The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1884-12-12
THE BIG GAS BILLS
OF WHICH PEOPLE COMPLAIN.
Tho Explanation Given at the Gas Once.
Gloomy Weather and Its Effect on Gas
Bnls-Itesnlt Of the New Mnin-Dis.
position of Consumers 10 Kick.

During the past five or six days there
has been much. complaint from MI parts Of
the city, and especially from tho business
men in tho central portion, over tho large
yas bills they hive been called upon to
pay for the month Of November. Gas is
one Of those things that people usually
kick about anyhow, but 1t has been u long
time since there vas such n howl raised as
there has been during the past week. Tho
bills ina large number Of cascs, when
compared with those OF the satnc month
last year, show an in increase Of from 10
to % or % percent. These consumers
avow thatthcy did not burn more gas in
November Of this, year than they did in
November OF 1883, and some have openly
charged that there wassolnething crooked
somewhere. Yesterday M lSrELLiGESCEi
| reporter called ut the gas Office TO ascer.
tain the cause OF the increase. Secretary
l~lazlctt was found Mt his desk and to him
WIS propounded the query:
"Do you know that there Is q very lie.
cided complaint from NIL quarters oil youl
last gas billsP"
HE KNEW IT.
~ do, for a fact" answered Mr.. lIaz
lett. 'Since | have been in this Office
there never has been such u row raised n.
in the past week. Why, We have bee,
called thieves right in this office durin!
the past four days, and one man said w
must be knocking the record OF Maxwell
and King. Any number have gone GU
Of the office shaking their heads and nut
tcring about '%rottcnness,' even after VI
had explained 10 them rs well rs We coul,
our system of keeping accounts and sfowf
how hard it would be to do anythin,
crooked. Our books are gone over rc.u
larly by the Board OF Trustecs-Dr. Lo
gan, Mr.. Thomas Lewis and Mr.. Robcr
Simpson, and any mi is welcome to com,
in at any time and look them over III
have them explained,
"I'm glad you've dropped in, for II
show them 10 you and make n
explanation through you to the public
Now this book is what wecall our carbon
izing account. You notice that il show
Just how much coal is carbonized OH ever,
turn during every day OF the month; ais
the amount Of gas made rs taken from tn
station meter. Here's the account 70
November OF this year; there was mad
1926 800 feet. Turn back and We hay,
November Of 1883, when l0,4S6, 800 fee
was made. M increase this last Novcmbc
OF ovcr 100000 feet. That increas
would not have been made had it no
been burned; there was Il demand for it.
SLOW are your collections this year CON
pared with those for November, 1882"
They will be about $500 more, MI,
that amount if you figure it up You vii
find corresponds with the increase Of "a
made and used, for it was used, over &c
ycmber, 1883. Now this biz book is on
register Of gas consumers"
TIE INDIVIDUAL ACCOUNTS.
And here Mr.. Hazlett showed no,
each consumers account was kept. eth
city" said be, continuing, sis divided int
three districts, and here is our last recap
.ulation. You will notice that the tota
footinss correspond with the footings i
the %carbonizing account, after makingt tn
usual reduction Tor the street lamps an'
the little leakage that takes place. w
use n check burner on the street lamp
that burns only SO much oil hour, and il
that way we are able to tell just abou
how much is consumed in lighting tn
streets. So many lamps. burn 10 man,
hours, so many feet, you Know"
''But the increase in the bills
"I'm coming to that. You rcmembc
that this fall, (the work was completed il
the early part OF September, l think) W
laid a 1G-inch main from the works u
Jacob to Fourteenth, down Fourteenth t
EoE, up Eolf to Twelfth anddownT welitl
to Market. That main supplantcd ., 8,
and G-inch mains. Naturally there was
much frecr flow OF gas; then there wa
not SO many distractions for it to encoun
ter, and not only wns this ielt by thos'
living along the line OF the new main, bu
also by those who were supplied by pipe
leading from it. In factitwas felt all owe
this part OF the city north Of the creek
The gas being better able to reach tn,
burners, there was 4 natural increase o
consumption. Before the main was pu
in there was a big kick, especially by mer
chants who begged us for a better supply
Now they have got it they kick wors,
than before. Our pressure last montl
was the same MS in November OF 80, ant
rs it has been for over a year past-27-lO
Tonight We are going TO reduce that pres
sure and you call around tomorrow ant
see what q complaint there will be abou
that"
M TDfrt. ~ rur ,frrynp "