The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1890-02-13
Natural Gas Discussion.
To the Editor of the Sentinel:


A great deal has been said
lately on the streets OF our
town about natural gas. The
town council called a meet
ing of citizens to be held at
the court house, and before
the Mayor or Councilmen
could get there the meeting
was taken charge of by a lot
of gentlemen whose business
seemed to be. TO strangle and
discourage any and every
enterprise that is thought OF
or spoken about in the town.
There was not much said at
this meeting for or against
natural gas, but there was
another meeting called for
one week hence and the
strangers were there in full
force ready to discourage
anything that might come up.
in the way of public improve
ment, ignoring the Mayor
and Council who called the
meeting.
It was amusing to hear
them. They could not say
much about natural gas, for
the reason that they did not
know anything about it,
They talked about high taxes
and said natural gas did not
benefit the towns that have
it, and to some it was a .det-
riment. They made all sorts
of excuses and arguments
except good ones. why we
should not prospect for nat
ural gas. One man said the
artificial gas could be made
out of slack for DC per 1000
feet. If that is so why is it
that we pay So for it now I?
Some said that we had but
one railroad and could not
compete with other points.
Why is it that some OF the
largest enterprises in the
country are located on one
line of railway? Why was
it that the Westenhouse Air
Brake Co. went out east OF
Pittsburg about % miles on
one line of railway and in
the woods and built their
mammoth works :? Why
was it that three or four glass
companies went out near the
same place and started up
enormous works, about ten
months ago, and now they
have a town four times as
large as Logan Why is it
that people, good business
men, will invest hundreds OF
thousands of dollars in man
ufacturing establishments in
such places on one line OF
R. R.? Twill tell why it is.
1t is because they had natu-
raj gas there, and they know
it is the cheapest and best
fuel in the world. Another
mans excuse for not having
natural gas here was that the
miners would not buy cloth
ing of him. He probably
don't know that Lancaster, a
natural gas town, that don't
use a pound of coal, sells
more clothing to miners in
the Hooking Valley than Lo-
gan, and if he would figure
up the amount of coal that
Logan uses, he would find
that it would only take about
three miners out Of the 1000
or 5000 to mine all the coal
that Logan consumes. One
man said that Columbus, with
her railroads reaching out
ike the rays Of the sun. was
drawing all the manufactur-
ing establishments in the
state within her corporate
limits. Now we all know
that Columbus has not got
the magnetism to do what he
said. Notwithstanding all
her R. R. facilities, she has
now got natural gas. Per-
haps that is what is doing SO
much for her.
Now, why is it that the
bonding Of this town for a
few thousand dollars is op-
posed SO? 1t cannot be the
additional tax. for the inter
est on $4,000 would only
be SOC additional on each
$1,000 worth of property
It would only be 25 cts. on
a poor mans or widows
house valued at $500, and
will venture to say that that
man or the widow would
gladly pay the additional
amount and three times as