that
the stipulation for supplying gas
cheaply TO the city authorities, should
include all gas consumed ia lamps Of the
public or city authorities, but by 3 skill
ful trick Of the gas company it has ever
since been restricted to certain "street
lamps, " and for other lamps used by the
city authorities, the gas company has
charged the city authorities as high a
price as has been in any case charged to
| private consumers. This restriction Of
/ public lamps to street lamps along the
line Of mains did not satisfy the gascOm-
pany. Instead of charging for such
street lamps half the price paid by pri-
| yate consumers, the contract was changed
and q charge imposed Of three dollars
/ per month per post. This again was
raised to three dollsrs and twenty
and in May, 1884, the gas
/ company demanded four dollars per
month per post. The city fathers have
! officially many times protested against
violations Of contract by the gas COM
pany, as in December, 1856, December,
1858, in February, 1852, and March,
1858.
II the gas company had eve the ex-
elusivs right to lay down mains in the
streets, which they nov claim, such right
must have been conditioned upon their
putting down mains when required by
the city; but the gas company has many
times refused, when asked by the city, to
put down such mains. Thus is demanded
! $500 for patting down the mains to the
Mississippi and Tennessee railroad, and
$500 for putting down mains to the Mem
phis and Charleston road, and the city
had to buy three thousand five hundred
feet of mains, and put them down on the
wharf landing. This IS a curious kind OF
exclusive easement claimed by this
Memphis gas company, under which
no one else could put down
gas company would not. | think it is
clear from these facts that the Memphis
gas company does not own exclusively
the streets Of Memphis, that the legisls.
ture had a right to incorporate the Gay
Oso gas company, and that the city has
the right to favor its establishment. The
old rule that q private corporation is one
" / a whole OF in part founded on private
means for lucrative purposes" and the
influence that coming under this c~lsssifi-
cation subscription to q gas company
cannot be legally made, although every
citizen votes for it, and only Mr.. Dean
and other nOn-residents are opposed
thereto, is not accOrdant with the fact
that in Hamburg, and indeed most cities
snd states on the continent Of Europe,
gas companies are recognised as quasi
public corporations, over which the gov
eminent or municipal authorities en-
force regulations for their management
and distribution.
The city has certainly as much right 10
take stock in q company that is to reduce
the expenses Of lighting the public streets
aud public buildings as it has to subscribe
TO railroad companies which may ad-
vance its trade. Competition will reduce
prices to both the city and private con-
sumers.
The new company can reduce prices,
yet make good dividends. The amount
1 Of gas produced from s. ton Of cesl de-
| ponds largely upon the skillful manIfae-
ture. A ton OF coal will, ordinarily, pro-
duce six or seven thousand feet Of gas Of
good Illuminating quality, and also from
one hundred to nv hundred pounds of
tar, frOmtwenty to three hundred pounds
Ofammoniscal liquor, aud from one thou
sand to twelve hundred pounds Of coke.
Perhaps few gas companies apply
chemistry TO the best advantaggl
in the dis,illation Of coal, but
the cyanogen alone in q ton
Of coal yheH made into Prussian
blue will almost pay the entire cost Of
the coal, and Y 9 from che crude tar
the neutral principles Of beuzole, naptha-
line and pRrafine, as well as the acid
principle and that peculiar alkaline sub
stance known as aniline are exceedingly
valuable, but il the tar and its products,
the cyRnogen snd the sulphates, muri-
ates and ~carbonates Of Ammonia 90 with
forty other products for nothing, still
coal only costs about seven dollars q ton,
and the seven thousand feet of gas it
produces under ordinarily skiliful distil-
Istion, is worth, according 10 the
Memphis gas oompany's rates, forty
three dollars and forty cents, which
certainly allows s pretty fair mar
gia for manufacture. The new
company can make q handsome profit at
selling gas for one-half what the Mem
phis gas company charges, and II our city
authorities own 3 controlling amount of
the stock they can secure gas at cheap
rates, yet allow g handsome profit to in
dividuals interested in the enterprise.
Were it my purpose to bear hardly
upon the old company, I might show
that their gas Is often exceedingly i'm
pure. The blueness of its flame, and its
low Illuminating power, as can be
demonstrated by any kind Of photOme-
ters, by the chlorine test, by the bromine
test, the sulphurie acid test, the explo-
sive test, the specific gravity test, and
the durability test, which ell show that
very generally too much atmospheric air
is present The offensive OdOr in the soil,
when there are assures in the pipes,
shows that there is generally too
mach coal tar ia suspension. Tur-
merle paper is invariably redeemed
when exposed to this gas, showing that
ammonia is present in such excuses as to
rot pipes, meters and stOpcOcks. The
milkiness Of lime water when shaken
with this gas in 3 bottle. shows that the
gas has had It's Illuminating power re-
dueed from ten to twenty per cent. by
the presence Of carbonie acid. The often
siye smell frequently shows the presence
Of sulphuretted hydrogen and the exis-
tsnee Of bisulphuret Of carbon IN excess
from the prolonged distilistion OF the
coke Yields from the burning Of the gas
Aclus Which 70 Injurious ~ 80
textile fsbrIos. These faults are perhaps
attributable TO defective apparatus used by
the old gas company In the manufacture
Of the gas. The Gsyoso company can
easily have better apparstus and make
better gas.
The amount of gas used by private
consumers Is doubtless much increased
oy unnecessary pressure, and the meters
0sed can al best be only an approXima-
ton to fairness, since they register the
vapor OF water as wen as gas. Ia warm
places the loss IA this way is vsrv o q
siderable. A familiar proof Of Is - the
Pickering Of the flame when the wstar Il
condensed by passing q cold place.
A fnu investigation Of this whole s,h
Jet will show that the Msmphis 80
company has not chespened gas, has m
produced as good an srtiele as thar ann
piled 10 most other southwestern citiss
has no right 10 monopoly Of supplying