Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1897-11-20
WHITNEY ON TOP.
Another Change in Boston Gas
Situation.
Recent Financial Coup Market
Found for Principal Product.

BOSTON, Mass, Nov. 18.-Fifty- cent gas
Is stealing upon Boston unawares. Henry
NJ. Whitney and his associates, now owning
one gas company here, are negotiatn: II
spot cash purchase OF other local compa-
MES. and the control OF the remainder. The
deal Is u sure thing. 1t will make Henry VI.
Whitney tho gas king Of New England, and
for the first time since the granting of II
pipeline charter to him by the Legislature.
three years ago. he will be in a position to
num- the remarkable prophecies OF cheap
light and fuel with which he then astonished
the state. His plans were declared vision
AIRY by men who call themselves practical,
because circumstances In the shape Of lin
tied coke market held him poweress The
solution OF his difficulties has come within
the past two months IN the demonst ration
that cheap coke is the long-songht
ed railroad has been experimenting
with 1000 tons of coke successfully
securing the requisite heat along with
freedom from smoke and cinders. and the
management OF other railroa Is are also
placing orders. II the railroads are satisfied
| with coke fiel-and MIR. Whitney has no
doubts OH this score--a great market will be
created, and gas will not be- the principal,
but the minor, product of Mr.. Whitney's
ovens, and will be sold at Il minor price.
According to his pipeline charter, he is to
deliver this gas to distributing companies ut
20 cents u thousand feet. 1t is reasonable
toexpect that the cost OF distribution will be
met il the gas is sold to consumers al 80
cents Mr.. Whitney developed Brooklino
sa Sae the For w fs G rs sms snss w
took hold of the stupendous problem Of
choap gas for Massachusetts,, the way seems
| clear to Il third great success. Associated
with him in this tremendous undertaking
are two of the shrewdest gas capitalists In
I'm - No.
trOit, Milwaukee,, Columbus, o., and other
companies and stephen l.. Elkins, Jr., OF
Philadelphia the first gas 'magnate Of that
territory. the promoter OF the recent
astonishing coup by which that city turned
over its plant to his company for 5000, 900,
and the head OF the syndicate owning the
rights for the manufacture OF water gas.
The Elkins people Of Philadelphia are on
the eve too OF introducing the Otto-Hoflman
process of king into that city, in ac-
cordance with Mr.. Whitney's teachings, and
Of reaping IN immense profit. The Standard
Oil magnates. who have controlled Boston's
gas supply since MIR. Addicks' retirement from
the field, have finally met their match In this
new deal, and been forced 20 a subordinate
position. The orig NIL pipe line scheme had
no outs about it except the disposition OF
the large quantity of coke left in the retorts
after the gas. ammonia. etc., had been
driven Off. Within the last three years this
,
public opinion and other critical forces, the
railroads have been forced to seek fuel
that would do away with the smoke and
cinder nuisance. Mr.. Whitney recently
shipped 1000 tons of coke to the New York.
New Haven h Hartford railroad at New
Haven, and it was given trial on the loco
motives. The railroad men were pleased.
The New York * New England railroad is
seeking to use this coke In connection with
its composite car for suburban trnf1lc. The
coke supply in recent years has been
limited on account of the manufac-
used for fuel under the boilers.
There are seven gas companies in B,s-
ton-The Boston, Brooklne, Roxbury Dor
chester, South Boston, Bay State OF Mas
chusetts and Jamaica Plain. The Whitney
interests bought controlling interest in the
Jamaica Plain company six weeks ago. That
was their first stroke. The stocks OF the
Boston, Roxbury, South Boston and Bay
State Of Massachusetts, are held by the Bay
State company Of New Jersey. The latter
formerly was owned by the Bay State Of
Delaware. The Bay State OF Delaware ais"
possessed the Dorchester company. J. Ed
ward Addicks made deal, through Thomas
W. Lawson, to buy the Brook
line company, but it missed fire,
and as result the Bay State of Delaware
was forced to sell both the Dor.
chester company and the Bay State OF
New Jersey. The latter had Issued first
and second bonds. against which were
placed the stocks Of these various Massa-
chusetts companies. Messrs. Rogers. Moo"
and Rock efaiia-, tho Dt~..-.L OIL capital
lists, bought the Dorchester company, also
the stock of the Bay state of New Jersey,
and by controlling the stock of the latter
they were able to elect the trustees who con-
troll the bonds which, in turn, control the
four Massachusetts companies. The trus-
tees are Messrs. Rogers. Moore and With
ridge. Mr.. Whitneys problem of getting con-
troll, after buying the Jamaica Plain company,
lay in getting a grip on the Dorchester ana
Brookline companies. Control OF them
would give him control of all. because the
other four are controlled by the trustees
and these trustees are the owners OF the Dor
chester and Brookline companies. The sur
render of all controls would be part OF the
transfer OF the Dorchester and Brookline
companies. The three trustees hold office
for 40 years. and that Is the period in which
Mr.. Whitney will run things The Standard
Oil magnates would have been in a very
strong position IL they had bought the ia
maica Plain company ahead of Whitney. Mr..
Addicks made his error in not buying the
Brookline company. He could have OBJ
iItinitesimal the probability OF that COM
gave it right He went to Brooklyn and
trod on the toes OF the Standard Oil capital
lists. In retaliation they came to Boston,
bought the Brookline company. paralleled
Jamaica Plain company's territory is
the entering wedge between BroOkline
and Dorchester. the apex running up
to Roxbury. The Standard Oil peo-
pie did not seem to appreciate the
fact that there was anybody In the
market for the property until after the
whitney syndicate had secured the control.
Mr.. Rogers OF the Standard Oil interests in
vested money with Mr.. Whitney in the
latters plant at Halifax In order to keep In
touch with the new gas experiments with
Dominion coal. When disappointment there
was reported on account OF the failure OF the
American clay tiles to withstand the high
temperatures, he ceased to regard the pro-
cess as valuable. The Boston gas com
panies had a contract with the Massachusetts
Pipe Line company to take the latter's
cheap gas In this city for distribution. The
contract was made three years ago, when
Mr.. Whitney's promises seemed sure OF quick
fulhlment When the Standard Oil interests
came into possession Of the Boston COM
panies Mr.. Rogers surrendered the con-
tract to Mr.. Whitney, believing 1t to be
OF no value. Mr.. Whitney then re-
signed from the Boston companies and made
his new alliances. The New England Coke
Il Gas company IL the name OF the trust
which Is going to boss things Mr.. Whitney
Is president. Richard Olney is a trustee, and
Mcmillan and Elkins have put up the capital,
along with Whitney. This company bought
up the quarter Of the Massachusetts, Pipe Line
company obtained at an expenditure Of much
time and energy by Mr.. Whitney and made
contract with the Dominion Coal com
pany to supply them with coal. The trust
has boughta blk parcel of land in Everett,
on the shore OF the deep water channel. and
that is where the Otto-Hoffman ovens for
the manufacture OF tn. new gas will he