The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-02-24

The committee of citizens which. for
the past two or three months. has been
Investigating the natural gas question.
has at last presented its find
ings to the public A joint
meeting of the committee and
the chamber of commerce direct
ors was held in the latter's office last
night when the result OF the investiga-
ton was given out in the shape Of a
majority and minority report.
Both reports are pointed documents,
dealing with the question in plain
terms. The majority report however,
which represents the more conservative
side so far as the fight against the
Salt Lake & Ogden Gas & Electric
Light company is concerned, was
adopted. and this only after a great
many notifications. But this action
does not detract from the minority
report presented by Charles NJ. Owen.
The meeting held last night was for
the purpose of receiving the Sub-com-
mittee's report. There was not full
attendance, and 1t was remarked that
not one of those who SlgEed the ma
jority report was present. The attend
ance was limited to the following gen
tIemen: W. A. Nelden, E. W. Taylor,
]. NJ. Dart, D. Eyer W. P. Noble,
James Anderson, j. H. Farnsvorth, 5.
B. Miner, George Osmond. Hugh An
derson, L. +. COlborn and c. NJ. Owen.
w. A Nelden was made president and
c. NJ. Owen secretary.
COLBORN FIGHTS FOR PUBLICITY.
The first matter to come up was the
question of excluding the reporters,
proposition which, despite Judge Col
born's protest, carried by vote of
TO 8, and the newspaper men had moth
ing TO do but get into the cold hall
way, sit on the stairway hannister and
wait.
1t must have been a very lively meet
ing for it sounded at times as though
everybody was speaking at once, and
the discussion was all on the majority
report which the most of those pres
ent thought contained surplussage and
many items foreign to the issue
THE CONSERVATIVES WIN.
The conservative element won out,
too, and while the majority report was
adopted, a resolution was passed de-
claring it TO be the sense of the COM
mittee that all that portion of the re-
port relating to the Investment of the
Salt Lake & ogden Gas & Electric
Light company should be eliminated
as well as all portions in reference TO
future franchises of that company, all
of which those present believed was
not part of the committees purpose
or duty TO deal with.
TO PRESENT TO THE COUNCIL.
A committee was also appointed for
the purpose of drafting a resolution TO
be presented to the city council. rec
ommending such ordinances as are
fO bring relief 10
the gas consumers. This committee
VIII meet at the rooms of the chamber
of commerce tomorrow afternoon to
complete its work.
THE MAJORITY REPORT
The majority report, which follows,
covers many matters not Included at
ali in the plan which the committee
was instructed to carry out, which was
TO determine the extent of the natural
eas supply, the condition of mains,
etc.
To the Joint Committee of Citizens and
( Chamber of Commerce:
Gentlernen-We desire to submit for
your consideration the following re-
Under date of Dec. 5. 1896. your COM
'-nittee met in preliminary session, and
on motion of George Y. wallace, sec.
onded by Spencer Clawson, Willard
Y 0un2 Was ulIGHlAnOUSlS NEAlACAC0 NhN
chairmanship of the committee On
the same day another meeting was held
and Mr.. Young accepted the chairman
ship.
Dec. Sat the request of the Salt
Lake and ogden Gas and Electric
Light company the whole committee
inspected the gas works in this city
paving especial attention to the valve
system and the meter.
Dec. S.-The whole committee, with
the exception of Mr.. Clawson, who
missed the train, went to the gas fields
and thoroughly informed themselves as
to the gas supply at the wells. The
Tuscarora well of the New American
Gas and Fuel company showed a
pressure of 152 pounds per square
jncn but was not connected to the
high-pressure main connecting the
wells with the city. The company was
al work cleaning out a well. known /
as the Contract well, which has since |
been re-Opened, as has also a third |
well belonging to this company.
OF the wells of Driver & Co, the /
Bryan showed pressure Of 30 pounds. /
the Johnson 107 pounds, the Woodman /
so hounds per square inch. The pres !
sure al the end of the high-pressure /
main was six pounds per square inch. |
At the same time there was a pressure /
in our city main of four inches in the !
water gauge. 1t is the opinion of your |
committee that with proper develop |
ment there is an ample supply of nat /
1ral gas for this city for ali domestic
purposes and for a large increase for /
such purposes. The companies oper- |
atfng the wells (the New American |
Gas and Fuel company and H. L. |
Driver & Coz have been working un
der great disadvantages in a financial
way. The gas is found in soft, sandy !
strata and requires more or less con-
slant attention and care, for in case
of TOO little draft, the wells are liable
to choke up with sand, and then re-
quire to be cleaned out at considerable
expense.
There does not appear to have been
any actual failure of any well from
exhaustion or from any other cause
than the sitting up The temporary
failure of Nov. Z, 1896, in the natural
gas supply seems TO have been caused
By a freeze-up, and lasted only until
the 10th of November. From Nov. 10
TO Nov 26 there seems TO have been
ample pressure. Another very cold
A