The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1878-01-11
TEE CUsToM.HoUsE GAS.
Meeting Of the board of Aldermen
Yesterday.
THE RESOLUTIONS OF THE COMMON coUN-
GIL DISCUSSED AND ADoPTED-MR. REL
LY TO GO no WASHINGTON TO SETTLE
THE slATTER-oTHER BUSINESS, &C, &C.

A called meeting OF the Board OF Alder
men was held yesterday afternoon in tn
| Council chamber.
The body was called to order by Mr.. 81
G.. Cannon, Of Monroe Ward, and on hi
motion, in the absence OF President Mere
| dith, Mr.. L. L. Bass was called to the chair
Present at roll-call: Messrs. Bass, BealI
Cannon, Gasser, Gray, Lipscomb, Pitt
Spangenburg, Wagner, and Williams.
The clerk read to the body communica
tion from the president to the sergeant-at
arms requesting special meeting OF th,
Board to consider the resolutions OF th
Common Council relative to the custom
house gas-works, now in process Of cree
ton.
TIE RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED BY THE CoMMO,
COUNCIL.
The resolutions adopted by the Common
Council relative to the custom-house gas
works were read as follows:
Whereas the Council is informed by tht
petition Of numerous property-owners anl
residents of the city that certain person:
claiming to be acting under the orders o
the United States Treasury Department art
proceeding to erect on the lot on which the
United States custom-house building stands
in the heart of the city, certain gas works
which are said to be dangerous from liability
to explosion, and to materially damage pro.
perty in the locality where they are about tt
be erected; and whereas we are informed
that said works were ordered to be erected
because the said Treasury Department wa;
informed that the authorities Of this city had
refused to grant to said custom-house build
ing the proper facilities for using the city
gas for lighting said building, which this
Council is advised and now declares is not
the fact, but that, on the contrary, it is now
ready and willing, as it has along been, tc
grant to said building every facility that
it could for using the. city gas therein
that the gas was turned off without the
knowledge or consent OF the Council, OIL
any opportunity given it to grant further
facilities for using it il those enjoyed were
insufficient; and whereas it seems to the
Council that IL the facts were properly re.
presented to the Secretary OF the Treasury
that he would at once direct the erection oil
said gas-works to be suspended until the
whole matter would be adjusted and ar
ranged to the satisfaction OF all parties, anc
to the great relief of the people in the vi
cinity OF said building; and whereas the
erection of said gas-works is in no way
necessary for the proper use OF said build.
ing, and contrary to the purposes for which
the lot on which it stands was ceded to the
Government OF the United States by ths
Legislature of this State !; therefore be it
ResoIUed by the Council of the city o.
Richmond 1.-THE Board of Aldermen concur.
ring), 1st. That in the opinion of this
Council the erection Of said gas-works Al
the place aforesaid will be public nui
sance, which will endanger the lives anC
the property Of the citizens OF this city
and that the same should be abated.
I'd. That the city attorney be, and be il
hereby, instructed to proceed at once tx
Washington and represent to the honorable
Secretary OF the Treasury the true status o
this matter and the wishes and action oI
this Council in the. premises. and ask tha
he give such directions; as will cause salt
nuisance to be at once abated.
Sd, That in the event that the said attor
ncy fails to obtain from the Secretary OF tn!
Treasury the relief desired, that he Is ther
directed 10 at once institute such proceed
ings as will cause the said nuisance to bt
alated. A. ~. 49,
4th. That it is the intention and desire O.
this Council to give to the Government o
the United States every facility that it car
for the proper use of the gas and water O.
this city, in said custom-house building
consistent with the regulations Of the Trea
sury Department and the Interests of tn,
public; and shat the ordinances OF the city
Shall be so amended US to effect this end, ~
soon as the regulations Of the said depart
ment are known to the Council.
THE CASE AS IT STANDS.
Mr..Cannon said he had been requested
to make statement in regard to this mat
ter, about which personally he knew
nothing Mr.. Cannon then read commU
nication from the collector Of customs t.
the Committee on Light, made in Angus
last, asking that the gas bills be erendered t
the Department quarterly. He also read al
extract from the records Of the Committe
on Light in September last, rejecting the pc
tition of DR.. Mills, asking arefund Of penalt
charged against the custom-house for fail
ing to pay the bills within the time pre-
scribed by the city ordinance. at thi
meeting MFR. Christian, then member o
the committee, moved that application b
made to the Council to amend the gas ordi
nance so as to- provide for the payment o
gas bills OF public buildings quarterl
instead OF monthly. But this propo
sition was never brought to tn
Council by the committee. He ais
read another communication from DIR. Mill
stating that it would be satisfactory to th
Government to pay the bills monthly. Th
committee no doubt thought that the matte
was ended, and so the Council has neye
been fully advised Of the case. In his jude
ment the whole trouble probably grew on
of the fact that the matter was neve
brought properly to the attention OF th
Council. He thought, too, that there migh
have been misunderstanding concernin
the whole subject.
Mr.. Williams said that the Committee O
| Light had left no effort unLried to accom-
modate the General Government in the MAJ
ter OF furnishing gas to the custom-house
He defended the committee.
| Dir. Williams moved that the city attol
ney he invited to address the Board an
state what came to his knowlege concern
ing the matter while recently i'll Washing
| ton.
Mr.. Pickrell said that the facts wer
known to the Board; that he had long as
presented petition Of DR.. Mills asking
be refunded the penalty charged againS
him for falling to pay the bills, and that th
committee, DR.. Mills said, had rejected il
Mr.. Scott said that the gentleman iror
| Clay Ward, Mr.. Pickrell, was present W he
the petition was rejected.
Mr. Wagner said that he thought tnl
meeting had been called to consider tll
| Council resolutions. He didn't know ths
the committee was to be arraigred.
they had known 1t they would have bee
here to defend themselves. ~ ~
/ A member called for the reading OF th
record Of the Board on the subject.
The journal was read, and it was foun
that the committee had reported resoll
tion rejecting DR.. Mills's petition, and II
Board had adopted it.
Mr.. Kelley was invited to address Il
Board. :,
Mr.. Kelley said he had seen the supervi
mo architant in WashinotOn and the Thir