Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-01-27
THE WATER BOARD Y. COAL.


Sir:-If the present Water Board Of
the City are laboring under the impress
sion that the coal miners have given
up the fight in reference to having coal
used as a fuel at the city water plant,
they may as well eradicate il from
their minds. for we can assure them
that the miners are determined to fight
this matter 10 successful issue, and
with that end in view we have COM
mittees appointed who have been going
through the yari0Js wards of the city,
interviewing the different candidates
that are running for Council with a
view of inducing them, if elected, 20
not onl- turn the present board down,
but to u~e their influence TO have a
board elected that Will be favorable to
the use of coal. and we find it is the
opinion of the majority Of citizens
whom we have talked to, regardless Of
politics that the services of the pres
ent Water Board could be dispensed
with, without any very serious injury
to the city The present bOar1 seems
TO be determined 10 nay ont between
seven and eight thousand dollars of the
peoples money to a foreign corpora
ton for natural gas, in preference TO
using a home product Of coal, which
would cost littla more than Onc-half
the amount paid for gas, and would
give employment to a number of cit
liens and leave the money in circula-
ton in our own city, and as an excuse
the Board tries 20 make the people be-
lieve that by the substitution of coal
for gas. there would be an extra OK
pense in the way Of labor, which all
well-informed persons know is not the
case. 1t strikes us that if the Board
would try to practice the same econO-
my all along the line, that they would
fain ma @ the people believe they are
using in the way of fuel. that the run
ming expenses Of the city water plant
n ight be considerably reduced We see
by the annual statement of the Water
Board to the city of Wheeling, the re-
Ceipts and expenditures for the year
1895, an item of wages at the works Of
S16.456.2S which we think would be
ample to operate the plant with coal.
1t would give employment to eleven
men, the number engaged there at the
present time, at a salary of $l246l per
month. and for the year 1895. the wages
at the works amounted to $17O131l, and
office salaries 5000. making a total for
wages of $20,O43. In the report for the
year 1895. we see an item of expense for
oil of $795.53. We would infer from
this that they must have been using
a very extra quality Of oil, or otherwise
their machinery requires great deal
70 q l.
so see in the report for 1895 an item
of expense for repairs to new reservoir,
amounting to $3,S7I7S. There are
quite a number Of citizens that don
know the nature of these repairs; in
fact. there are some that didn't snow
there was any repairs made at all. II
the Board would give an tented ac-
count Of the repairs made the people
would be better able to understand 1t.
In same report we see an item OF eA-
pense for feed, amounting to S229.57.
We ONLY know of one horse belonging
TO the water works. and we think he
is either an extra big eater. or otherwise
the price of feed was very high; but OF
course. the majority of citizens are
not supposed TO know anything about
the price of feed. or how much an ordl-
nary horse would require. Occasional
" we find a man who has had some
experience with horses aid knows
about how much il would cost to feed
4 horse for year We also find in the
report for 1896 an item OF expense Ior
hacking and waste, amounting 10
S359.S3. While we don't profess to he
nosted as to the cost Of waste and pack
ing. we do believe if there had been
little less packing used on the engines
when making test with home coal, that
there would be left a sufficient quantity
TO run the plant for another year at
least.
We have only called attention to
few items of expense. taken from the
Boards report for 1896, wherein we
believe there could be some economy
used. but there are many others all
through the report, that if the Board
is as anxious to economic in every
tbina else as they seem to be in fuel
we believe there is a very good oppor-
tunitv to reduce the running expenses
of the plant several thousand dollars
ner wear. After giving this matter con-
siderable study for the last eighteen
m .ntbs we have come to the same con-
cIueion as a great many other citizens:
that the days of usefulness or the pres
ent Water Board is past, and by retr--
ing them it will not stop the city OF
Wheeling from going ahead and DONG
business at the old stand.
O''''''>' MINER.