Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1894-12-14
TUE GAS WoRKs.-The suggested

winds. becoming northerly.
TUE GAS WoRKs.-The suggested
,oass of the City Gas Works has been
Morally discussed since the publca.
sion of the proposition in the GAZETTE.
iY the auditors report Of 1892 under
the head of municipal notes" on pages
-aand SO, will be found notes on the
Gas Works. which we publish, as it will
perhaps throw some light on the gas
Alta meeting of Council December 10,
7S50a communication from James Hoy,
r President of the Trenton Improve
mept Co, in relation to lighting the
town with gas was referred to Messrs
Wheat. Fowle, Fleming, aud Wheat"
I, apDears from the official proceedings
ofCouncil that the above quoted COM
munication and its reference was about
tbe first move in legislation looking to
the lighting of Alexandria by gas. On
december %, 1850, 1.-The committee on
the subject of lighting the town with
Gas was discharged from the further
consideration of the subject thereof"
and ut the same meeting Mr.. Fowle,
on leave. brought in bill entitled, can
oct making provision for lighting the
town with gas which was read the
frs, time. laid on the table, and order
ei 10 be printed. On December 81,
$50 this bill was passed. Mr.. VIM. H.
Fowle. who was member of the Coun-
eli had associated with him other gen.
tlemen and they entered iuto contract
for the introduction of gas in the city,
provided Council did not determine to
assume control. The bill as passed
December u, 1850, is too long for re-
production, it however provided for
the issuing OF $4,000 of bonds, for
the appointment of five commissioners,
Robert Jameson, Lewis Mckenzie,
John ]. Wheat, Pbineas Janney, and
Robert Brockett and their successors,
TO receive these bonds, and assume the
contract which was said to have been
made with w. III. Fowle and his asso-
GATES, and to submit the question of
whether the gas works should be under
municipal control or not, to the legal
voters of the city. In Council Febru-
ary y. 1851 the following was adopted:
Resolved, That the question upon the
subject of lighting tee aEn by gas to
be put by the coin.,l 'ne.s of cleo
ton on the 4th of March next, shall be:
Are you in favor Of the Corporation
establishing gas works or not under
the contract already made therefor by
W H. Fowle and others 2" At this
election 4S7 votes were cast; 40 in ia
yor of the city and II against.
Ca March Z, 1851, the first Committee
on Light was appointed, Messrs. w. II.
Fowle, Henry L. Simpson, Robert
Brockett, and Charles G. Smoot, and on
April 23rd this committee reported
An act prescribing the manner and
terms of using gas'' which was passed.
The act is quite long, the concluding
lines of section 20 read: "The light
should never be blown out like that of
candle, but turned of from the spigot
attached to the burner for that purpose. "
The works had been in operation but a
short time when some wanted better,
and others cheaper light. The GAZETTE
in the official proceedings of Council
published November Is, 1851, says:
The petition of A. G. Newton and
others for a reduction in the price of
gas was received, read, and referred
TO the Committee on Light" and on its
editorial page added, Complaint has
been made about gas here, but we
understand a better article is now pre-
pared and in use. The defect arose
from the quality of the rosin used"
Rosin was used for some four or five
years. In 1886 coal was used. That
the works have been a source OF profit
to the city is well attested by the pub
lie accounts. In the year ending March
/, 1857 there was covered into the
treasury after lighting the city, etc,
$2,272. Is. in 1858 S4,032.S4 in 1859 81,
So, so. The works first cost was between
So 900 and $4,000, all additions
and increase in size and capacity of the
plant have been paid out of its earnings:
In ten years QS69-79) the works assisted
the general fund $67,7S0. a table
is presented showing the profits of the
works for ten years from 1878 to 1883
to be--in money S54, 1868; for gas fur
nished to city s64, Ass. 2O-total $119,-
224.77 -.
During the years 1SSS-S9-9o-9l
no revenue was turned over to
the General Fund. The explanation
is this-reductions in the price OF
gas, and, as for many years the
works had not been given the attention
necessary to their preservation, it was
found essential to make decided
and extensive repairs and purchases.
Two new gas holders and other i'm
provments at an expenditure of more
than $4,000 were made, new service
and main pipes have been laid and now
are all paid for. In the year just pass
ed1S9l-2) $500 was transferred to the
General Fund. A reduction in the
price of gas to date from September 10,
1892 will be made, but the increase In
the number of consumers will no doubt
more than make up for any decrease
in receipts caused by the reduction in
the price, which will then be $3.50 per
Loco feet with 5 per centum discount
for prompt payment. Good results are
Promised, and will no doubt be realized,
as the works are in better condition
now than they have been for years.
PERsoNAL.-Among the society
no YnQr-