Telegram-herald., 1890-10-05
rgo saTEB FAILURES
u Ia claimsd Thzt Fs1sl Gss Is
Calmsrtc@l
AZ Au Esxhts. for the FFessss-rws
kgeias AAaste4e4 Beesass fass
esais Aet - A@4s ~ Req.


TIE following. vRiNA 5 ts.ea fFoan =
sc.eanne journal devoted - .-Ligbs
aad Hs&G, al interest EaaDy jas.
noas
'Sonle tlme &go we annouE0vd thal
Prssldent AeMillln, of tie Lscleas Gas
CogapAny. u Si. Lo0ls. BAD dsteFainoa
% try the experiment GA = large scale
oi disasihotsng fasl gss IA taas e.sy, and
the results weFseaseEly looked fofmAfd
-. IL tue urst plaeS, M. AcAliAn
MAS very well placed for trying the ex-
ptrmeut, IA dat hs company FAD ac-
glFed by parcnass the pant aud malas
81 the Water G4s sonp2ny, aud fuI-
theF. he Vas as we'll up Ia tie tneofy
aDd practice Of fuel gas supply As any
other msn In lhe cogatry. IL was M
tended 20 supply a aoa -earbofeted
water gas Al very low rate, Rnd TIE
scheme Was 20 have been Initiated On
jay 1. rhe supply Was IA reality be
gun on July IL, only 20 be discontinued
ou toe Slst ot the same montn. But
sixteen applications were received, xnd
the outlook was SD unsatisfactory that
the pr0puetofs determined 10 end al
attempt that promised nothing but dis
aster The failure Ia Louisville, where
the initial cOnd tons were quito similar
10 those at -. Louls, followed 81 close y
by a like ending al the latter place,
only empnas zes tne position taken by
ths Journal ia respect 10 the problem
OK fuel gas supply. We have Away
believed that its solution lies ln an IN
tclllgent Use OF illuminating gas both
tor ngn ting and cooking purposes.
"Ihc failures noted above are con-
spcuous on account OF the financial
strength and prominence Of the two
companies and the known advocacy or
fael gas on the part of the management
ol both companies. The eprAcucai ques-
ton OF 4 successful outcome or AL ex-
elusive fuel gas plant, 10 supply city
with fuel, has thns received AL impor-
taut lesson. The old Louisville Gas
Company pat up "A separate plant aud
separate distribution pipes for the beue-
n OF their consumers, having obtained
lfom the Legislature of Kentucky an
exclusive franchise for vending fuel
gas in the city of Louisville. Ii went
INTO operation OH March 10, last. Gas
was sold at 80 cents per 1000 feet. On
June 10, 1890, the whole business was
abandoned, and the franchise was sur
rendered by the Louisville company
The Laclede company IN 81. Louis also
offered its fuel gas for 40 cents per
1000 feet. Now we see II has gone out
OF the business of supplying a non
illuminating gas for fuei purposes. At
the same time, this company has SET
1000 cooking stoves since May /, 1890,
10 use its ordinary Illuminating gas As a
fuel for domestic use. The price OF
this gas Is sl.lSl per 1000 feet. Why
should people elect TO pay for gas IN ST..
LOUIS Si.lSl per 1000 Tor domestic use
when gas could have been bought from
the same company for 40 cents per
1000?
There must be some facts underly-
ing these results affecting the domestic
use OF gas for fuel. Two companies
like the Laclede, of st. Louis, and the
Louisville Gas Company, SO strong
financially, and with such extended ex-
perience IN all tine practical and scien-
tiiic partsof gas making, do not aban-
don a ticld SO large 10 competition,
when practically IN control, If there was
money IN thee Business. And why IS
there not moneyin the business? There
can be but one answer, and that is that
non-illum!nating gas, or nOn-carbureted
water Gas, which is the only gas that
eau be made oneaply, and the only gas
offered to date for fuel gas, is a poor
substitute for fuel; that it does not MI
the measure needed for domestic pnr-
poses. 1t isa gas of low heat energy
about one-hait that OF l6-candle power
coal gaS-and hence poorly fills the re-
quirements of a fuel gas. The advent
of natural gas showed what enormous
benefits gas for fuel purposes would
be, and since that day 1t has been the
study of gas engineers TO create cheap
ly an artificial gas for fuel purposes;
but the end has not been reached yet,
although many are still sanguine that
it viii he worked out some day IN the
future"