The morning times., 1896-03-18
HEARD MUCH ABOUT GAS
Hearing on the lIIuminant Be-
fore the Senate Committee.
TESTIMONY OF EXPERTS
Washington Company and That Seek
ing "a Charter Had Representatives
Present-Scientific Facts and Fig
ures on the Cost of Production
Burners and Quality Discussed.

| mittee Oh the District of Columbia was held
yesterday afternoon at 2 ocIock, and there
We're present representatives OF the Wash
| ington Gaslight Company, Messrs. John
McIlhenny, consulting engineer; MIR. Will
lam Henry White, gas engineer from New
| York, and Professor E. u. Love, the in
spector OF gas for the city OF New York;
also representatives OF the Rose-Hastings
| process, now applying Tor a charter in
| this city.
After Mr.. Sands, who represented the
| Rose-Hastings system, had submitted sun
dry aIfidakiiS and other papers bearing
| upoL his process, and had introduced Col.
McCauley, who gave testimony in regard
| to the management OF the Rose-Hastings
| plant at West Chester, Pa, Mr.. John Nc
uhenny, consulting engineer of the Wash
| ipgton GasiighJ Company, made the tol-
| lowing statement:
| Mr.. Chairman, j have very little to say
| in reply to what Mr. Sands has stated. He
has made no reply whatever TO the state
| ment that was made here at the former
| meeting, contained in letter from Mr..
| WorreIi in regard TO the West Chester Gas
| Company. Mr.. Worrel is here today 10
reply for himself iii regard TO that
! with your permission, Mr.. Chairman, I
have a little statement to read. This is
/
competing gas companies. II is relative
! TO opposing or competing gas works, SO
| called. L shall not take up much or your
| time. IL is i'll reply to these gentlemen who
are advocating this bill, 1903.
1--WE have had experience enough In this
country with opposition gas companies 10
learn the costly lesson that they are not
for the public good.
THESE CITIES TRIED 1T.
About forty-five years ago the first
| experiment In this line was tried, and
| since then opposition works have been
built In Charleston, San Francisco, st.
Louis, Chicago, Detroit, Pittsburg, Buffalo,
Rochester, Syracuse, Albany, Lancaster,
| Savannah, Memphis, Chattanooga, Atlanta,
| Newark, Paterson, Jersey City, New York,
Brooklyn, Boston, Baltimore and in several
| other places. There was competition IN
| some OF these cities for a short TINE, but
| IT is fact that there is not one competing
| gas company in the United states today.
"AII have either consolidated or COM
! bined on the price charged the consumer for
| gas; and as a consequence OF this dupli-
cation of works, the amount OF capital in
vested is far too large for the business
done. The price of gas has To be kept
| up, and the consumers of gas have, in the
| long run. to pay more than II they had stuck
| to the original company.
III laCI lIllS IdiEl CiDuE 1uta OF cOIll-
peting gas companies has been found
public and private evil Of gigantic pro-
| portions. In all the countries Of Europe
| where they have been tried. they are now
| prohibited by law. because that kind OF
| busln ess rivalry is contrary to sound
economic principles: the consumers always
being the loosers in The end. aud during
| their construction and continuance they
are public nuisance.
'sNpiInpT there any for another
works, because the present company's
| works, no matter what may be said by
| applicants for charters, is fully equipped
| with the latest and best appliances for
| making good gas. and has always kept up
with the public demands by extensions and
enlargements, and viii continue 10 DO so
II undisturbed.
THEIR FIELD LIMITED.
'If gas here in Washington is sold as
low, and of as good quality as in New
York, Brooklyn, Baltimore, etc. where
competition ran rampant, why should
there be complaint? ] Will say here that
it is not the customers of the gas company
who are complaining; not a all il is the
people who have a direct interest IN man
nfacturing an adverse public opinion to
further their own ends. Water electric
light, and gas companies, as they cannot
sell their products beyond the limits of
UltlT we lillIlh on lIllS dCCftunl
be entitled TO favorable consideration.
"The Washington Gas Company cannot
sell q foot OF its product outside the
limits OF It's pipes, nor can 1t move its
plant or fixtures to carry Oh business else
| where.
IF permission be given another company
to enter Washington, besides the loss that
will follow TO the stockholders of the
present company, by dividing u business
none 90 large now, the taxpayer and public
generally Will suffer also. Think what a
condition this city would be in by dig
ging 400 miles of main trenches with
bet ween thirty and forty thousand service
trenches running across the streets TO
houses and lamps.
Tho streets would lie torn up from one
end to the other and could not be repaired
to a smooth condition, as the ground will
keep settling for o long time, and the
digging up OF so much soil would not only
be an evil OF immense proportions, but
would endanger the public health by turn
ing up, at any season Of the year. so much
saturated city soil. Two years ago when
the streets of Philadelphia were torn up
10 lay the new trolley tracks, the news
papers were reporting every day the numer-
ous cases of dangerous malarial disorders
that were prevalent along the streets SO
excayatcd, and nowhere else.
LONDON'S EXPERIENCE.
"When two OF more lines of pipes are laid
| in the same streets the evils Of the first
digging do not end, but leaks must be
looked for and stopped, and frequently
both parties dig for the same leak, as no
one can tell whose gas is escaping. 1t was
this looking for leaks, and repairing OF
pipes, more than the first pipe laying, that
so disgusted the people Of London with
rival gas companies that they are now
| tod NV 10 C5N- tom iEr.ll
companies OF that city are reduced to four
| friendly ones in separate districts, the
| price and quality of gas being regulated
! by n as is the case with the Washington
company.
''ln the neigbboring city of Baltimore 1T
cost the taxpayers $400 600 to repair the
streets after the last opposition gas COM
pany laid its pipes, although they were
stone paved, not the costly asphalt streets
that Washington is SO justly proud Of.
After this an appeal was sent to the legiS-
lature of the State of Maryland TO stop the
Ia wing OF pipes in the streets. The legis-
lature granted the request, and at the same
time fixed the price Of gas in Baltimore
at S1.25 per thousand, which the consoli-
dated gas companies of that city accepted
and which is the price now.
"The entire history OF rival gas com
panies in this country and throughout the
world has been marked by public disap-
pointment and loss. 1t is great deal
better to have one good, strong company,
regulated by law, than two or more COM
bined ones with two or three times the
capital that ought to be employed. The
parties applying for charter In this bill
under consideration, if permitted, will issue
bonds and stock up TO the limit, when not
another dollar is needed for carr ying on
the business in this city.
REGARDING PROCESSES.
"Now in regard to gas processes. There
are only two that can claim foundation