Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-02-23
FROM THE CONTRACTING COMPANY
superintendent Adams Gets Letter
from the Water-Gas Plant builders.

Superintendent William c. Adams. OF
the City Gas-Works, Is in receipt of a
letter from the president Of the Western
Gas Construction Company, which con
Germ put in the water-gas plant here
little more than year ago. The com
munication Is a denial of the charge
made by Mr.. Arthur c. Glasgow as to
the very poor character OF ilcnm"nd
plant and Is as follows:
PORTLAND, IND, February IS, 1895.
Mr. w. C. Adams. Superintendent City
Gas-Works. Richmond. Va:
My Dear Sir.-I was very much sur
prised at receiving your favor Ct the 10th
instant, and copy of your local papers.
must admit if the statements made in
the paper are correct reports Of he Ian
guagc used by Mr.. Glasgow, IL has mate
rally changed my former favorable
opinion of the man. ! hardly believe
that he realized the possibility of sVch
statements reaching the general public,
and think that the time will .ome when
MIR. Glasgow will realize the 'erious mis-
take he has made We think that the
practical results had from your operation
Of the plant erected by us fully refute
his statements.
SAVED IT'S COST.
Outside of the fact that but for us your
city would have had 10 pay heavy pre-
MUM on its water-gas plant, when first
installed. this plant has already more
than saved its cost: and you may rest
assured II 1t had not been for the West.
ern Gas Construction Company being
known TO be competitor for this work.
the prices asked for even the small Ca
pacity Of 10000 cubic feet would have
been greatly i'm excess of your appropria-
ton at the time.
We not only broke the combination.
but we succeeded in giving your city
plant nearly double the capacity for less
money than asked by others True
enough we could not put fancy finish and
polished parts on the details that we
could have done had we asked the price
for the capacity specified by our oppO-
nents What your city desired was the
greatest capacity for the least amount
OF money consistent with substantial
construction. and that you have got.
BROKE THE MONOPOLY.
Our records show that all the plants
erected by us are doing fully az well as
are those erected by other builders; and
We think the gas companies generally
are unanimous In their opinion that the
Western Gas Construction Company has
broken the monopoly long maintained by
the concern with which MIR. Glasgow was
connected at the time of your letting
Of this work. OF course you, as superin-
tendent realize that in any plant like
yours. subject 10 the usage unavoidable
in its operation by ordinary workmen.
parts may have TO be replaced. being
broken or worn out; that is. ordinary
daily wear and tear OF any apparatus.
But we do claim that the work and
material were as good as COULD be made
and fulfilled all the requirements and the
guarantees made by us at the time and
continue TO do so.
TEST A SUCCESS.
We succeeded in the official test. made
under your supervision. I'm materially re-
ducing the quantity OF coke and oil used
and also demonstrated that our machines
largely exceeded the guaranteed output Of
gas With all OF these facts you are Of
course familiar. We will not enter into
a dispute with Mr.. Glasgow as to
the character Of our workmanship nor
our engineering skill: suffice 1t TO say that
you have a well-arranged plant, adapted
to the location we were constrained 20
use and fully up TO any plant OF similar
capacity and cost I'm the country.
Kindly show this letter TO your Com
mittee on Light. and use 1t otherwise as
you desire.
Sincerely yours,
tSignedp
WESTERN GAS CONSTCT'N co.
BY o. n. GULDLIN, President.