New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-04-27
DANGERS OF ESCAPING GAS.
MORE WITNESSES BEFORE THE GENERAL
LAWS COMMITTEE.

GENERAL sICKLEs TELL, OF SOME EXPERT
ENCEs WITH GAS COMPANIES PROFITS
ARE BASED on CAPITALIZATION
GREATLY IN EXCESS OF THE
MONEY ACTUALLY INVESTED
The General Laws Committee Of the Senate heard
extremely important testimony yesterday morn
ing. at the Hotel Mctopoe. regarding the danger,
which exist because Of escaping Nearly All ~
the members Of the comnittc" present. senator
Erwin. the chairman. there early and by 10 "p
senator, Cogscshall Ncddcr. Brown, Van Gordcr ana
Chase had arrived. MANY wcllknown men were
present, either witnesses listeners. Among the
men interested in "A. present were W. A. Andrews.
president Of the standard Ga~ Company. and James
" smith. president of the Consolidated Gas Company
General Daniel T.. Sicklc>. who was the first witness
called. hand the hour set. Horace Looms.
now filling n, old place engineer I'm charge ~
sewers. looked much happier than he did when he
was having his struggle with the dirt Of Sew ork
street Cleaning Commissioners. \. \. Hudson.
who has made speciality 81 electrical locomotion
y. Lowbcr smith cx Comnis-ioncr q Public Works
George W E.rdsall. chief engineer OF the
Croton hqucduct. Leonard :. Hcckwith chief
engineer Of the Consolidated Telegraph and Electrical
subway Construction Company Joseph Fanncry. chief
engineer Of the standard Gas Company. ard William
webb. superintendent 81 repairs IF sewers. all
Interesting and valuable testimony. The question.
were mainly directed yesterday toward showing the
dangers to Ne. health ard property from ~caping
and with the idea Of securing such lc1'aiion ~
Will check ih. far a po,.ible.
General sickcs in hurry 70 get downtown
and he sworn Just soon ~ The members Of The
committee got together.
We are making some inquiries, General. into
the leakage Of The saspp"s. and arc Informed that
have had interesting history n connection with
pf tie companies which might be of interest
10 the senate .s.i senator Erwin.
YES replied General sickle, d" have had an in
tre,tlng experience lie said hat the first thins
that he wanted ." can The attention of the nt"o
TIE extremely high pressure OIL the mains 90
II The urfural desire = ihc cOuranie- 90
much through tic mc'crs - possible.
and the great pressure 300 fAc main. "a. demonstrated
~ the rush and roaring when = "a, ict turned
on. General sickle, aid De supposed That Dc hai
been just caseio-a any onc about the ne Of
"a. until complaint made o. him Us woman
who occupied TIE fourth door OF The aparimcnthou,c
a. 80 II Fifth ave. because ~ hol gas hill Ne
wrote a letter 20 Tie president Of The -, company ~
raidns il. bat the letter va, entirely Ignored \
month after that hc went abroad aAd ins rlsird the
!aiAt,r to cut the ens - from hi, apartments alto
rc'hcr. TIL, done. hu' when he Icturnod there
were The bills for "a which
be rad been having before he went away
he refused to paw The bin and invited the company to
him for the amount. The company did not d
this hui instead the ga ~ from hi, apartments.
lie then got al Injunction from Judge Van Worst pre-
venting this. The tried. the ,niunction was
sutalned and The company failed TO prove the biz.
Il showed tina, their meter utterly uat1ist
worthy, and have not paid the bll. added General
-icklcs He had not made an investigation Of the e.
cape II gar but citizen he knew that the calagcs
constant This Wa dangerous 10 nfc and health.
and such under the Law. became a nuisance and
ought 10 be abaicd. The Ga companies which enjoy cd
such great advantages and privilege, should give A
better service and should be under the control
u a body OF Intelligent men. who would have the
- look The companies IN The face. Thee men
should be bachcd by good strong rg,litiou7
These would have 70 have great amount Of
Discretionary power would they not i7 asked senator
Van r0fdcr
"Ycs. think so The gas companies consolidate and
become extremely formidable They spend $ioVoooo
or s. 900 900 for plant and 10 thc public mind
their great profits. capitalize at SiOOoOooO and
they charge profit on The capitalization rather than
on the amount Of money actually invested
General sclc, then told how when. in 1-6j he
was in command Of the Union force AT Charleston he
was appealed Ly Northern stochholdcrs of the
eas company which supplied Charleston with "a to re
gain their stock. which stock had been conscated By
the southerners. General Sickle, took charge II the
eas works and appointed his friend Edward y. Dick
cr.on commissioner The gas was extremely
poor and the price charged about double WHAT
If should have been. lie gavo Mr. Dickcison
instructions 10 improve the quality o. the and
ducc the cost This done, and the southern
stockholders raised howl when the price Wac cut
down But the people Of Charleston were pleased, /
and the works were afterward turned over 10 the /
COMPANY General slcAlcs thought that the cost Of
gas In this ciy cOud be reduced 30 per cent and the
Quality increased by the same ratio and sill allow /
the companies to make money.
Take an expert and allow him Ia make All csii !
mate Of the value Of company he aid, and he |
Will Put il AT about a., 100000. But you Will find
that the company Is capitalized for $fO,OOO.000 aud
he price Of gas is fixed on that amount. Fuly one
half of the malaria in New York Is caused By people
breathing gs in houses, hotels, theatres and curchcs
lie recommended that state Board be appointed
by the Governor.
When General scles was through with his tcsti-
sheriff.
lyon fellows In the Legislature ought TO look Out
for me he said tD senator Erwin. " Here worked
DAYS ON a BILL and find when il T. sent TO Albany that
1 am not in IL, and told that for the nine months
while ! in Office must struggle along rs Dcst
can ,.,,. ,,.,,s
gave some startling testimony regarding the escaping
of p1s He Water PurvcyOr for "A year. ana ~
such saw every foot Of pipe laid. In many place.
le said, the prevalence Of snch tlht by aiph
stoncs the "a, which escaped ~ strong That II
could be lighted from a match. Every dhi li' ~
partncnt Of Public Works received complaints iIon
Inc people who lived In Madison ave. between i".nt
third and Thirty fourth st.. because OF tc gas III h
cellars and Easements. Madsonavc between Ino
streets named was paved with asphalt ana tics 81 |
escaping from the mains could not come up vi ~,
the asphalt but found its way under the sidewalk ni''