The record-union., 1891-08-13
COAL OIL AND GASOLINE.
The Trustees Worrying Themselves
Over Rival Ordinances.
The Question Now Is, How Much Oil
Should be Stored Within the
Fire Limits?

The Board of City Trustees held a
special meeting last evening for the pur-
pose of considering the two ''coal-oil"
ordinances proposed at the last regular
meeting of the board.
One Of the ordinances, which is known
as the Booth 81 Co. ordinance, proposes
that no more than 100 gallons of coal oil
and twenty gallons of gasoline can be
stored in any one house within the fire
limits. The other ordinance, drawn up
by General Tozer, representing Whit
tier, Fuller & Co., limits the storage to
200 gallons of coal oil and 10 gallons of
gasoline within the entire city limits, ex-
cept in the three blocks bounded by
Front and Second, L and II streets,
where unlimited quantities may be kept.
These three blocks contain the oil stores
of Whittier, Fuller d Co. and the Stand
ard Oil Company.
The Trustees were all present last even
ing, and SO were Mr.. Tozer, Mr.. Hall of
the Standard Oil Company, and Chief
Engineer Guthrie of the Fire Department.
General Tozer thought it would be a
great injustice to the oil dealers to limit
them to 100 gallons: lie said it would
interfere with their business and would
u
Mayor Comstock asked how 5G0-case
limit would do within the fire limits.
General Tozer said this would hardly
do either. Five hundred cases was the
usual steamer shipment at the lowest
rates, and as most houses carried several
different brands OF oil, they would de-
sire to carry full shipping quantities of
each. 1t was different with gasoline. He
! thought that none of the houses would
care TO carry much gasoline, as it was
dangerous.
Continuing, Mr.. Tozer said he consid-
cred the ordinance proposed by himself
| and Mr. Hall very tair one. 1t limited
the entire city, almost, to the storage in one
place Of 200 gallons of coal oil and ITO gal
| Ions OF gasoline and other explosive oils.
| The three blocks between Front and Sec
| Ond, and l. to II, were cut out, permit
| ting houses III those blocks 10 carry un-
| limited quantities, 1t was similar to the
ordinance now in operation, with the eX-
! ceptiOn that it protected all Of the city eX-
cept those three blocks. The proposed
new ordinance known as the Booth d Co.
ordinance, he did not consider just to the
| oil dealers. 1t proposed to limit houses
within the fire limits to 100 gallons OF
coal oil and twenty gallons of gasoline OF
| explosive oil.
Chief Engineer Gothrie said he thought
the ordinance now in operation was good
enough so far as the protection against
the coal oil was concerned, but he thought
some restrictions should be put on the
storage of gasoline and explosive oils.
| Neither Of the proposed new ordinances
! contained any unusual restrictions on
gasoline, and Mayor Comstock sug-
gested that both of them be dropped and
a new one be drawn up, which would re-
quire dealers to store only small quanti-
ties of gasoline and to Keep what they
had in fire-proof vaults.
| Trustee Conklin said he would like to
know about what quantities of gasoline
the retail stores carried, and he moved
that Chief Guthrie be requested to make
ali investigation and report to the board.
| It was decided to wait until the Chief
! had reported before amending or adopt
| ing either of the ordinances, so an ad-
! journment was taken.