Morning journal and courier., 1880-03-03

the New York Company is 2,6OO, 900 cubic feet per day. The capacity of the first works constructed was about 30, 900 cubic feet per day. Afterward the works were constructed for capacity of 500, GOO feet, and they were l opened February 2d, 1877. Since that time | the capacity has been increased to 3,500, ,000 | feet per day. The demand and consumption | of this gas is still increasing, and we propose | to increase the capacity so as to distribute l 5000, 900 feet of gas next winter. The con- sumption of gas in New York is from 12, O00,- | 900 to 14, 900, 900 cubic feet per day. I do l not call to mind any other plan than New | York that can put in competition with coal gas. There is no similarity between naphtha | gas and that made on our plan. Naphtha gas is not a successful competitor of coal gas in my opinion.
 Cross-examined by Governor Ingersoll {:
 Witness said he had no doubt but that the
 Gale & Rand process of making gas was vir- tually dead. I think they set up the plea that
 they could make cheaper and better gas than
 coal gas. They went to Providence, and un-
 der the name of the Mutual Company bought
 up an old charter and started their works, but
 finally sold out to the old company. The il-
 luminat1ng power in both coal and water gas
 is carbon. Pure carbonate oxide IS enc of
 the most fatal gases. Water gas in the arts is
 as old as coal gas for Illuminating purposes. l think the water gas was made in Paris in
 1852, but don't know that it was ever inter dicted by the French Government. At the I
 not oarbonated at all. The light was made by heating platinum wire. At the time this gas was used it gave smell, and if leak oc- cured it could not be discovered The Paris government borrowed 8 large sum of money from the old company on condition that the new gas company should be inter dicted. have known of different processes for
 making water gas, as follows: The Hardness, Low, Gwinne- Harris and our present pro- cess used in New York. He said most of the processes in use had been. abandoned. The owners of all these various patents claim to have the best method for making water gas. The Tessie De Motay plan, which is ours, diff fers from the others because it is held com pletely under the control of the engineer dur ing it's entire process of manufacture. The only difference in any of these different gases is in the mechanical method of carrying out l and controlling the gas. hewhole life of our company has been engaged in fighting the old companies in regard to prices. I think the gas was as good in 1875 as it is now. Of course, like all other companies, we have had our ups and downs. He said the only two companies in the United States using this gas
 at the present time the Municipal Gas Company of New York and the Citizens Com pany of Troy. He did not know what the price for gas by the Troy Company was. It may be $2. 50 or $3 per thousand. Governor Ingersoll-You know MT. Bene
 dict, who is a stockholder in your company, do you not
 Mir. Bradley-Yes sir.
 Governor Ingersoll-Mr. Benedict stated here that $2. 50 was living price for gas and $1 was the fighting price. Do you agree with him?
 Mir. BradIey-I think $2 50 better than $1. Governor Ingarson-Do you not know that there is a movement on foot for all the gas companies in New York to consolidate on prices
 MT. Bradley-I think there is on basis of $2 per thousand feet.
 MT. Bradley said that he was positive that the water gas could be made at one dollar per thousand. He could not, however, give the details of cost, as he would not be allowed to do so by the company he represented. I de cline to say what it costs to put our water gas in the s'holder."
 Governor Ingersoll read from 6 printed statement of Professor Morton showing that the cost of placing the water gas in the ''hold err by the Municipal Company was sixty cents per thousand He asked MT. Bradley if he
 had any reason for saying that this report was not correct.
 MT. Bradley replied that he had because he knew that the figures were not correct. He said that statement was made in 1878. He continued in reply to Governor IngersolI by saying that the cost of naphtha in water gas was about fifty per cent of the whole. The market price of naphtha is at present about 5 cents per gallon. If the price should be raised or cents gallon 1t would materially increase the cost of the gas. think that twenty candle power for coal gas would give better satisfaction than thirty. beca use if the candle power is too high it will smoke. am
 aware that our gas has been complained of for smoking since it has been thirty candle power. The trouble has been that the burn CTS are not good, which causes the gas to smoke. don't think we get any more than
 our share of grunbling about our gas. It is
 natural for people who use gas to grumble. Henry H. Rogers, of New York was called He said he was connected with Charles Pratt $ Co.,, petroleum distillers. Had no connect ion whatever with the Municipal Gas Compa- ny. He said petroleum had increased from 5000 barrels in 1859 to 2,O00, 900 barrels in 1879. The price of petroleum has gradually decreased as the product has increased. Naph- tha is produced from crude petroleum, and a fair proportion of naphtha is about 12 per cent.
 Charles Wiley was next called. He said he was engineer for the Union League Club. I have charge of the gas. We have one hou- l sand burners, and use the Municipal gas. Be-
 foro that we used the Mutual The reason we changed was because our pipss be came clogged. We could never get sufficient gas. Since we changed we have better light. We have made an increase of 123 burners. We had the Manhattan gas before we had the
 Mutual, and could not get along with it.
 Montague Andrews was called and said he was cashier of the Union League Club They
 consumed about 137, ,OOO cubic feet of gas per
 month. He then gave the cost, in different years, of gas used from the various com
 panies Like the witnesses who had preceded
 him. he thought the gas of the Municipal Company was the best and cheapest W. P. Scott, of Brooklyn, N. Y., was called
 He said he was engineer at Lord l& Taylors
 on Broadway, New York. He said they used
 Municipal gas, which was put in May, 1S7S
 They formerly used the Manhattan gas They
 used it from 1871 to 1878. They changed to rraf0 a1,1 FV1r was no complaint about the Manhattan gas
 before the change. The rate has been $2 40
 per thousand while the Manhattan was $2. 50. We have had no more complaints about the
 Municipal than the Manhattan. Charles Murray was called. He said he was
 gas filter at the Union Square Theatre and
 Madison Square Garden. They used the Mu-
 nicipal gas. Before this they used the Mutu- al. They changed because they found it cheaper and more cleanly. Municipal gas is
 used at the theatre. Mutual was used before
 this. There was no complaint about Manhat-
 tan gas except the expense. We would have
 changed back to Manhattan if the Municipal gas had not ''come along"
 Charles c. Blatchley, of New Haven, was called. He stated that he rented about one
 dozen houses and had about twenty tenants. Said he burned part gas and part kerosene in his own house on account of the expense of
 gas. He paid $2- 50 per thousand. Prior to
 this he paid $2 75, and believed that it had
 been $3 and over. He thought gas compa ny that would furnish gas for $1. 50 per thou
 sand would be great public benefit. He
 said that he counted forty stores on Grand
 street where they used kerosene. Of his ten
 ants who have facilities for using gas, about half of them use it in connection with kero- sene. He said that he had recently built two
 houses on East Chapel street, and the parties
 who had them built would not have gas pipes
 put in on account of the expense of gas. He
 said the houses cost about $1 400 apiece
 Governor Ingersoll-If a company would
 let you have gas for fifty cents 8 thousand it
 would be greater blessing, would it not 7?
 Witness-Yes.
 Governor Ingersoll-And if they furnished
 the gas for nothing they would be great bene-
 factors.
 Witness-Yes, sir.
 Governor Ingersoll-Do you not know that
 gas in New Haven is lower than the average
 of New England cities?
 Mir. Blatchley-I don't know.
 l.. P. Hinman, of New Haven, was called,
 5 . ko1 Io