Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1889-10-25
FIXED AT $4,000.
.rHE BOARD 0T ClYUlsSl0NsRs PJTs IHAl
VALUATION
o. be- Pant 10 1s Wheeling NsurA 6ai Con-
rs-y-Saus Interesting Notes AID hglrs
iii1,s3, LAST Night

I rlrr-clUa l-trtialf WOES a-- = t-e
iiiss.t, LAST Nglt
TIE Board Of County Commissioners met
las, evening, at the Court House, aud con-
tinued the inquiry on the questions raised
I D., the Wheeling Natural Gas Company, as
70 the assessments made upon that corpora
tion Ter county purposes for 1887 and ISIS.
A number Of witness asses lad heen summoned
on behalf Of the county, to testify as to the
value, cost CT laying, life, pressure, etc,
Of pipes laid under ground.
Superintendent j. W. Cummius, of the
Civ Water Works, was the first witness
called. He stated among other things
that while he could not accurately esti-
mate the life Of wrought iron pipe, he did
not think such pipe would be safe more
than eight years He had taken cast iron
pipe from the streets OF Wheeling, which
had been uudsr ground for half century,
and IL was still in far condition, and had
taken % other pipe which hsd be n down
twenty five years, which was IL fair con-
dition. The pressure on city water pipe,
in the central part OF the city, was fifty
five pounds per square inch on week
DAVIS, snd tea pounds more Gu Suudsys.
Howard P. Wilkinson said he thought
ten iuch wrought iron pipe, laid three
feet deep in fair soil, ought 10 be taken mp
for twelve or thirteen cents per running
foot. The locking joint pipe would cost
more q take up; his figures referred to
screw Joints. He could not approximate
toe life Of a cast iron pipe. As made now
they bad never been known TO rust out, Hs
they were enameled inside and out. de
bad seen cast lion pipes, which had been
pat down thirty years, which were IN gooa
condition. He thought wrought ircn
pipe, IN clay toll wo1ld last twenty-five Or
thirty years. Under two or three hun
dred tounds pressure il, of course, would
not last go long. On cross examlnation,
be said pipe laid under the brick streets
might cost forty or fifty cents PSF running
foot 70 remove It.
George Lutz said IL wOuld be Difficult. to
estimate the life Of wrought iron gas
pipe Of ten inches diameter, but taking
GOOD with bad, he thought nine years
/ would be a fair eetimats for its life Sncn
uipa fitted with locked joints might be
taken 40 10 the country Tor about htty
cents Der running foot. There would be,
practically, no difference with screw
/ ioinf. az it wOnld take as long 10 melt the
| locked ioiut Us it would to unscrew the
Other. Ia the city he would add
forty cents per foot 10 the above
price. when the brick pavement was
to bs taken up and replaced. The present
price OF ten-inch wrought iron depended on
the quantity purchased. He would say it
would cost about 81. 60 per foot for ten inch
pipe and s. 46 per foot for twelve inch
car lots. The price Of pipe was higher TO-
day than three years ago. Ga crOss-exam-
| nation witness said the life Of pipe WAS
very largely a matter Of speculation. He
mad known wrought iron pipe TO last nifty
years, and some which was worn out In
two years. Il depended on the soil, and
other conditions.
James &. Riddle had no experience with
gas pipe, but had handled water pipe for
more than ten years lie couldn't say
definitely how long a natural gas main,
laid in country soil. would lest. He had
put wrough. iron pipe through cinders, ~
the Top mill, in September, and had to re-
move 1t the following May. He knew
nothing about the life Of pipe in clay soil.
1t would cost thirty.fve or forty cents a
running foot TO take up ten inch pipe,
snd then probably half the pipe would he
spoiled In the city this cost would be
doubled, where pavements had to be taken
up and replaced.
Superintendent McGcew, of the Wheel
ing Company, said the pressure on the
pipes a. the wells, at first, was $40 pounds
and AZ station B, on the river, 200 10 2O5
pounds. Now the pressure vas less, bui
| sometimes there WAS a pressure OF 200
pounds at the wells when the cOrsump-
ton was light. The average pressure now
was $50 pounds OF less The pipe was
painted before it was pat down. The
pipe, in The county, had the Converse pa
tent locked Joint. He thought the Ma
tural Gas Company Of West Virginia had
about 2,1OO contrsc,s within the city.
He did lot know that, when rights Of
way we're obtained through Liberty dis
trist, thst the claim was made by agents
OF the Company that the soil would not
be disturbed for ten or fifteen years. Suoh
a statement might have been made.
MI Clarke then addressed the Board
saying he felt sure every one hearing the
testimony, and at all inClined TO be fair
both TO the company ana the county,
would agree that the asssss ment Of 5000,
600 sgsinst the Wheeling Natural Gas
Company wss excessive. Mr.. Clark went
on 10 address tue Board at some length,
saying, among other things, the question
OF how long q pipe would last was very
largely 9 matter OF theory, rather than OF
sctual experience The ten-inoh pipe cost
the company 81 IS per foot, and twelve
inch pipe 81. 45 and the price OF such pipe
was higher then than IL 1887. 10 that
yesr teu-inch pipe was quoted ~
iSlGLO5, and twelye.inch at $1,000
lbs he quoted Mr. Dehl, Of the
Gas Company, to the effect that the PIPE,
now IN the ground, II it could be taksn up
without cost, would have deprecated 90
per ceat., and Mr. D. would be satisfied il
sCch uips would realiza % cents per foot,
IS a me. chan able commodity; taking into
account the cost Of exhuming it MI
Clark quoted another remark by Mr.
/ Deihl, IN snswer 10 question By Mr.
Gruse, that $3.50, 600 Of cash end $3.50, coo
of water" had bsen put into the coIp)u-
ton. The stock OF the Company, st pres
sut, on $50 share, wss worth
I but S25 and had sold as low as
500. In other words in three
years, all the "water" and $3.50, 600
of cash, had been squeezed ont OF the com
pauy. Il was probable three-fourths of
the property of this company lay outside