The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1896-05-11
BY PRoDUCr 0VRNs.
Their Relation to the Gas Industry-Pls
of the Standard OIL COMPANY.


of the Standard oil Company.
New York, May ia special dis
patch from Pittsburg, Pa, to the New
York Evening Post says:
The Boston dispatch published in the
Evening Post on Thursday relative to
the Bay State Brookline gas deal has
led to the discovery by your CORE
spondent that the Standard Oil COM
pany is seeking to monopolize the gas
business of the Middle and New Eng
land states as effectually as it has the
petroleum industry. Plans are well
matured hereabouts, and here as we'll
as In Massachusetts the whole scheme
hinges on the by-product coke oven.
In Massachusetts the coal used will
be imported from the Nova Scotia tract
upon which the Whitneys have 100
year lease, while the main plant here
is located on the gas coal belt OF the
bituminous district Of western Penn
sylvania. The Whitney brothers, as
ISOLATED with Dr. f. l.. Slocum, presi-
dent OF the Gas Engineering company,
Il. b. Widener and w. l.. Elkins, the
Philadelphia traction men, Christopher
l.. Magee and William Finn the lat
ter two being the political rulers Of
Pittsburg, have already broken ground
for million-dollar plant at the new
town of Glassport, Pa, and have con-
traoted to supply cheap fuel gas to
the National Tube Works company
and other mills at McKeesport. The
tube works company, which employs
| 5000 men, is controlled by the Flaslers
and other Boston interests in the STAN
dard Oil group. 1t is expected that the
gas plant will be completed within nine
months, No special act of the legisla-
| ture is needed, as in Massachusetts, the
general corporation act furnishing the
| Whitney people all they need. Nc
Keesport is one of cluster of manu-
featuring towns with Pittsburg as the
central point, and it is expected that
| the same crowd will eventually do the
gas business of Pittsburg and Alleg-
heny, three charters having been taken
out, one for each city and a. third for
| the remainder of Allegheny county,
which includes McKeesport. Bids
made by these people for existing illum-
| mating companies in Pittsburg were
| rejected and the latter threaten legal
| fight when that is necessary. The
Pittsburg associates of the Whitneys
In the Glassport plant control the mu-
nicipal machineries hereabouts, and
they will have no trouble in securing
the rights to lay pipes, etc.
The great possibilities for money
| making in the gas and by-product over
projects may be judged from the state
ment Of local expert, who, taking
the coke production Of the Collinsville
region in 1892 as basis, has estimated
that during that year there escaped in
the air from the beehive ovens of Fay.
cite and Westmoreland counties, Pa.
100000 tons of sulphate of ammonia
$4,000 tons Of tar, full of the valuable
coal tar products, such as creosote oil
light oils, nathracene and pitch, and II
i addition 100000, 100000 cubic feet of gas
Ammonia sells generally at $50 tor
and at Johnstown, Pa. the Cambria
Iron company Is getting $50 ton for thu
ammonia collected from it's by-produc
ovens. The general introduction Of tn,
ovens, however, will probably reduc,
the selling price of ammonia by rs pc
cent. The decline in price will, o
course, lead to a still broader use o
these products as fertilizers.
There has ben an unprecedented rusl
all winter at Harrisburg to get ga
charters, either for the purpose of act
ual operation under the by product pla
or to squeeze another set Of owners
One day recently five charters wer
granted to cover the towns of Carlisle
, Meadville, Pittston, Lock Haven an
Pottstown, the chain covering the lengt
of the state. The same incorporation
appeared in connection with each com
pany. One incorporation is member {
a syndicate which this spring formal
| offered the city of Philadelphia $4,000
600 cash for it's gas works, promisin
to charge from IS cents to 81 a thousan
, feet, after ten years to give the city
{ per cent. of the profits, and in f1ftee
years 10 per cent. The city's profits las
t year were about 81, 800, 900, and there
standing offer from John Wanamake
of S25000, 900 for the plant The repuh
lican rings of Pittsburg and Philadel
phia controlled the last legislator,
which passed law taking away ex
elusive franchises from gas companie
incorporated prior to the general incoI
poration act of 1874 Prior to that yea
the grants were made by the legisla
: ture.
The close connection of the Pennsyl
vania gas people with the interests be
hind the Whitney bill in Massachusetts
: can be judged by the fact that tn
5 leading expert witnesses before tn
Massachusetts committee on manufao
lures were Joseph D. Weeks of Pitts
burg, whose estimates have alread
; been referred to, and DR. Slocum, ais
l of Pittsburg, and president of the Ga
!. Engineering company. The latter
: the inventor of a by-product owe
S which is to be used here, and he is ST
: perintending the erection of $4000
: by-product plant at Halifax, N. S., *
, the Whitney people.
= Exarracfi0r1