Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1894-12-28
COMMUNICATED.
THE GAS WORKS.

ing from introducing me to the com.
munity as juggler, he will believe ME
when I say that in preparing the article
which appear ed in the GAZETTE of the
18th inst. had no intention OF enter
ing myself as one of the polemics On gas.
may have unintentionally toucht d the
scnsiuilltes of the gentleman when [
spoke of strangers, but he must remem-
Der that be wrote anonymously. This
and his reference to New Alexandria,
the Mt. Vernon R. R. etc., need not be
referred TO here. I again assert that
the figures given by me- ire absolutely
correct and upon them | rely. In his
card of the 18th Mr.. D. tried to make it
appear that only 50, 593 was the yearly
increase of the gas works. / said, and
again say, thst for each and every year
since 1854. it has paid every class of ex-
p-nses and yielded to the city an an.
nual revenue of more than $5,400, and
in addition, during the last six years,
new gas holders, new mains, new SER
vice pipes, new meters, new engine,
new exhaust, a new brick coal shed,
etc., at cost of $25 900, have been add
ed to the valuation of the gas " )rks,
and now Mr.. D. wants it handed over
to parties who say they represent the
"Atlsntic Gas Construction Company
of Philadelphia, and for $4,000 per an
mum and no taxes to be paid" ''1n
vain the net is spread in sight of the
bird" The people are not to be caught
by mere chatf. Mr.. Downham's figures
as to the cost of the gas lamps should
mislead no one. 1t matters not whether
theigas charged in the gas report was 81
or 500 per lamp, the fact re-
mains that we supplied the gas,
extended our mains to meet the in
creased demand for service and paid
into the city treasury the amounts
which I have stated, and all the glamor
that the advocates of the lease seek to
throw around the matter will not alter
it. repeat that the cost of supplying
gas in the lamps is the cost of coal
used, "only that and nothing more"
Mr.. Downham says that they (the pub
lic) are sustaining q plant, and not the
plant sustaining them, as it should do.
Why should it? The gentleman and
myself buy an article and we are ex-
pected to pay for it-a commercial
transaction; the city having the same
right to q profit from the sale of gas as
for rent of space in the Market house.
Mr.. Downham says, !"he O. asserts that
there is to be another reduction in the
price of gas" made no such assertion;
but Mr.. Downham in his article of the
18th makes calculations as to what will
be the saving in case of reduction.
Now he says "the cost of gas has very
little to do with the matter when the
consumers know that the gas bills are
larger than when the price was 81 per
1000 feet" This may be so in some
cases, as gas stoves are used to great
extent, and one is apt to be less careful
in the use Of gas at SLAP than when at
$3.50. A few figures on this side of the
question: During the year ending
May 31st. 1888, there were 100 gas con-
sumers (this was the last year That gas
was charged for at 81 so nett. During
the year ending May 31st, 1894, there
were 916 gas consumers. In the years
just named the receipt from sale of gas
was $23, l42 (see report 1888, page 63),
an average of 1904 to each consumer.
In the year 1894 the receipt
from the sale of gas was sd, $50,
an average of 1921 to each consumer.
As further proof, the increase in the
number of consumers is 20 per cent,
the increase in receipts is less than s
per cent. Some one gets the benefit of
the reduction. So much for the gas
question, and in passing from it | will
say that while have not made it
matter of personal argument with the
members of the City Council l believe
that the proposed lease is as dead as
Hector and, "all the kings horses
and all the kings men can't set Hump
to Dumpty up again" There are other
portions Of Mr.. Downham's article, such
as New Alexandria, the Mt. Vernon
railroad, streets, sewers, etc., that |
would like to discuss in their order, but
will not, owing to having already taken
80 much of the GAzETTE's space, but /
wait Mr.. Downham to explain this
part of his article ~ am afraid it will
be something like the selling of bonds
to reimburse q depleted treasury, which
we are witnessing now" ] have heard
nothing of selling bonds, or depleted
treasury in Alexandria. If my friend
d. intends that such a statement is to
be accepted as fact, he certainly has
the genius of ready inventor, as we'll
as the force of ready writer. But in
anticipating that he refers to the soil
ing of United States bonds by the gen.
eral government fail to see its force,
except to leave some one under the i'm
preston that it was the city treasury
he was referring to. Recognizing a
difference of opinion in matters of this
kind, and desiring a full and free dis
cussion, that whatever is done shall be
to the advantage of the city, is my ex-
cuse for appearing in the public print
again. Respectfully, l.. E. UHLER.
A MINERS G1rr,-The diamonds
nee owned by the ex-Empress Eugene
are uow the property of Mrs. W. A.
Neivills, of San Francisco. At the sale
of the personal effects of the unfortu-
nate ex-Empress several years ago they |
We're purchased by the Rothschilds for
The late Mrs. Kate Johnson, of San
Francisco. At the latter's death her
Effects were disposed of at auction.
Neivllls, who is interested in gold
mines, recently made rich strike and
the famous jewels as Christ
mas gift for his wife.
: McGure'a Magazine for January has
D .an rnnniuad fran, Tho ranhl;nho.a L;