The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-06-16

7PfS.dl meeting OF the city water
ooard was held at the boards office In
che city building. yesterday afternoon.
Al J o'clock. FOR the purpose OF giving
to the advocates OF coal as fuel at the
water works pumping station another
hearlag- For some time the Ohio Val
ley Trades and Labor Assembly, in
conjunction with the local coal miners
union, has been waglng the campaign
FOR a Change OF fuel at che pumping
station, claiming that natural gas IS a
more expensive fuel than home coal.
Last fan two tests were made with coal
as the fuel bu; the board announced
that the results did not Justify the
claims made by the trades assembly
ana coal miners union people The
latter. however. did not give up their
struggle. Ginning that the FIRST test
made ut the works was conducted un-
iairly-not AZ the Instance OF the board,
th9ugh-and that the boards figures
used In the second test are not correct.
The result was the calling OF yester-
days special meeting OF the water
board. at which the committees OF the
trades assembly and coal miners union
were present
Afr. II. A. Foster. coal miner. made
a lengthy statement to the board, IN
substance as follows:
The first test % coal was made by the
water works superintendent, at the in
stance OF the water board. on Sepiem-
Der Il. 1895. Three Heiae boilers were
used, and the engines made 54.ssO revo-
iutions, equal to S.sS3. $50 gallons Of wat
er pumped in twenty-four hours. the
time OF the test The consumption Of
home coal was 6ii bushels. at an en-
CINE duty OF I3.723.700 pounds while the
guaranteed duty OF the engines is 100
100000 pounds, Il was intimated that
at this test certain persons hlndered the
test IN various ways in order 10 make
the showing OF coal as bad as possible.
For instance. it has been claimed that
the water In the boilers was bowed
down one-half guage every half hour:
the syphon pump was operated contin-
uously during the tweaty-tour hours;
one boiler damper was closed down
eight hours before the fact became
known TO the men firing the boilers II
was claimed that either the city had
been imposed upon in the machinery
purchased from The Holly company or
the people operating the machinery
were Incompetent.
The next step was a second and prl-
vate test. which came on on october
g. 1896. and was conducted without the
knowledge OF the miners. being entire
" az the instance OF the water board.
IN this test. say the miners. only two
Heine boilers were used. and the en-
gines made IS. So revolutions, equal TO
2. IS. 95s gallons OF water pumped, with
a consumption OF so bushels OF coal,
gVVer - GE0 mn
pounds obtained, showing an excess in
the speed OF engines over the former
test OF 7l2 revolutions, equal 10 1885
gallons Of water pumped. An addition
al engine duty OF o.0Oo. 900 foot pounds
compared with the first test was shown
nearly three times greater duty,
with only about three-fifths as much
coal used.
In the report Of the water board as
to the test OF October Is, 1896, Il IS stat
ed that the consumption OF coal for the
twenty-four hours was 80 bushels.
which would mean a consumption OF
l55.O5O bushels Tor 365 days. and the
cost per bushel IL given az i've and
oae-halt cents, making the cost OF coal
g74g7 IS. Il was also stated that the
return 10 coal fuel would mean the en-
pioyment OF two fremen at 500 and one
hauler OF ashes aud coal at $500 per
wear, together with additional repairs
10 furnace caused By the use OF coal,
making the total cost % coal fuel 81
T5T IS per year. while the present cost
OF natural Gas is s, 900 per year, the dlf-
ference in favor OF gas. according TO the
boards showing. being S,55I %.
The boards figures, claimed Mr.. Fos-
ter, are calculated to deceive the pub
lie. In the first place, It Is claimed that
the daily consumption OF coal. on the
basis oE the test OF october y. is not
go bushels-but, on the contrary, IS 90
bushels. In the second place, the
board's claim that the cost Of coal
would be FIVE and one-hRf cents Per
busheI. Is wrong and the claim IL made
that the coal can be had FOR less than
one-half these figures.
Mr. Foster then took W his claim
that. on the basis OF the October test.
Inc average daily consumption OF coal
vnuld be s23 bushels instead OF $40
bushels. the figures advanced by the
Tatsr board. With so bushels OF coal
consumed in the twenty-four hours. the
amount OF water pumped was 9,le''-99
gallons. The daily average oonsump-
don OF water Is less than S,eOODO 6al-
Ions. consequently the power OF StU
bushels OF coal pumped l,ls1.25s gallons
more tIAN was NhAAEeAAANNA
asriod OF the test. To have pumped
mat the daily average consumption
would have required a23 bushels OF
cual t1
relative to the price OF coal, he said
,hat coal can be had at the present time
AZ two and three-dfth cents per busael'
| or sixtv.h ave cents per ton.
| Al the price % coal a. the present.
Zine two and three-hfth cents per
l brsheI. or sixty-fve cents per ton. the
I S6aI used in a year would cost sos q,
md mo COS; " gas Is $500 Concedins
re claim OF the board that tive. firenen.
one ASH hanler and additional repairs
/ r1uld be necessary, at n cost OF s-'s4o'
| there would SIN he difference IN IA
,.1r OF coal Of 81, 7s4 %, according 10 the
Icures OF the coal miners.
C'npcsdlnr 900 bushels OF coal WoulI ,
hc nod daily, the difference IN favor OF
roaI would be 1904; or With $50 bush,
lie The difference in favor az coal Wouli
~ SSsq 81. or with 800 bushels OF coal
| SIS IN favor OF coal ,,.
Az Intelluancer reporter was unaole
IN SOC President Jones, Of the wafer
| E,srd last night. but It Is SAID the
to1rd stIII claims that coal IS INC dear
~ mol For instance, Il Is SAID, me
s,,i cannot be delivered NJ the pump,
! Ing station al slxty-hve cents. an' "oulu
nnst M least elghty-hve cents.