The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1891-11-28
GASTRUSTEES0NTHE STAND
Their Opinions on the Indiana Field
and the Indianapolis Supply.
Curious Suit ComprOmised-Libelous TO Post
TailOr's BilI-Claims Against Pfingst
Estate-Young Couple Lectured.


Trustees Testify as to the Nature of the
Field and the ~Company's Capacity.
The case of Augusta Nickerson against
the Consumers Gas Trust Company was
resumed yesterday morning before Judge
Taylor. The first witness called was ii. H..
Hanna. vice-president of the Atlas engine
works, who testified that he had been one
of the directors of the Gas Trust since its
organization: hat he. was a stakeholder.
and the Atlas ompany and himself had
paid up stock subscriptions amounting 10
between s11. 600 and $4,000. for which they
had paid par. He testified that ne had
been chairman of the on con-
ttruction and plant; had given in the first
year of service in that capacity between
eight and ten months of his time. night and
day. without compensation.
He was asked why the directors. in April,
1850. had passed resolutions limiting the
number of consumers to be taken on, and
said it was 20 protect those who. were al
ready receiving gas on contract: had 9TH
ers been taken on the supply would have
run short and the company would have
been unable TO collect bills from anybody.
Judge Lamb, representing the gas CON-
pany. asked if the Atlas-works had been
constantly supplied with gas. NO" said
the witness. "the supply has been discon-
tinued since the weather became cold. and
all the fires under the boilers have been cut
OFT. We work etwee 500 and 500 hands
now, 200 men having been cut of within
the last thirty days. Gas has been cut off,
aud there has also been q failure in the
coal supply. Some men would have been
discharged anyhow. but more have been
ii
gas and coal supplies. There has not been
any discrimination In favor of or against
any consumer to nay knowledge. A reso-
lutiOn was passed TO connect the Childrens
Guardians Home. That was q matter of
humanity.
John III. Butler. who was the next wit
ness. testified that he was one of the trus-
tees of the Consumers Trust. He said that
he had put In $500 IN cash. $500 of which
was IN stock and 5000 in certificates paid
mp at par. He remembered that an order
had been made by the board of directors to
discontinue making further contracts, and
mentioned property of which he was guar
dian INTO which he bad failed to get gas.
althoughthe Consumers Trust pipes ran by
Col. Eli Lilly was next called to the
stand. He testified that he had been q
member of the board of directors ever since
the organization of the Trust; himself and
members OF the manufacturing company
with which he was connected had taken
over $1,000 in stock. N he had bought and
paid for $3.50 of certificates. "An the
stock" said the Colonel, lis paid up in full
at par and the certificates are paid for IN
full at par"
He was asked as to the condition of the
gas field from which the Trust gets its sup
ply, and how many wells have been lost.
Il think fourteen wells have been blocked
never used. Twelve wells rave been
drawn out by overlooking them. To turn
"a well loose and let it work without any
back pressure will ruint the best well in two
form on new wells. 1t used to average 325
pounds. Pressure depended upon waves of
rock and height of sea level We now have
wells working as low as 200 pounds pres
sure to the square inch and as high as 3O5.
We now drill no wells that show over 294
pounds anu the average of our wells is now
275 pounds, as against 800 pounds in thenew
field. We feel the draft from the manu-
featuring enterprises at Anderson. Our
wells on that side are affected. and it ia
only a question of time when they will BIO
exhausted. We IN tell when that will
be. but pressure has already been reduced
from 325 to an average of go. and our new
wells come In at only 2S4. We have OK
pended $3.50, 600 III the field for extraordi-
nary extension of plant since we expended
any money In the city to get o new custom
or. This has been done to keep up the
supply for customers we already had. As
dbdlnSt 5lAtccu ouuuIc miIcS WHICH We
occupied with our wells the first winter,
we now occupy about i25 square miles OF
territory. That 125 miles does not
include the ten or fifteen square
miles which We have ready to
90 into. but from which we
are now excluded by the people of Madison
county. On that 125 square miles we are
working between ninety and one hundred
wells. There are about 10 wells in our
system on those 125 square miles. A por-
ton of that territory is Tapped by the In
dianapolis com pa That territory will
average nearly one working well to the
mile. There are. of course. several sec
tions whore there are no wells. i suppose
We cover three hundred square miles in our
leases
The ease was continued in the afternoon.
with Bement Lyman, secretary OF the
Trust. on the stand. He was questioned at
length as TO the eleven contracts accepted
during the year, but nothing new was
elected. Several subordinate employees
were examined. and the evidence closed.
The case will be argued on Monday, begin
ming at 3 =. NJ.