, 1876-10-08
TIE GAS BUSINESS AGAIN.

The bids for liz ghting the streets of IT, b
West Division with oil have not disc1or
such an economy or such comparative r.
duction in the cost as the public have ha1
reason to expect. It is possible that the re-
cent large advance in the cost of oil may
have had serious effect on the prices named
in the offers Of the several bidders. The
prices named in the several bids were as fol-
lows:
Joseph Hirsh bid SIS per lamp per year for gas,
and S13 per lamp per year for mineral oil.
George ". Harrington bid $40. 08 per lamp per
yenr for spirit-gas.
]. Aiken & C. C. Charles bid SIG per lamp per
year for spirit-gas.
E. F. Reed bid So5 per lamp per year for gus.
T. Tu1Iy, of Springfield, Ill.,, bid SEQ per yea.
per lamp for gasoline of Il degrees gravity.
John Coz bid 10 cents per lamp per night for Six
months. Gas.
Covington s Cozzens bid SCI so per lamp per
year for gasoline.
The average price of Lighting the streets
with oil given in these bids is fraction
over S21 per lamp per year. The Gas Con-
pany has offered to furnish gas at So par
1000 feet, and to use 3-foot burner instead
Of 5-foot burner, and to light the lamps by
the newly-adopted timetable. What will
this amount to per lamp per year?
The present average cost per lamp per year
is $55,-the price Of gas being SO per !, 600
feet. The change Of the burners will reduce
the quantity Of gas consumed 40 per cent.
The reduction Of the price to 50 per loo
feet will reduce the price of the gas con-
suuled one-third, and this reduction will be
greater because Of the changed timetable.
At the present cost of $55 per lamp, the
average annual consumption of gas per lamp
is 1890 feet. The change of burners aas
reduced the consumption to II, 600 feet per
lamp, which, at 50 per 1000 feet, will
amount to S22 per lamp per year for gas. It
is not easy to estimate the exact reduction
made in the number Of hours when the lamps
will be lighted; but, estimating it at 10 per
cent, We have as the averags amount OF gas
now consumed per lamp at 5000 feet, which,
at 50 per 1000 feet, will leave the annual
average cost per lamp per year at $1s, or
one-third the price heretofore paid.
These are the terms to which the Peoples
Gas Company have been brought. In onse-
quence of the great increase in the price of
oil, the offer Of the Gas Company is now, in
the matter of dollars and cents, ac:ually
less than the average price asked by the oil
bidders
There are two considerations having d.
rect bearing on this subject which the CON-
mon Council should not overlook. The ma
jority Of the people OF Chicago reside on the
West Side. The territory is very extensive,
and very Large unoccupied tracts inter-
vene between the resident districts. It
would be calamity to extinguish the lamps
in the streets of this division of tbs CITY.
and to do SO would render large portions of
it uninhabitable. There would be an exodus
Of thousands Of families. The practcabi1ity
of lighting the streets with oil in the stormy
and winter season is questioned, ard there
is quite protest by property Owners in the
West Division. against having thai whole
district subjected to the risks of thu expert
ment, while they are taxed to light the
North and South Divisions with gas.
While the people of the West Division are
willing to share any general sacrifice to meet
the wants of the city, they do notfeel dis
posed to submit to the experiment # having
their streets lighted, or bedly igh;ed, with
oil from October to April, when The same
streets may be lighted for the sane or less
money with gas. They think th.t, when
the comfort and protection, and safety Of
300, 900 citizens are at stake, thers should be
some previous teA mada whether the oil