Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1891-12-05
THEY FOLLOW SUIT.
THE WATER BOARD TURNS ON THE GAS AT
THE PUMPING STATION,
And the City is Now Fully Supplied, as Before
President Bachelor and Secretary Heard in
the Gity.-They State the Com
panyS Position.
THE COMPANY GAINS A STRONG POINT.
It's Employs Gut the Pipes at Market and Eighth
Streets at Half-Past Two This Morn
ing-FOur Men Arrested By
the Police.
THE COMPANY GAINS A STRONG POINT

The city is again fully supplied with
natural gas.
At noon yesterday Superintendent
Cummins, Of the Water Works, ordered
the opening of the valve supplying the
pumping station, and last night steam
was being made with gas, in the usual
manner.
Police officers are guarding the con-
nections at all the points whence the
city derives her supply, and have orders
to prevent the gas being shut off by the
employees of the Company.
So far, however, no attempt has been
made in this direction, and so far as
can be ascertained, the Company will
not attempt to lock horns with the city,
through an attempt to take forcible
possession of the valves-at least, no
determination to this effect seems to
have been reached as yet. The Com
pany has warned all persons, and par
ticul arly the city of Wheeling, to re-
frain from molesting its pipes and prop
erty generally, and at the same time
throws upon the city all responsibility
for any damage or accident which may
result through the pipes being wrested
from the care and control of the Com
pany. A notification to this effect ap.
pears elsewhere in this issue.
Yesterday President Bachelor and
Secretary Heard came down from Pitts
burg, and during the evening they were
seen by a reporter for the REGISTER.
In reply to question as to the reasons
actuating the Company in shutting off
the gas, Secretary Heard said:-
The cause, purely and simply, is
want Of sufficient gas to supply the
city, and, at the same time, meet the
wants Of our domestic consumers. This
is the reason, in nutshell"
at has been suggested here that the
Company might be actuated by desire
to sell the gas claimed by the city un-
der the ordinance, rather than bore new
wells, at considerable outlay?"
"There is nothing in that surmise.
The fact is, that our Company has
drilled more wells during the past
summer than during any previous
season since its organization, and
has obtained less gas in return. We
are working in the same old field;
and its power to develop new wells
Of strong pressure seems to be pretty
well exhausted. Each new we'll, tap
ping the same rock, only serves, in a
short time, to reduce the general pres
sure. OF course, we may find a new
field, but that is problematical."
There has been another motive at
tributed to the Company, and that is,
that 1t has elected to pursue the policy
Of shutting off the gas in the hope that
the ordinance giving IL its franchise
would be abrogated, and this result
achieved, the domestic consumer would
soon be confronted with an increase in
the rates per one thousand feet?"
That is also untrue. As have said
our only motive in shutting off the gas
from the city has been sheer inability
TO maintain the necessary supply. II
we had any such motive as has been
suggested, we would have come to the
City Council, fairly and squarely, pre-
Sented the case, and asked for a change
in the ordinance. That we have not
done"
what has been the course of the
Company as regards consumers using
gas for other than domestic purposes,
in this city?"
''We have cut them all of, practically.
and those remaining have been notified
that they must expect to be shut down
completely, whenever the Company finds
1t necessary to take that action. Some
time ago we cut off the mills. Then we
notified and cut of Hanna & Clenep.
and Schenk and Pollock's mill. We
have cut off the Central Glass COMPANY.
except the lears and glory-holes, and
have served notice upon the
North Wheeling Glass Company &c
the same effect, they now running on An
understanding that the supply NAV cease
at any time. Does anyone supnose tbst
we would thus throw away revenue ol
about 81, 900 month, IL we did not have
to do it9 And mark you, these paying