The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1886-10-02

tuht 1891 uyb5ll lOLhIy luC0upbttHE lul
the task, and, II | would obey the dictates
OF my present unnatural feelings, | would
throw myself on the indulgence Of this
audience, and respectfully ask that l
might be excused.
So much has been said, and the ground
30 completely covered by your enterpris
ing papers, that there Ia but little left ioI
anyone to say that would be new, or more
interesting than what has been published
but as was instrumental In bringing the
gas to your city, | suppose you have q
right to demand Of me something in refer
encs TO natural gas and its uses, s,partiCular'
ly in households.
And why not talk2 Why should any
Of US be silent, especially you, citizens ot
Wheeling, when wo remember the hene.
fits aud pleasure this community Ia to rs.
ceive from the use Of this gas, and the i'm
portanCe 1t will give to this growing young
State as a manufacturing CenterP l am
not a native Of West Virginia. having
been born on the other side Of tho river,
in SteubenVllle, nov also favored with
gas, but l am the aon OF Virginia mother,
who was never more happy than whea
talking OF her native State Virginia. ain
sure that inherited the feelings Of my
mother in tina. respect, for | have alwaa
telta great interest in West Virginia,
where she was born. [Applause,
MEMORABLE OCCASION.
l congratulate the people OF Wheeling
and the adjacent towns on this memora
BILE occasion. | cay memorable, because
in the future growth Of tho city, the day
upon which its people entered upon the
advantages resulting from the use 0
natural gas ss fuel, will he ono to be re
membered. Not only those who are su
thority in this country on manufacturing
but men eminent in tho industries OIL
other nation5, have stated as their convlc.
tion, that those manufacturing commune
ties which do not use the gas as a tne
cannot compete with those who do, and
that those which are on or near the gas
belts must lead in.theraCe for maputSU.
turing.
Well, then, may congratulate the peo
pie OF this community, on the celebration
OF this day, which puts the seal on the
title papers OF this city, rs to its future Ii
all manufacturing. There Is so much tina
could be said in detail in reference to tht
introduction OF natural gas into your city
and the benefits to be derived from its use
that 1t would take mora timp to do the
subject justice, than Is allowed US this
evening. You are most fortunate, In be-
ing go situated, on or near the gas belt
that you can resp the benefits Of this, the
greatest Of all fuels.
For nearly eleven years have been
handling natural gas, and know tho bsne
tits and the pleasures that are in store fol
you In tho use Of this, the best, the cheap
est, the Cleanest, and safest, Of all fuel
that have ever been utilized for domestic
or manufacturing purposes.
A CHAPTER OF EXPERIENCE.
Without intending any egotism, l viii
here relate an incident in this connection,
as proof Of the old adags that ''experlenct
is the best MASTER"
In June, 1875, company was formed
called the Natural Gas, as,Oompany-Limit
ed" for the purpose Of laying pipe line
to convey gas from Butler county, Pa.
to the mills Of spaug, Ohsliaut & Co., aud
Graf, Benpet & Co.,, on the north eide o
the river, opposite Pittsburgh. The com
pany consisted Of ]. j. Vandsrgiit, W. X
Vanderglit, the members Of the frml
above mentioned, Henry Harley and O
W. Bachelor. Tho line was finished ant
gas turned into the mills in November
1875, and vac tbs frat time that natural
gas was ever used Tor manufacturing iron
In this country, or, 80 far as known, ID
tho world. When the company had do
termiucd 10 lay this line, the gas engin
eers who were consulted gtsted rs theil
opinion that the gas would never come
through the line, as the country through
which II had to come was very billy terri.
tory some hilisas-high ag tYe HUNDRED
feet but a little experience had been oh.
tanned In piping gas, that upset the theory
OF the gps engineers, and told us that the
gas would come through, and with It's own
velocity. In 1882, ]. ]. Vandergrift, John
Pitcairn, IL. iwhg ere. both owners IN the
present line 10 Wheeling), aud some 9th
ers, concluded TO lay tWoinCh pipe line
10 convey oil from Gus City to Oil City
Pa. Before turning on the oil
to be pumped through the
pipe, they determined TO test
the line by tuning ~ q pressure o.
gas the gas went through tbs line, a dis
IAn6s oi twelve miles, In twenty:tour min.
utes. The experiment was what induced
the laying OF theline from Butler county Il
Pittsburgh, which was stx.inCh wrought
iron pipe the gas came through that line
o diSt4hgs Of geyelteel mileR, IN Gi1etegI
minutes. The line 10 Ia my charge still,
and 10 doing itS work, and for eleven year,
tho mill has not stopped for want Of ga
. veOk all told. We had oOCas!on 10 take
Up part Of that line last fall, and found
the pipe az good as tho day Il was plt
down, and, ID point Of fact, better, al q
c.;c,slinV Of lime and salt, the thickness oil
a thirty.soConi o. 80 inch, on the inside
bad put q smooth fus surface oil the pipe
yhi6h gave legs resistance, and less ttiC'
tlon TO the aow Of Ras,
NOT A NEW THING.
The more we examine into these new
discoveries, tho more We are impressed
with tho truthtulneSS Of tho saying that
'IThsre ID nothing new undar the sun"
Humboldt, III his atIh CoBnoS,in speaking
Of gas, tells us, nThs art Of man has there
lChlna), from the most auClont periods
known how 10 make Use Of this treasure
even led 10 the ingenious discovery Of thI
Chinese rope'boting, BsvSfAl thousand
feet deep, and the gA5 was transferred BY
bamboo tubes, for Use In Balt boiling
heating houses, and lighting gttosLs, ON
we'll that was extlngushed by an earth
quake, In tue 18th century, had been
used ioF | 100 ysArl" Therefore, lnsteat
Of the use Of natural gas, 30 far as the use
above referred 10 are concerned, bslnI
new, II was used 1000 yUAra ago.
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