The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-05-19
PORTLAND GAS LIGHT COMPANY
Annual Meeting and Reports.

The annual meeting of the Portland Gas
Light Company was held yesterday afternoon
at 3 O'Clock. The president, Edward II.
Daveis, made the following report:
The consumption of gas for the year ending
on the Both ultimo was 41,9S0.000 feet, fall
ing off of 10000 feet from last year. The
quantity of coal carbonized was 3,9l5.S tons;
II, 1873 gallons of oil were used, weighing 1913
tons; making in all 3945.7 tons. From this A, :
$4,000 feet of gas were, being sos feet per
pound of coal. The loss from leakage, etc. :,
was about &C per cent The number of
consumers on April 30th was 1858, falling
off of seven. The number of street lanterns
was 452, an increase of three. Six hundred
and thirty-two feet of main pipe were laid
during the year. There were sod 1854
bushels of coke, an increase of 1851 bushel S
over 1879, when the consumption Of gas was
million and half larger. This result is owing
to the use of tar in our furnaces.
The retorts in our easterly stack Of benches
gave out last year. They were put in 1877.
They have been removed and the benches put
in order during the past year, and fifty new
retorts have been ordered which will be put in
the coming summer, but will not be used until
the fall of 1882 The settings last much longer
for standing year before being put in use.
The following agreement has been made
with the city, and signed by both parties:
sit is agreed that the Gas Company will
furnish gas TO the city for the street lamps for
one year ending June l, 1882, at one dollar
and eighty-five cents per thousand feet This
price is made at the urgent request of the city
gas agent in view of the pressing need for
diminishing the City expenses this year, and is
not to be considered as affording measure of
value, or as affecting in any way tho price in
future years. For other gas furnished to the
city they are to pay the same price as other
consumers
This is very low price for the street lamps,
and will not be remunerative to this company
unless the efforts making to economic in the
city expenditures shall be met in like spirit
in other departments, in which case we shall
share in the benefit with other heavy tax pay
ers. Tho largest expenditure to be made this
year will be for the renewal of our purifiers.
They have been in use over twenty years, and
although, with some repairs, they would prob
ably last another season, it was Thought expe-
dent by your board of directors to build new
ones. A contract has accordingly been made
with Davis & Farnham, of Waltham, Mass,
to furnish and put in a new set at COST in
Guiding repairs on the house, of about $4,000.
1t is expected that the work will be completed
in July, when our make of gas is small. Part
of the walls of the purifier house have been
out of plumb and cracked for many years, ow-
ing to imperfect foundation, and it is thought
safest to take down the front wall and rebuild
it. 1t is especially desirable to have this part
OF our works put in order this year, as it is
PlcUdpiO year u ucW SdoilOiOcT
will have to be built, and either work requires
the whole attention of our engineer. The
holder built in 1858 had bad foundation, and
was so much injured by the setting that it was
thought in 1868 that it would have to be given
up, but by ingenious appliances and careful
nursing Mr.. Yorke has kept the upper section
in use to the present time. The falling off in
the consumption of gas has had this advan-
tage for US, that we have been able to get
along with holder and half. thus postpon-
ing so long the great expenditure required for
the construction of new one.
The report of the Treasurer, Hon. James T.
McCobb, showed that the total receipts for the
year were 1925, 14707. The expenditures, in
GLIDING the two semi-anuual dividends. were
S125, 1855.
The old beard of directors was elected as
follows:
Edward II. Daveis, Thomas Cummings,
Ezra Carter, g. b. Merrill, W. W. Thomas,
Jr., Samuel Rolfe.
At a subsequent meeting of the directors the
following officers were elected
President-Edward FL. Daveis.
Treasurer. I. McCobb.