New-York tribune., 1872-11-06
LOCAL MISCELLANY.
THE CITY GAS COMPANIES.

| Int prizes lDI Rds III NtN
| when compared with the charges made In English ana
in Continental cities, extrayaganuy high. In
London gas is sold at so cents per thousand feet. Until
the first af this month the residents NewYOrk paid
81 for the quantity In Manchester where the city
the works, costs about 65 cents per thousand
feet, and In Liverpool the price is said be still less.
In Paris the IL not 80 low might be made, but
this Is probably owing the fact that the Government
extracts heavy from the manufacturers. II
is true however, that other circumstances, such as
the greater cheapness OF labor and OF materials, regu
late this matter. Coal from which gas Is made
sold In Great Britain from q TO S
! per tun, until recently, when 10 rose very
much in price. In NewYork IL from o. to se per
tun very little OF the higher priced kinds however ia
used Inasmuch the coke obtained from each tun or
coal be sold at from Oneha 70 hreefourths OF the
OF the coal It evident that the cost OF the
coal cannot form very great item in the price OF gas
Each OF generates 10000 cubic feet OF gas 1t
asserted IS to per must be charged TO
leakage, which indicates that New-YOrk companies do
pay very careful attention this matter else their
profits great that they easily afford TO waste
from 100000 7OOOOOO feet OF gas per year. amount
ing in value to 100000 t2OOOOoO. In view Of this
fact the public interest certainly demands that efforts
should be made least portion Of this amount
aud az the time allow the benefit 70 accrue 10
the Some waste, undoubtedly. there VIII
always be- but If the quantity stated above approx
imatey correct, this Is certainly unpardonabe
III
extravaganza, and the transportation Of coal were
cheapened would be good ground for hoping that
gas would be furnished in NewYOrk at rates very much
the present prices But even as things now arc,
further reduction Of 50 cents 1000 feet could very
easily made companies supplying the more densey
populated part city. Competition will probably
force down the price very materially ere long, as the
companies recently claim to be furnishing the
same light is supplied by the Others az one
fifth less cost
COAL USED IN GAsNAKING.
The kinds OF coal used in NewYork Cor making gas OF
the poorer qualities Pennsylvania, West Virginia,
and Nova Scotia These OF about the same richness,
and are used the price of the the other makes
It more advantageous From one-ha1 70 threefourths
of the gas made is extracted from this kind Of coal
American camel coal Of two kinds, known as Petona
and Ritche is used by all the old companies TO enrich
the gas made other coal The company now enter
ing into competition with the others uses naphtha ~
improve the gas.
There are now in NewYors six gas works, with daily
producing capacity Of about 2sOOOODo feet, yearly
capacity OF s4OOOOlOOO feet These figures have not
as yet been tested by experience. the actual amount
made per year being about one-half that amount AT
present there altogether about OJOOOo feet OF gas
made per day; and the amount is doubled during the
Winter months The amount sold Is Of course much less
owing to the fact Of leakage or waste Tins,
although the companies claim to have made 4OoOONOO
feet last year. their books exhibit sale OF only
2,5OO,OOOOO0. -
The largest company in the city-the Manhattan-has
two manufactures the East River and one on the
North River They make about one-haf OF all the
used IN the city their sales amounting to lsO0
100000 feet They employ. average, LOO men,
and from 10000 20 6oO01 tuns OF coal per annum
Tie which they paid % the Government last year
was 1928 COO This Company has heretofore had exclusive
occupation OF all the streets lying between Grand aud
Thirty fourthsts but the Mutual Company h recently
The NewY York Gasgnt Company Is the Oldest IN me
zlQli
IgSa tb MaVor Aldermen and CommonaIty gave them
the sole aud exclusive prvege OF laying pipes in all OF
the public lying south ~ line running from the
East River along Grand-st TO Sulvanst, and from sui
Tvanst along Canalst. TO the North River. The city
lamps be furnished with OF quality, bril-
ancy or intensity equal to the gas Ia use tor tne pune
supplying equal number OF lamps with OIL OF the quail
ity generally used for that purpose" Inis privilege
HonPsl{& & hoT tbe a. comna5Ts oyiina Limits ey
cept where the Mutual Company has recently laid mains
gas ranging from 10 TO n candle power II has at It's
works Tue largest gas-holder the country, having
one-thrd that OF Manhattan 1t sold $50 100000
In 1855 the Harlem Gas Light Company chartered
10 supply the upper part OF the city IL ls now selling
i7OOOOOOO feet and make about 2OOOOO feet
per day Heretofore the Harlem company aas 81 aad no
competition, but now new company, under tue name
Of the Union purposes to enter the M held -. ,. +,
coporated opposition company It was understood,
10 the Manhattan which then supplied the district lying
i
promise effected between the twa the Manhattan
ceding to the Metropolitan the territory now supplied by
latter This company was rather unfortunate IN having
s retOrthouse blown up last winter The Mutual has
recently laid pipes through the best streets within the
MetrOpOltans boundaries, and the result IL that gas
claimed 70 be 20 Is nov 10 prevent
the Of state OF affairs like that OF last Christ
nas the whole district enyeloped IN darkness,
new mandatory Is building on the east side Of the
city, the old being the west side Portions Of the
territory OF this Company still sparsey inhabited,
but the amount of gas sold averages about 5000 900 feet
per The capacity Of the works is equal TO pro-
ducOn 1000 900 feet day, or iO0OOO0O feet IN
year At this Of the year 600 feet per day s
| sold. According the statements OF the COmpany's
officers dividends paid not high those paid
/ by the Manhattan and NewYOrk Companies, and per-
haps any great reduction IN the price of gas Is hardly
/ expected at present.
! COMPETING COMPANY.
| The New-York Mutual Gaslight Company, which has
recently broken the old routine Of conducting the
manufacture OF gas this city, chartered by the
Legislature in 1866 and received permission from the
Common Council IN 1868 to lay pipes in every portion Of
the city years The works erected the East
River between Eleventh and Thirteenthsts. I has al
ready built four gas-hOlders, and IA now constructing
three more, each 20 be OF capacity OF nearly 3OO
600 visit TO the works disclosed tine fact that the
manufacture OF gas II not Incompatible Win cleanliness
As stated, nephtha - used Instead OF cannel
coal and II s claimed that richer gas can be manuac
tured the cost. The naphha n contained
in tank boiler proof iron. from which it II led In
Those spoken 70 on the subject have
ad thai there is considerable uncertainty about the
nracticabity Of using this material in Winter, and also
that its Hight Is dangerous 70 bright eOlored FURNITURE
| and painting, 49, , -, - +.
the streets EewYOrk. OF these the Manhattan Com
pany 40, the Metropolitan l40 the New-fork no.
The Harlem and tine Murua 40 In addition TO these
there hundreds OF miles OF service pipes The
streets are lighted 10y lamps for each OF which the
companies have been charging $50 per year, making
total for public shting OF nearly million dollars The
price paid by the city about the same as that paid by
| individuals. Controller Green is stin dsputlng
the bills for 1871, claiming that they are exoroitant
| and should be reduced By the companies The Man