New-York tribune., 1896-12-01
THE GAS QUESTION.
EVOLUTION OF GAS AS A FUEL FROM GAS
AS AN HLUMINANT

LINEs-EvILs TO BE AvOIDED-sUCH AS En-
PRNsIvE CHANGES IN RECONSTRUCTION
OF BtILDINGs-IOsS TO BUSINESS
AND MENACE TO HEALTH IN
TEARING Up srREErs-DE-
sTRUCTIoN or HOME
PEACE AND COMFORT.
Judging from the great developments OF late In
the Of gas. it would seem. indeed. that
Plato's cycle returning. and that all the
world. which. according to our learned frlends.
the philDsOphers has been evolved from nepu-
lous vapor. now returning to its pristine
gaseous state The employment of gas. which at
first was confined to illumination. has steadily
and naturally grown and developed into Wiue
variety of uses equally as essential The jet.
whose only Use for heating had been al nrSt 10
act as a substitute for the alcohol lamp in the
crimping of my lady's locks. was. through the
suggestion of the drop light. led down through a
tube TO serve the purpose of a crate In the oven
like sheet iron and copper arrangement KNOWN
the gas stove . .
Th. gas stove or heater. led naturally to the
gas range, and the purpose OF cooking was added
to the other uses of the subtle element. with
this attainment Of the perfection OF comfort
and cleanliness within the home. came also a
revolution in the building of the house itself BE-
ginning four or five years ago. city houses. es-
peclallv those designed for apartments, were
built with special regard to tho sole use or gas
for Illuminating and fuel purposes, until now
such construction Is the iule rather than the ex-
ception The simplicity Of the employment OF
one agency for such varied purposes has aided
this advance in building wonderfully. one ser
vice suffccs for all.
This perfection Of the gas service has been
brought about by the process Of quiet. steady
and sensible evolution. No revolutions have
marked its progress. The structure Of houses.
TO say nothing Of the conformation of streets
and cities has not been violently changed to
radical improvements in modern life. In other
words. the evolution has been in harmony with
the spirit of the
Since every Improvement in gas supply has.
therefore. led to increase In comfort and
never In expense. II Is logical to conclude that
every step OF the future will be in the same d.
rection But some men are impatient To grasp the
| fruits of the future by an anticipation which
only defeats its own end. To such people there
VIII always he others to cater men who attempt
/ To profit by the attainments OF the founders and
upbuders Of an industry. and who. regardless OF
intermediate practical considerations. leap at
/ once to the goal which. II has become evident.
! these steadily advancing conservatives have set
b'iore themselves. So. within the past year.
COMPANIES have started up with untried plans
and unknown compounds which were intended to
r"VoIutionlze manufacture and illumination, and
nave ended even more quickly than they began,
with the vctmzation OF confiding shareholders
ana sanguine purchasers Of State rights.
AFTER certain recent experiences OF this sort.
II Is striking commentary on human nature
To note the credence placed.-and not by the
| general public always. but often we'll by its
selected repr.sentatives.-in the assumptions OF
other corporations for whose products
/ projects similar claims now being made
/ The companies now requesting from the BOARD
! OF Aldermen franchise to tear up all the streets
Of the city In order To furnish the people a new
KIND OF decarbonized. nom illuminating. gas
! fucl-nghting each other as they do on the aues
tons OF compensation and construction-all
suine. without presenting any proofs wha atsoever
I ~ the availability OF the new compound that the
product under consideration will answer every
lis hat
metropolis. Certainly the city fathers should
look into this matter first Of ALL for the fact that
a few citizens OF a class always ready to accord
favor. have been persuaded to sign n petition
for the grant Of this franchise does not at all
shift the responsibility Of investigation from
the shoulders Of those who have been placed in
authority for the exercise Of such duties
An examination into the claims OF the new
method might have settled the whole question
at once for. according to reports from cities
where fuel gas has been tried. II has proved
total and disastrous failure. and the plants have
| been either abandoned or converted to the sup
| ply Of ordinary Illuminating gas or fuel Draw
ing his deductions from such experiments in
| ST Louis. Chicago. Louisville. Akron. Troy
! Ionkers and other cities. General Hickenlooper
the eminent Cincinnati authority upon the use
OF gas. advised the Board OF his Administration
Of his city against the granting II a fuel gas
| franchise in these strong and telling words 1T
* neither practically. scientifically or financially
/ possible TO manufacture and distribute for gem
eral use so-calei Fuel Cas-; that is a non
Illuminating heating gas; nor any manufact-
to science. which can be successfully used in
competition with coal for manufacturing or in
| dustrial purposes
| In view OF such experiences tnere should NJ
| least have been Instituted by the Aldermen a
comparative test between the new compound
and the old gas that has been demonstrated to
be so rich in light and heat producing carbon
and which Is already to be had in such simple
and s"rviceable form Then IT could have
been seen whether the economy assumed
would be, in view Of the vast expense and dis
comfort consequent on the introduction Of the
| new gas. practical benefit or the reverse To a
layman and lover of Ncw-York 1t would seem
| that the supply Of low Grade fuel at anv price
could not compensate for the incalculable loss 10
! householdcrs and business men. and the unen.
I durable offence to the eyes and nostrils OF our
! citZ"ns.-to whom fhe sight and Odor of the url-
der side Of the street are already too familiar
which would be occasioned by this sudden revo-
luton in one OF the most important matters OF
our daily HE. and that II concern wherein mar
v"llous advance has already been made with
| promise of still greater progress along lines
| already we'll established
The old meth Dd cannot he superseded for by
statute III" new companies are prohibited from
acquiring monopoly OF fuel gas il IL is also
an illuminant. This. II the franchise were
granted. would render necessary entirely new gas
plans. both in the streets and In the houses and
cause thereby unforeseen changes. II not expert
mental and impractcable ones. in both the al
teration Of old. and the construction of new
works and buildings. both public and private.
Think Of the double Ills and bills of laying
two sets OF pipes everywhere. under the streets
and in the houses, Do the people want to estab-
iish forever an oligarchy OF contractors with a
standing army of ''tarrlers" or a plutocracy OF
plumbers governing them by bonded debt ?
Slaking seriously. can they afford to pay in lives
the consequences Of subjectng the city at one
| fell sWoop To an essentially unsanitary process
which has always been conducted in piecemeaI
heretofore. with regard to the public health ?
| Certainly IL would seem that the Health Board.
| at least. should sit upon the matter
Even laying aside all those evils and disad-
vantages for which compensation could not be
| made In money. would the dimlnution in the
! tax rate be appreciable one II the highest Of
the bonuses yet offered for the franchise were
! accepted by the city? Not e-half Of one
| hundredth per cent would be saved in taxes to
pany were paid into tho city treasury. Natur
Ill. IL, onln nIo1