The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-10-31
HOW GAS IS MADE.
Company Officers Testify to De-
tails Today.

This is employees day at the dollar gas
hearing. All of the principle men who
hold jobs at the Topeka gas plant have
been placed on the stand by the COM
0any.
The first was r. E. Cowdry, superin-
tendent Of the works. Then came Philip
J. Dielman. who on September ? sue
ceeded H. S. Morgan as secretary and
treasurer Next ]. c. Neeley, collector
and meter inspector, testified. and this
afternoon J. L. Morgan bOokkeeper, was
on the stand.
A lot more of the comoany's books
were brought into the case today. in
Guiding the consumers ledger, the cash
book, the meter record and other books
not Yet identified.
The attorneys for the gas company
made formal tender to the city and to
lie master of all the route inspection
books of the company, similar in form
to the one which Collector Neeley uses
IN his meter readings, insofar as those
books cover the year 1900 and the first
six months of 1901. and no further When
this tender was made by Charles Blood
Smith, Special Master Brock said:
DO the attorneys for the city desire
to inspect these books?"
After comforting a moment with City
Attorney Spencer, Judge Mcfarland
We don't care to answer that oues-
ton lust now. We viii inform your
Sonor later as to what we desire to do
evidently the city suspected that some
sort of a trap was concealed in the frank
and generous offer of the gas conpany's
attorney and did not want to be in any
hurry about jumping in
by some of its witnesses today. the COM
pany endeavored to explain the extremely
/ large leakage" which has been shown
TO exist The natural assumption would
be that the leakage was due to defects in
the plant, which if corrected might en-
able the company to manufacture gas at
/ less expense. The company attributes tho
| apparent leakage to a change in the tenn
| perature of the gas, which when it rasses
through the meter is hot. and later. when
/ It cools in the gas holder contracts, thus
making what appears to be a leakage
really nothing more than a connection for
temperature.
r. E. Cowdry, who for % years has been
foreman and superintendent of the gas
works, the last II years being superinIend-
ent' described again how gas is male at
the Topeka plant. He makes a daily re-
/ port of the conditions at the plant . the
secretary of the uptown office. He stated
that the temperature of the gas as 1t
goes into the gas holder had oesn taken
only during the past two months Prev
ious to that time. no correction in the vol
ume of gas made for temperature
/ He stated that no account is kept of the
amount of coke manufactured ut the
plant. but he estimated that about two
-
the plant to fire the furnaces.
Philip J. Deilman. the new secretary
and treasurer of the Excelsior Coke &
Gas company, testified that he came to
Topeka on September 3 and thar siice
that time he has been taking the tea2era
ture of the gas. He said that the differ
ence for leakage and condensa ton
amounted to from As to 80 per cent during
the past two months, and would average
about the same throughout the year. The
city did not cross-examine this witness.
J. c. Neely. the companys collector
and meter reader, explained his worE in
detail, and produced his route inspection
book which was, as stated offered in evil
dence, together with other books of sim
liar nature.
The testimony of J. L. Morgan. which
is being taken this afternoon, has to do
with the methods of bookkeeping in use
at the plant.