The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1881-02-17

I
Gas works, rs 10 the Administration o.
the City's Interests In that Concern.
EaiiOn IntelliGsneer.
have again to ask for some space II
the ISTELLIoEScRR tor few brisi replies
TO the statements Of Mr.. ]. NJ. Dillon, pub
lished in 1t on the 9th inst. First, Mr.. Dill
lon repeats his former assertion "tha
night alter night l met his disaaeCteC
workmen at the Atlantic Engine H 'use.
BE says "hs has 1t on the best authority
l now demand Of Mr., Dillon, II he value
his reputation for truth, to name his inior
mant or any officer or employee OF the At
lantiC Engine House, who has ever seer
me there in conference with these men
That statement Ia false and malicious, a
many others are that have been made L
my injury,
He next states: "Ths highest number
OF Professionals ever hired at the works
was four, and ordinarily there were never
over two" Well, from memory recall
the names OF some non. Catholics that will
be found on the "Time Book, and within
no very heightened period OF time. They
are Jacob Young, Michael Breitenger
Henry Nuss, Benjamin HoGner, ]: SNYDER,
John Ferguson, John Clarke, Ed. Reid
w. N. GTeaves, John Reid, Stephen Will
cox, VIM, Cooke-all employed at the
works-Rnd perhaps more whom don't
reCcolleCt, Northumberland mplighters,
Following this matter Of "Creed," which
seems to exercise Mr.. Dillon's mind, Ia
his comparative returns OF the yield oil
gas from coal, showing results favorable
to himself, OF course, In this case, at all
events, "His crows chick Is the blackest."
But say that my carboniEing account will
show as high az Ave cubic feet, at times,
from good Pittsburgh gas Coal-illuminat
ing gas at that, But this figure escaped Mr..
DillOn's random" quotation.
But Wheh did Mr.. Dillon obtain the
5 5.l00 cubic feet Of gas per pound? Was
It not when the Secretary telephoned from
the Gas Office TO the works, saying: "the
light was so bad they could not see each
other there, and asking what was the
causeW But he was not told the cause
Some Of the employees, according to their
own statement, were warned by Mr.. Dill
lon to keep silent about 1t, The cause was,
large per centage OF atmospheric air got
mixed with the gas, owing 10 the improper
setting oil the hydraulic main In the
smaller or western retort house. That
mixture Of air and gas vas sent to the gas
holders by the action OF the exhausting
apparatus. l shall not occupy space by
explaining how II happened, but the de.
teriorating effect oil air on gas is well
known, 10 per cent OF air causing loss Of
81 per cent Of light; 40 per cent oil air
loss OF 100 per cent OF light, leaving no
LIGHT for people To "see each other"
Mr.. Dillon boasts Of bis Photo. .leter-it
ia q modification OF "Lowe's Jet Photo.
meter" Respecting 1t English gas en-.
gineers state in work, the latest and most
comprehensive on the manufacture OF
coal gas, that the indications OF the Jet
Photometer are found In practice to be
far from strictly accurate, although accurate
enough for the purpose for which the in.
strument Is generally used, viz: to indicate
any sudden and radical change In the
quality OF the gas as manufactured con.
tinuously at the works.
Mr.. Dillon must purchase different In.
strument before he can tell accurately the
value Of his gas, The people Of Wheel.
ing can tell something about its illumi.
mating value.
Mr.. Dillon next states that the citizens
don't get the full benefit Of the good gas
he makes owing 10 the improper work per.
formed by my employees In the setting Of
metres and laying service pipes. But will
Mr.. Dillon inform rs why this defective
work, al he represents 1t, did not cause
the poor gas light beiore his time.
He finds fault with the setting up Of the
lamp posts, and says he has been putting
In larger pipe-three and one.half inch
size-and taking out the one.hali inch up.
right pipe. Well, that Is very convenient
for bis employees II he has no other work
for them. Now, according to the scale
laid down by Gas Engineers as to the DIFF
ierent sizes Of tubing for building, etc,
thirty feet OF one.hAIt inch pipe 10 sutti.
Gent 10 supply six burners, and that after
the gas has passed through meter, by
which one or two tenths OF an inch press.
ure is lost. Why then In the name Of COM
mon sense is not ten or eleven feet OF one
half inch pipe and starting from three.
quarter inch pipe In the ground, sufficient
Tor one burner on the top OF o. lamp.post,
and without any meter to reduce press
ute? / have never used three.eighth inch
pipe for lamp.posts.
Perhaps Mr.. Dillon's livery best author
ity" would discover that l have held pri.
vate meetings with those "disaGeCted"
postS and meters OF the Atlantic Engine
House.
Respecting the non.use Of the bench Of
FIVE retortA In the winter Of 1879, Mr.. oil.
lon attributes II 10 the "failure OF Mr.
Brownies contractors, ETC." made no con.
tract, that contract was made by the Gas
Trustees, not by me.
Regarding what Mr.. Dillon chooses to
call "Mr. Brownies opposition" to build.
In q gas holder: The correct version OF
the matter IL, that stated II as my opinion
that gas holder would not alone suffice,
and that some new benches Of retorts
were indispensable to meet the increased
demand for gas that winter. II was not
my plan 10 offer any Opposition" The
City Council, considering, presume, that
the two undertakings might be more than
could properly be attended 10 that fall,
ordered the new benches, postponing the
building Of the gas holder till the follow
ing year, when my undivided attention
could be given To II. They did not con.
template the double expense Of paying
two Superintendent, nor could they have
foreseen any advance In the price OF iron.
But was II not Of paramount Importance
TO make sure OF supply Of gas that winter