Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1893-01-20
BUSY AS BEES.
GAS MEN AND PLUMBERS LITERALLY WORK
ING DAY AND NIGHT.
Is High as One Hundred and Thirty Calls Re
csived in One Day at the City Gas Office.
Some Hints for Citizens.

These are the days when plumbers,
gas filters and city gas Office employees
are kept on the jump, answering quick
calls for repairs of one sort and an
other. These calls pour in seemingly
without end, and it has not been un-
usual during the past three weeks
for men In each OF the callings
named to be routed out of bed
at unseemly hours to do work which,
il neglected until daylight, would
mean heavy loss to the owners
OF the premises. One plumbing firm
said yesterday they had filed ninety
calls for repair work in the last eight
days, but this record was beaten out OF
sight at the city gas Office. In one day
they answered one hundred and thirty
calls TO attend TO metres and frozen gas
pipes, and they have probably attended
to one Thousand such cases during the
present month.
Some of these gas Office calls involve
serious matters, and the care and at
tention Of the clty's corps of workmen
has averted several nasty fires within
the past few days, while there have
been several accidents caused by citl-
zens attempting to six" gas metres,
either without calling on the gas office
force, or from impotence because the
men did not arrive within
short time after the call was
sent in. The gas Office employees
have regular routes, and are as
busy as bees in such matters, and II a
call is not answered Immediately 1t is
because the force is busy on prior or
ders. 1t may be well enough to add that
IL IS a Unable offense for a gas con-
sumner to attempt to disturb gas meter,
this regulation being as much for the
safety OF the citizens and their property
as to protect the meters, which cost
considerable money and are the proper
ty OF the city. A case in point occurred
on Wednesday evening, at the place OF
business of City Collector John A.
White, on Market street. There was a
small amountoi water in the outlet pipe
OF the metre, which caused the gas jets
to flicker. The gas Office was notified.
and a man responded as soon as pos
sible, but Mr.. White said he would put
I'D with the annoyance that night, and 1t
could be attended to the next morning.
Later, some one about the house went
into the cellar with light and attempt
ed to do something with the meter. The
result was it was broken loose from the
service pipe, and the gas caught fire,
running the metre and making quite a
blaze. Fortunately no one was hurt.
At private residence a few days ago a
citizen attempted to SIX" a metre,
broke the pipe and get lot OF coal on
fire, narrowly resulting in bad blaze.
Such incidents might be multiplied and
will illustrate the necessity Of allowing
skilled men 10 attend to these little
things.
Yesterday the gas Office men went up
into the City Hall tower and overhauled
the gas pipes there, with the result that
the clock dials could again be seen last
night There is a steam heater up In
the tower, but 1t has been allowed to
get Ia bad shape and is useless. II 1t
was put to use, the frost would be kept
out of the gas pipes and the lights would
burn right along.
Both gas men and plumbers antici-
pate more calls than they are row re-
ceiylng as soon as thaw sets In and
the frost begins to come out OF the
ground, and are bracing themselves
for a big rush OF business as soon as the
Temperature rises.