New-York tribune., 1905-12-17
WHEN GAS WAS NFW
President of First Company Made
Daring" Experiment in His HONE

Gas had as much difficulty IN making is v,v !.
New-York City, apparently, did ths saI
framed skyscraper In each case il required a 1,.
who had the courage OF his convictions to os,,.
that It was safe but when once It was sss,
that the BENEFITS were greater than tbs danS..,
gas and skyscrapers took their places as nsassr
ties In the case Of the skyscraper the dsszn.-
had to convince the owner. who had become soru.
what fearful of the success OF his venture becans.
OF the comments Of his friends, by signing less0
for an Office on the top floor for a long term A.
years In the case OF gas. although II had ban
used in London and other American cities bsfor. !,
was introduced into New York, Samuel rsxz..
the president OF the company that proposed t,
bring the much feared illumnant into usa hsTs
had to prove its harnlessness in MS own heus.
This was IN 1923.
His heroisn attracted a good deal of attsnse,
and proved to be a good advertisement for ntr
dreds IL not thousands of persons visited the hoiss
to gee the iliuminant which said 70 be 50 nssh
better than candles and fish oil lamps Ths houss
was in the uptown Fashionable quarter Of tSs clty
on Cherry Hill. 1t was at No. I Cherry-st- only
few doors below the big, square Franklin Eoass n
which President Washington lived when New-Yoek
was the capital. and near the celebrated chsTy
Gardens 1t was a narrow three story and sts,o
brick structure with two dormer windows Al
abutnent OF the Brooklyn Bridge now ecsupss
the site
Stories of the explosive character OF gas h.t
sons hesitated about having the pipes run throsgt
their houses. They were willing to have soma oas
else make the experiment however. and aEsoas
enough to visit the house ot the venturesons o3s
to what happened. For the time being al sesas
in the evening, seemed to lead to Mr.. Lsggstfs
house. Groups gathered outside in the dzrsesea
street to which the process OF lighting %"
Many couple from the other fashfonsble quar-.
ter State-st and the foot of Broadway gave %
the evening walk along the Battery TO wend tner
way up Pearl-st. in the moonlight 10 No. Cherry
st to see the novelty. There were eager visitors
from surrounding towns. Mr.. Leggett not
averse to showing people how much better gas
was than any other form Of ulunfnant by tzErs
them through the house. This fact becoming
known throughout the city added TO the nurnbe.
OF visitors. and not infrequently when Mr.. Leggss.
baskng in the light of notoriety in his drawzg
room. saw faces peering in at him from the eneeF
darkness he would go TO the door and invite thea
without to come in 1t was several years bssoIs
the prejudice against gas could be altogether wiped
out.
The first gas plant. and the enc with which III
Ieegett's house was connected, stood at Hestss
and Rynders now Centre sts. In the course q
time this was superseded by larger plszt E
Centre and Canal sts.. where Earle's Hotel stood
later The yearly output in Mr. Leggettis tns
course of the hour between and O'Clock
December afternoon. when the amount consumed
Is about 1900 900 cubic feet. In 1SfS when 1ev
plant was erected at Hst-st. and Avenus A. ts
city used about 81, ZOO cubic feet, about I've
fifths of the amount burned on the day oeos
Christmas last year. One Of the new gashodEs
being erected st Astoria. having a capacity =
was used in the entire city in the course OF 10