The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1881-03-10
TaE GAS CONTROVERSY
Between the Late and Present HupeFiu'
Iandent OfIhe W0FkB-Reply 10 the For

-ANNshA AAts+A1NAsNAf
l have q few remarks TO make in repl,
to Mr.. Brownies article and then | an
through with him. 1t is perfectly immG
teriAl whether he met any striking work
men, as I was informed, at the Atlanta
Engine House or not. | can prove tina
he was seen with them at more place
than one. To bis demand for my au
thority wish to say that am fully pre-
pared with the evidence whenever 1t Il
necessary to produce 1t, but decline Il
draw the malice OF Mr.. B. and the party o
which he IL the mouth.pieCe, on the head
OF persons who have given me notice O
Mr.. BIS actions through friendship fol
myself. But he and the public may real
assured that have the proofs Of his meet
iugs-no matter how much he tries Il
play bluff with me. He denies in his las
article that he has been tamperinl
with my men, and ConVicts himself
by quoting telephone message sent me
from the gas office. AS messages by tele
phone are stric ly private, how in the name
Of all that's truthful can Mr.. B. deny lamp
ering with my hands and then quote
telephone message sent me 10 prove that
he never gossiped with them. He also
says some other employees, according to
their own statements, were warned by
Mr.. Dillon to keep silent about 1t. To
whom were these statements made, MI
B.? II not to you, how could you publish
them? And II to you why deny your
habit OF gossiping with my hands? The
names OF the men he publishes as non
Catholic who have been employed at the
works are those oil men who were almost
oil hired by him In the last year of his office
and after the public had been shown that
his style Of running the works was too
much one sided To DO long tolerated. To
prove that he never was influenced by his
religious prejrdiCes, why did he not tell
about the 0rangeman he discharged for
going to an Orange procession. II he has
forgotten II, the 0rangemen In this city
still remember II, and can refresh his mem
DRY. My quotations about his yield OF gas
were taken from the book kept by himself,
and, II not correct, he has himself to
blame. In reference to his sneer as to the
reliability Of photometers, will dispose Of
that by answering him that the one In use
here was made by the best manufacturers,
has been rigldly tested and found to be
precisely correct. The slightest change In
the quality Of the gas made Is announced
by It with perfect fidelity. There Is the
best authority for saying that to mlsapply
the truth is aiten worse than telling the
most Infamous lie. This fact Mr.. Browne
has accomplished In o signal manner
when he tries to deprive Of its force my
statement that his gross folly and igno'
rance had caused In short time the ruin
OF the ovens OF two stacks oil retorts, which
ovens should have lasted OF least twenty
years. To break the force otmy fully cor.
rect assertion and 10 start on false scent
those OF bis readers who are not familiar
with the gas works, he, knowing, as even
the most ignorant gas men does, that the
term ''oyens" only covers the permanent
parts OF the stock and doesnot refer 10 the
furnaces, which are renewed many times
in the lie ola stack, deCeitfully proceeds to
quote some text book to the effect that the
furnace will show enlargement within two
years. Having thus meanly built hls
foundation Of falsehood, he proceeds upon
IL 10 construct his sneers, recommending
me TO teach the gas engineers oil England,
&c. Was ever mendRcity carried further
than this man carries IN Mr.. BIS objeC.
ton to two superintendents seems little
thin when the Council records show that
the same luxury was INDUCED In during
the building Of q tank and holder in his
term Of Office.
The following resolution will show also
the estimate Council in 1872 placed on her
b. ability as o superintendent, qualified
10 advise about improvements
Resolved, That the special committee on
gas be authorized to employ 0 competent
gas engineer from some neighboring city
TO examine the gas works Of this city and
report what alterations and additions are
necessary TO provide the consumers . full
supply OF the best quality Of gas, and also
what additions will be necessary 10 furnish
gas to the ciLisens OF the Seventh and
Eighth wards, and the probable cost oil
the same.
It seems the Council did not place I'M.
bounded confidence 10 his assertions,
BACKED up" by quotations from
the Covington gas works and gas works
In England. Too much Europe or Ireland
seems to have been the bahe Of Mr.. BE-
official lie, and the Council At last
kicked on II. Mr.. Be- wonder.
full way OF denying facts which re.
sponslble witnesses can be produced to
prove, Ia shown second time In his last
article, when he denies having warned
the former Trustees that IN effort to run
the works economically weuld be TN.
popular. Both the Trustees have
a distinct recollection Of the conversation
and their word is OF as much force In
proving The truth 40 Mr.. B's. To relieve
Mr.. BIS mind about how many reports
have bean presented by the present Gas
Trustees, that Council has In iis possess.
ion a full statement Of every Item up ID
The frat Of the present quarter and Il MI
B. has not In bis possession q copy Of 1t, II
must be that Tor once he has missed some
thing In bis nosing for news, or else that
lis pimp In Council has failed TO furnish
his usual supply, The statement made by
MI. B, 10 A, J. Sweeney which he Olaimt
reference 10 would cause reduction In
the price OF gas, was on bis own author
ity, used as The main Argument 10 keeE
up the price Of gas. Council feared q re-
duction below the present rates would
make The works q charge on the city. I'm
Ill the miserable email mains and . great
deal Of "Cheap John" .wofk In the streetI
OF The city, which have been put down Ii
times past, is replaced by better and more
substantial work and gas mains ere
laid through oil the streets. the price
OF gas cannot well DO rduced, Unless The
city pay for the gas she uses, The billl
for Mr., Hess were made, as red uCed BY
Council, In the regulation adopted on No
vember 81, 1879. The price paid for brick
quoted BY Mr.. B., was S9 90, and was PAID
because the brick were better than thost
ofIe cd al 81 90, exactly as MI. B. used Il
buy his pipe and fittings at 0 higher priCt
than they were offered 10 him by Bevera
firms, because, as he said, they were bet
Ter, In no part Of Mr.. Brownies Article
does his malice and meannees show itsel
more plainly than In quoting my endorse
nent on q BILL presented 10 the Trustees
shortly after theit appointment. The de
iects In the grammar and spelling or
owing 10 my not having been we'll edn
oaInI AZ Tho CnVihptnf gaB Works. and A