Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-04-19
ASK FOR FRANCHISE.
COMPANY FORMED TO SUPPLY
POWER FROM COMPRESSED AIR
LOCAL CAPITALISTS ARE INTERESTED
The plan IL strongly Endorsed, and
an Interesting Presentation of
Facts is Made-Reduction of Water
Hate to Manufacturers.
ronpIy Endorsed. aud

There was a Joint meeting Of the com
! Hall last night to consider the proposed
| ordinance granting to Joseph II. Hoad-
ley and others the right to use the
water from the canal of the Jamos-River
and Kanawha Company for purposes OF
air-power, rcfrigerating, and cooling;
also, to lay pipes under and along the
avenues, alleys. and PARKS Of the city of
Richmond"
Those present We're Messrs. Briggs
presidingJ. Bloomberg, o. \. Hawkins.
Garter, Ebel, Montgomery Noble, Fos-
ter, Tanner, Zimmerman, Burton.
Woody, Allen. and Pollock On motion
of Mr.. Ebel. the citizens and others in
terested were granted the privilege Of
the floor.
SPEAKS FOR THE COMPANY.
Mr.. Alexander Guigon. counsel for the
company. was first heard. The system
OF air-cOmpresson. he said. had been en-
dOrsed by prominent scientists, and was
presented 10 the committee with the
highest scientific recognition. The model
erected by the company for the benefit
Of councilmcn had demonstrated the
practicability Of the PLAN Mr. ". h.
Morris. Of the Chesapeake and Ohio Rail-
way Company, had been sent by the
company 10 Ma2og Canada, and rcpOrt-
ed the plant there established 10 be a
very real and tangible success and the
system sound and practicable Touching
It's financial responsibility, NE said the
company had been organized and the
money secured partly from Richmond
gentlemen. The success OF the system
as eXemplhcd by the working model nov
in the city had attracted the attention
of many of the citizens. and without eX-
ception il had met with unqualified APP
proval. and the hope had been many
times expressed that the franchise would
be granted. The cost of manufacturing
power by this system. he said, would be-
30 light that 10 would materially benefit
the smaller manufacturers. That was
not the only advantage that would ac-
crue To the city however, for the com
pauy would pay 5000 "a year for the
rights they asked.
Mr. Guigon met the objection that the
city might want TO use their own water
power within the time limit of twenty
years prescribed i'm the Franchise on
the ground that the city WIS fairly pro-
tected by the franchise. and had the
alternative Of buying the plant from the
at "A very reasonable rate,
The use Of the water which this COM
pauy asked would not interfere with the
use 10y the Virginia Electric Company of
any other power which they do or did
contemplate. In conclusion. Mr.. GuigOn
asked the committee 10 refer the ord.-
nance to the City Attorney with iustiuc-
i.., o.
the city's interest on a basis of the one
submitted by the company.
WOULD TEND TO DEVELOPMENT.
Mr. 5. W. Trayers. president of the
Chamber of Commerce. appeared before
he committee and spoke in behalf Of !
he plan. He urged that IL would tend |
% the Industrial development OF the city |
# Richmond. and dWelt upon the deplo- |
able conditions prevailing at this time. /
must be- the basis of the |
itys growth. and cheap power is the I
Iasis of the manufactures He advo- /
.atcd diversified business interests for /.
richmond. and said the present high /
ate Of power was initiating ag inst the
mall manufacturers, and asserted that 7
his company would furnish power at ~
,er cent less cost than at the present
ime All the gentlemen who would
omprise the Board OF Directors of the
roposed company he said, were men on
Ugh integrity and uuquestiOncd standing.
Mr.. j. J. Montague said he had been
sing water-poWer for thirty years, but
he great disadva ntage of that power
vas that it could not always be found
.nere 10 was most needed.
Mr.. Robert Lecky. Jr. representing the
'oung Mems Business Association. spoke
& +I,.. Of he
was desirable. ne urged. that Rich
lond should be the first city iu the
'nited States to adopt compassionate
over as she had been the first 10 adopt
ulman palace-cars and electricity. The
doption Of this system. he said would
laterially reduce the rate of insurance
n boilers. and would lessen the danger
, life and limb from this source. In
is excursions. he said he had noticed
nat the cities which progressed most
,pidlv were those which utilized the
aste.
DR.. Froehling said he had carefully eN-
mined the invention. He needed com
-cssed air in his laboratory. lie dWeit
BON the need which existed for dry AIR.
rGinary compressed air was not dry, ne
nd, and explained many other advan-
gcs. expressing the hope the plan would
adopted.
HIS EXPERIENCE IN CANADA.
Mr.. W. 5. Morris. Of the Chesapeake
nd Ohio Railroad Company spoke en- {
of the result of his personal
recently made i'm Canada II
as a beautiful working device, and very
renious. II was interesting, indeed, %
q its performance. The compressor ran !
~ and night. without any attention. The
INJECTIONS he had examined. No llre j
as necessary i'm the boilers, the valves
ere simply opened. He was greatly
eased with the operation. though there
Id been one or two mechanical defects
nich could readily be remedied. lie :
oke of the advance in the operation OF
impressed air. and he invited the MEM :
rs of the committee TO 80 to the Chesd-
axe and Ohio shops. ON Seventeenth
rect, on TO the Locomotive-Norks'
here they could see the compressed air
operation.
Mr. Allen asked whether there would
Il be some loss in transmission. MI.
orris replied that there would.
Mr.. Allen: rs this a new invention
Mr.. Morris: 1T is new 10 me, though
e principle has been applied before
Mr.. Travers said ne desired 10 correct a
apprehension. He did not appear be-
re- the meeting as delegate from the
amber Of Commerce. but simply as one
aply interested i'm the proposition.
,lr. Inslee. a representative of the new
npany went into an exhaustive eXpld- -
ton Of the old and new methods q
Insmtting compressed air. He spoke Of 7,
2 advantages Of the system which it is 4,
posed TO operate in this city. saying | +
AZ IL x,as the DerfactiOn of "A very old