Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1876-07-22
The Gas Burners,
July llth lSTs

OFFICE LEXINGTON GAS LIGHT CoMpANY.)
July 18th, 1876.
EDITOR INTELLIGENCKR-SIH: My attention
has been called to the following, that appeared
in the Register Of yesterday:
''The Gas Company has again put lightning
bug burners on the street lamps. This is in
violation of the gas oriinance, and the council
should compel them to replace the large turner's,
Or else repeal the ordinance
1t is not my purpose to discuss the impropri-
ETY., as l regard it. of rushing into the public
prints with snch matters, without first investl-
eating the facts in the premises. Now the Legal
opinion of the editor of that paper, who, l pre-
sumo, never read the ordinance or contract on
which the Gas Company is at present furnishing
the city with street light, or he would not make
any alllsion to ''violation OF ordinance'' nd
offer an! gratuItous advice on the subject. Tb G
facts rs they exist are: That this company. in
its contract with the builders of tue works, CO n.
tracted also for the erection OF twenty In III,
posts, With lamps and burners, ready for Use.
Not hsvn g any regular street burners. ahey
used just such rs they had. which were Ii ght,
frsil. house burners, not durable Mt all 70,
street lamps, being Of light brass pillars and
composition tips, easily ricked and dsrnaS1.d by
careless lsmp-lighters, and hence, mds r nc
circumstances, would answer for perm. amen,
use. However, this was not regarded IL y t par
amsunt Importance, as the light than to be
furnishedwas to be, and was. the free giB { Of the
company and 1t was expected that, shs .uld We
ever havea contract with the city. them liberal.
ity wouldnot permit them to expect M ore frsm
the company than other places of like siJ q lighted
with gas.
Alter furnishing gas grstuitonsEy for some
several weeks, the light was shut of. r he burners
not being hose generally used for ST .eet lamps
it was ascrtained that the low ofl as through
them was lot regular; and being fed by q three
quarter Of N inch pipe through tbs lamp post,
that there lowed through them, by . consumption
and escape, from eight to ten eubi G feet of gas
per hour, y much larger amount II An furnished
by the wealMiest gas company On . arth. In the
early part Of February the city o ouncil passed
Nd ordinance awarding US \ cont ract for forty
street lamps. at 20 per lamp per nj mum, u much
lever price than paid by any oths r town of same
population of which We have any knowledge,
and at same time requiring OF H. to make An sx-
tsntion Of main pipe, furnish the lamp posts,
lamps and burners, ready for use, anu do the
lighting and extinguishinG. slss ming and repair
,99E xo,, ans Else to !Irrn ra 90. 9r rn,;. to-
tension should be completsd. and the balance of
lanp-posts were ready for use- For the reason
200 lamps at $50 pei iamp; Laavenworlh. Kas.,
100 lamps at $50 each; Saint Josephs' s46 lamps
at ss6 each; and St: Louis something upwards
Of 1000 lamps at $50 each, in MOst OF which
the lamp-posts and lamps are the property OF
the city, and consequently repairs done by them
and that other cities were pstying more than Of
Us per lamp. :. portion 81 this company didd
not feel fa!orably inclined toward the &C
a sp'1 We'll fno ,Wrs tho. iDat sh.I. w no nos :!mi Mhdlss N 1T
81 citizens. and b.iisvis g that The city Would ID
more than that accorded to the largest cities,
not only of the west. but Of the whole country,
I was determined to accept it for one year. at
Tor one year than for . ] onger time, even if the
granted y 10 niger time, and. in &C
:ordance with that dets rmination, the city was
II up under that conf ract on the evening OF
March IL. 1876.
The burner Furnished at that time was not the
was thought no surpl US gas would be wasted,
would answer tn Q purpose until the STAN
lard street burner cOu Id be obtained. But soon
.1.er .c ccS .,Eas nj g reporter; rssarding itself
hem through its columns. and the company,
selling desrious ths.t no lack of effort to per-
'tored the original burners, believing, at the
anne time, 1t was unreasonable to ask it OF
A short time after lighting the CITY under the
CONTRACT, the urchins Of the city almost complete
y riddled our lamps. amusing themselves by
hrowing rocks through them, thereby e~ntailinE
} heavy expense upon the company. Recently
lew, glass has been put IN the lamps; and, as
he burners being frail, were more or less de-
ectlve, it was determined TO send for new ones,
md ! ordered s.5 feet standard street burners. >;
which are shs ''lightnlng-bugs'' just placed on
he lamps, and are precisely the same as in gen.
raj use in the cities Of this country.
Although the contract does not specify what
ize burner shall be used, it has been the desire
nd EFFORT Of this company to. at all times, fur
llsh the city with as Much gas per hour per
burner as any other city in the country, know
ng, at the same time, that the contract price
'carcely justines such y course. And though
ceiling . desire to be as liberal toward the good
o1Lexlngton Is our means will permit, we
Ire unwilling and unable to Acquiesce in any
less reasonable demands than those accorded TO
he cities of New York. Boston, Philadelphis, |
es by their gas companies.
In conciuslon, permit me to add that we have
here to make 1t our home, and have spent |
our means IN this community and the build |
lng OF the works have added not o little |
~ the beauty and appearances of the city,
and trust We are mistaken in the appearance, on
he part OF \ few, to ''drive to the Wall'' Il poor |
little gas company that 10 honestly striving. NOT |
only to do Its duty to the letter of the contract. |
but up to the fullest measure of principle and |
l will, furthermore, add that, IN ordering the |
burners lust placed on the lamp-posts, l ordered
ths 3 feet Scotch tip standard street burners, |
SUCH a. arein general use in other cities; - and, if
shall arise, my assertion, in regard to |
mem. can and will be vCSined by the most Gem-
petent gRsIuperintendents OF the cOuntry-east. |
west, nOrtl and south.
faraon ne for trespasslng upon so much
pace OF yoir valuable paper, but l regarded it
proper to Sate the facts as they exist for the in
Y those interested, and shall not
.r0ubls yeufurther now or hereafter on the sub.
ect. A. H. CAEVALIER,
Sup't. Lexington Gas Company.