The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1896-11-23
Assailcd BY the Miners in Trades
Assembly Meeting.
THE RECENT TESTS or COAL.
As Tari at the Water Work. Pumping
station Alleged 70 IIaye nsen Conducted
in nj Unfair Manner by the Water
Works Oaicials-Coal Claimed 10 be the
Observation-Disclosures Of sunday.
Trades Assembly Meeting.

was held in Its hall on Market street.
yesterday afternoon. President NJ. T.
Tghe occupied the chair and Secretary
Docs was at tho desk. There was an un-
usually large attendance OF delegates
from the various local unions:
The following new delegates were
admitted and obligated:
Garfield assembly (cigae makers)-T
Ernest Krumm. Vice William BUGGY.
Painters and Decorators National
Union. No, 9l.-Luther Selvey.
The boycott committee reported q
number of boycott1 progressing In a
satisfactory way.
The West Virginia legislative COM
K mittee reported regarding the recent
test, made at the pumping station of
the city water works. OF coal as fuel,
compared with natural gas. It will be
remembered the coal miners commits
tee gave a detailed report some time
ago, In which twas shown that coal Is
the cheaper fuel. The legislative COM
inittee yesterday presented n commune
cation from the city water board In
which Il Is shown, from the boards OBJ
servatlon of the test, that coal Is not
the cheaper OF the two articles OF fuel.
To the water boards communication,
Delegate Foster, of the coal miners,
made the following reply:
To the Honorable Water Board of the
City OF Wheeling:
-Gentlcmen:-Tn reply to the report
of your honorable body. which appeared
in the newspapers OF November 10. 1890,
wherein wou state chat yor have deter
mined the relative cost of operating the
pumping station of the city water works
- fx-if h 10th raS aOnH IrNaI n g ft,nl usp tvflh
ITO state that we conside- your report
Very unfair and misleading.
First, you state that you find by tests
made under the supervision Of our corn-
mittee on September u, 1896, there WIS
consumed GA bushels Of coal In the "a
hour test, making q total Of 22s.i10 BUSH
els per year, at a cost Of $500 u. We
desire to state that neither our COM
mittee nor the engineers I'VE had en-
Eployed. had anything to do with super
~jntending the test which you speak or,
nor did: we In any way say. intimate,
suggest, direct. or do anything that.
could be construed that we were pres
gent for the purpose of experimenting
Athe test. The matter was entirely in
the hands of the superintendent and his
subordinates. The only part taken by
our engineers was simply 10 take dates
and such other facts connected with
the test as we deemed proper, for the
purpose OF enabling us to make an in
%telligent report.
We wish 10 call your attention TO sew
eral other facts connected with the
present controversy. II will be emcm-
bered that the coal consumed at the
time of the test, September II, 1896. was
Gil bushels. Taking the Water Boards
own figures as to the cost OF the coal
per year. based on the 6l4 bushels per
4ghours run. which We stated in our
former report, to be in excess OF good
practice; or n coal consumption per
year. at the above rate, would be 224.110
bushels, as per your report. At n cos-
}gof 3% cents per bushel. or 9334 cents per
ton OF 1000 pounds, 1t would aggregate
sS.404 II per year, taking the statement
and figures of the board and the, o
sulting engineer who made the test of
s October IS, 1896.
We find that the coal consumption, as
per his or their report, was as follows:
for the IL hours test, 1S5 bushels of coal,
or so bushels per "a hours, making a
I total coal consumption for the year of
135, $50 bushels, at a cost of 5k cents
per bushel. as per their own figures,
would make tS7,427 70.
Now, taking into account the differ
sence OF the cost Of. the coal per bushel
used at the different tests above mem
toned, is IS follows: The cost OF coal
per. year. reckoned on a basis Of the
coal consumption AZ per test OF Septem-
4 Der a.. 1896. as above. Now. take the
cost of coal per year. reckored on the
basis of a coal consumption as per test
OF October 81. 1886, as above shown. 81
427 as. @. the 6h-cent rate, showing q
~ difference Of S9I6 81.
Taking the amount OF coal necessary
TO operate said plant rs per test Of ooto-
her IS. 1886, at a coal consumption OF
1866 bushels per year, at the rate paid
for coal as per their report. Pertaining
to the test OF September II, 1896, 3S
¢s per bushel, of $3.50 cents per ton Of
"a 1000 pounds, would aggregate 5000 81.
Now, deducting $5,OS4 81 from sS,4O4 Il
y shows a saving In the coal Item at the
2A-cent rate, as per their WI figures
and statements Of September IA. 1896,
test, of 1888 IS. Then take the cost
of gas. 5000, and deduct coal account
of 5,e64 81, leaving q abalance OF
$2.135 ,6S in favor OF coal.
Now, to give the board the benefit OF
the additional expense claimed by
them, two extra iiremel at S1,440; n
ash wheeler, $500; repairs, ETC., $500. we
have 1910, the extra expense repre-
scented to be necessary by reason OF
using Goa, as fuel, deduct s2,135 63, the
credit In favor of coal over. gas as fuel.
we have e. difference on the coal side Of
the account OF S204 81 in favor OF gas
fuel.
In support OF our former report and
the above figures. we wish to call your,
= attention to several other facts.
During tine test Of September Il. 1896.
9there were three Heine boilers used. and
the engines made 1880 revolutions.
equal t &.93S. $50 gallons Of water
pumped; and during the test OF Octo-
bre R2Sth, there was only two Helne
boilers used. and the engines made
1852 revolutions, equal to o,167, 256 gall
lions OF water pumped, showing an In
crease in speed over former test Of liz
revolutions, equal to 1S3, 696 gallons OF
water over former test.
1--WE have arrivea ut the above facts
and conclusions by figures given US by
the water boaru In their report. We will
now attempt TO show how far their re-
port Is at variance with the facts.
The board bases the yearly coneump-
d tlon Of coal. on q basis of the daily con-
sumption of coal, while, making test.
In making test OF September IA, 1895,
the coal consumption wac Ga bushels
per "a hours, and the board multlplies
614 by 1866, the number. OF days in n year.
~ and tells the public TINT the yearly COM
sumption OF coal is 224.1 bushels.
when they know at the same time il Is
nothing OF the kind. They don't tell
8 the public that the GA bushels Of coal
consumed pumped $3.50, $50 gallons OF.
%ater, 5sof 1885, gnllons ~intcxcess of the
daily consumption. We find by calcu-
lation, as per above test. that 1t would
require n daily consumption of 547 BUSH.
els OF coal to supply the daily average
consumption OF water, which is 5000, 900
9gnllois. A daily consumption OF SAT
bushels would amount to 109,C55 bushels
NA - tyaa a. tthlOhs T ,,tNt,1I ~ 1n1NH.-p - -
3certs per buslcl, or so cents per ton.
" 81. i3SS IG. cn3t Of en- y 81 100. leaving n