The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-02-07
GASOLINE.
Hearing Before the Mayor and Alder
men Saturday.

Hon, C. f. Libby Appeared for Petitioners
and Hon. Hiram Knowlton for Re-
monstrants-A Very Lively Discussion
Board VIII Decide the Matter Today.
Are the gasoline engines in use at the
Maine Eve and Ear infirmary and Owen,
Moore s. Co. IS, menace to the people
who reside in the vicinityP Do the engines
10 annoy the people who live in the neigh
borhood that they may be termed a
nuisance?
These were the questions which were
brought up before the board of mayor
and aldermen Saturday night. The mat
ter first came before the board some weeks
ago when the Maine Eye and Ear infirm-
airy and Owen, Moore & Co. presented
petitions for permission to store certain
amount of gasoline on their promises.
With these petitions were filed remon-
strances from people who live in the
vicinity of these two places, protesting
against the granting of the licenses on
the above grounds.
The hearing was largely attended,
sharply contested and much evidence was
introduced on both sides. For the Maine
Eye and Ear infirmary and Owen, Moore
Il Co. appeared Hon. Charles +. Libby
as attorney, while Hiram Knowlton, Esq.
was the attorney for the remonstants. The
board was IN session for over four hours,
during which time it listened to the
evidence presented on both sides and
finally adjourned until Monday. afternoon
at four o'clock when the matter will be
decided and the petitions acted upon.
HON. CHARLES F. LIBBY
who appeared as the attorney for the
Maine Eye and Ear infrmary opened the
Gearing by stating the position of the in
Urinary In relation to this matter MIR.
Libby said that there is only one kind of
an engine under the laws of the state
requiring a license, and that is steam
Engine. Gasoline engines do not have to
have q license and the only question is
whether or not the gasoline engine is a
nuisance. The infirmary desires to store
ADO gallons of gasoline in an underground
vault outside the infirmary building.
This gasoline or naphtha is placedsin an
ron tank and Is connected with the gas
ine engine in the building by a small
pc. The gasoline is admitted to an en-
me with a certain amount of air and
gnited by an electric spark. The expan-
Won of gasoline when thus ignited acts
,imilar to steam. There are over 20, 600
Of these engines in use in the United
States.
Now 100 gallons can be stored under the
statutes of this state without license.
The uestion is whether or not the stor-
ing of more than 100 gallons of gasoline
Is a menace to the surrounding prop
erty.
The assistant superintendent of the
Standard Oil company which furnishes
this gasoline is present to tell you now
gasoline may be safely used, said Mr..
Libby. A representative of the Otto Gas
~ inc company who put this gasoline
plant into the Eye and Ear infirmary is
present to tell you whether or not this
plant is safe. shall also show you that
the New England Insurance companies
have examined this gasoline plant and
have not raised the insurance rate in this
building one per cent.
The gasoline engines, for there are two
of them in the inflrmary, are used to run
the elevators, the laundry and all of the
small motors about the building. The
Maine Eye and Ear infirmary has linn
tied income and the use of these engines
for running the lights and furnishing the
power of this building costs one-fifth OF
what it formerly cost to take the power
from the local electric power company.
Gasoline is not dangerous article unless
it is confined in certain temperature
and brought in contact with a match.
1t is no more dangerous than gas.
FRANCIS II. HOYT,
assistant superintendent of the Standard
Oil company in New England, who has
charge Of the gasoline department., was
the first witness. Gasoline, he said, is
used in 200 cities IN this manner in the
country. Tie witness has had practical
experience in the manufacture of gasoline
in New York and knows the subject
thoroughly, The greatest use of gasoline
is for gasoline stoves and engines for
cleaning and dying and various other
purposes. Almost all the gas companies
buy naptha for use In manufacturing
gas, although this quality of gasoline is
of an inferior quality. Mr.. Hoyt had ex-
amined the gasoline plants in many
places in the country. He understands
gasoline engines and he thought the
Maine Eye and Ear infrmary plant to be
I'D to date and the finest and safest he
ever saw. The storage tank is the strong
est he has ever seen and is much stronger
than is really necessary. Naptha stored
in such a tank is not dangerous. Naptha
won't explode in the open air or at lower
Temperature than rs farenheit. Unless
it is confined in high temperature and
then placed near flame 1t will not ex'
plode Mr.. Hoyt described the infirmary
feline plant and said that at no one
limo was there more than cup full OF
gasoline inside the infrmary building
The gasoline is pumped into the building