Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-04-14
Councils Asked to Remedy a
Defect in the Appropria-
ton Ordinance.
NATURAL GAS is TOO HIGH.
A Contract With the Philadelphia
Company Fails of Approval.
SAVING MONEY ON WATER VALVES.
George Booth and Edward ]. Martin Re-
Elected as City Clerks.
STORY OF TIE TEMPERANCEVILLE BEB1

The advent of spring was felt perceptibly
st the meeting of City Councils yesterday
afternoon. The balmy air and the seldom
seen sun overpowered the councilmanlc
orators, and as a result of their inertia the
sessions were comparatively BRIEF
Common Councils was asked by Con-
troIler Morrow to disentangle a peculiar
mix. When the appropriation ordinance
was passed the numbers of the different
appropriations were changed, and as a
result the department clerks and the city
depositaries got into muddle. Warrants
we're drawn upon one appropriation under
It's old number, and this was charged up to
another appropriation on the strength of the
new number The Controller wanted the
appropriation numbers in the new ordinance
to correspond with the old numbers, and
with bis communication presented an
ordinance making the necessary change.
The matter was referred to the Finance
Committee.
Object to the Price of Gas.
The award OF contracts for the Depart
ment of Public Works was approved by
both branches of Councils with the excep-
tion of the contract of the Philadelphia
Company to furnish fuel for the Water
Works, and the contract of the Ludlow
Company to furnish valves.
Chief Bigelow presented an estimate of the
comparative cost of coal aud gas. The bids
for coal were 81 and ~ cents per bushel,
aud the consumption is based on the work
done by that fuel in 1888 and from recent
tests, while the comparative cost of the two
fuels is based on the quantity of water
pumped in 1890. The comparison is as fol-
lows:
Natural gas-Brillant. s6,0S9 90; Bedford.
S5Sl O9; Heron, S2l3 q; total per month,
1888 49, total cost per year. $50 6S.
COal-Pumping the same quantity as above:
Brilliant. per month 81 $50; Bedford, $50; Her,
ron, S46l IS; cost per month, S6,2Sl 25; addi-
tional labor $3.50: total cost per month, s,l6l 25
total cost per year, SS5,9S5
George W. Wilson moved that this con-
tract be laid over until the next meeting of
Couucils, and the motion was unanimously
adopted.
Took Time to Consider 1t.
The other award objected to was that of
valves to the Ludlow Company. The Lud-
low valve bid was $50 above the Rennsel-
aer Company. The city now uses Ludlow
valves and the chief of the department
thought it inadvisable to change. Mr..
Taggsrt objected, saying that if this rule
was to hold a change would never be made
Mr. MacGOnigle argued in favor of the
Ludlow valve on the ground of uniformity.
The Chair said that the contract would
amount to over S17, 900, and the $50 differ
ence was a very slight percentage. Mr.
Taggart claimed that the greater number of
valves In the city were the old Armstrong
pattern. Mr.. Bigham read the eommunica-
tion from the Chief, stating that the Ludlow
valves were altogether in use.
A motion to postpone action was lost, and
Mr.. Iaggart moved to send it back to the
chief OF the department This also was lost
aud the contract approved, after Mr.. Tag
gart had made hard fight for the Rensel-
lacr valve. He claimed it was the best and
denounced as a Misrepresentation the state
ment that the Ludlow valve was in univer-
sal use in Plttsburg. The vote on the mo-
tiOn to award was % ayes to II noes.
Wanted the Report Printed.
The annual report of Controller Morrow
was presented in Select Council and partly
read, but Mr.. Keating objected to pro-
ceeding further with the reading because the
figures could not be properly understood un-
less the members had a copy of the report
before them. In order to get at the report
properly MIR. Heating moved that 800 copies
OF the report be printed in pamphlet form.
The motion was agreed to.
Controller Morrow's report does not refer
to the trouble caused to the city's finances
by the Supreme Courts decision, because it
only covers the year ending January 81,
1881. The Supreme Court decision was
made since then, and the Controller can,
therefore, take no official cognizance of it in
his annual report.
In the Select branch, a resolution refund
ing overpaid taxes to George W. Tea, OF the
Sixteenth ward, in the amount of S42 AZ,
was adopted.
Petitions for fire plugs on Ruth street and
at the corner of Hall and Cowau streets,
were presented.
Resolutions refunding S1S7 overpaid
taxes to Mrs. Sehenley and $50 45 to 7. C.
Ribele, were adopted.
The report of Chief Brown on the letting
OF contract for the printing of75O copies of
The annual rerort of Department of Public
Safety anC 500 copies of Bureau of Health
report at 81 50 per page was read,
and the contracts were approved.
Men Who Received Contracts.
The contracts made by Chief Bigelow
were as follows: Lumber F. K. Gearing;
hardware, Logan, Gregg & Co.; cement,
Murray Brothers and Samuel Garrison;
river gravel and sand, Stolzenbach g. Pfeil;
bank gravel, W. H. Giles; granite crossings,
Buenie & Martin; stone monuments. Buente
y Martin; Ligonier block stone, Booth &
tIlnni Irregular crushed block stone,
crushed stone and screening, Sloan & Nc
lIyalnei wooden blocks, K. X. Gearing;
sewer ana gutter casings, Fisher Foundry |
ana Nachlne Company; ice, Chautauqua |
Lake Ice Company; lamps and lamp posts,
;. helgAley & Co.; cast iron water pipe ana |
special castings, National Foundry and |
Plpe works; pig lead, Pennsylvania Lead /
Company; gate valves, Ludlow Valve Man |
ntaciurlng company; ferrules, Standard |
Manufacturing Company; gate boxes, f. X. |
GedIlH2j miscellaneous castings, William
Gogle q Co., Lin; fuel ior pumping
station, Philadelphia Company.
The following ordinances were nassed
GHally: Changing the name of FlIswortb
avenue, between Penn and Center avenues
go G-rier avenue; changing the name OF
g. zier street TO Hamilton avenue. cbano-
ing the name OF Villa street. from Harriet
street TO Penn avenue, to Roup street.
CITY CLERKS REELECTED.
n.