The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-05-16
70 CENT CITY GAS BILL UP,
MAYOR TOLD JT WOULD MEAN
DARKNESS FOR BROOKLYN.
Should Company Attempt TO Obey the
Pressure Clause-AlsO That Price Is
Less Than Cost There--Small Margin
Here Electric Light Men Silent.

Less Than Cost There--Small Margin
Here - Electric Light Men silent.
Mayor Mcclellan gave public hearings
yesterday on the bills passed by the Legis-
lature providing that the gas companies
shall not charge the city more than Is cents
per / ,oCO feet and that they shall maintain
pressure Of not more than "a inches at
the initial ma ms and not less than inch
anywhere.
William y. Dyknan counsel to the
Brooklyn Union Gas Company, said that
compliance with the bill relating to pressure
would mean that Brooklyn would go in
darkness for the greater part of the night.
The demand OF the Legislature could not
he complied with. he said. adding:
"All that the companies could do Ia to
regulate the initial pressure. OF course,
if there is no consumption ofgas the pressure
will be the same at the other end OF the pipe,
but il there is any consumption, consump-
ton must regulate the pressure at the far
end If the law compels us to maint ain
a pressure Of only pa inches at the initial
main II will mean that when consump-
ton is heavy along the main there will be
at the end Of the service pipes no gas, no
light, and probably asPhy1iation. If we
reduce our initial pressure to the limit fixed
by the bill there will not be gaslight
burning in Brooklyn outside Of the COM
paratively sma Il area of the storage tanks
where the initial pressure is maintained
Mr. Dykinan submitted to the Mayor the
pressure charts taken last night to show
that where pressure of four inches was
maintained at the initial distributing sta
ton in Remsen street, Brooklyn. when the
gas reached the Fulton ferry district the
pressure was less than two inches. He
said that it would be physically i'm
possible to obey this provision of the bill.
As to the price. IL the rs cent rate was made
general it would be confscation of all the
property of the company. and he did not
see on what theory the company should be
compelled to furnish gas below cost to
the city. The company's request to be
heard. he said. had been ignored.
Did you fail to present your views"
asked the Mayor.
we failed utterly replied Mr.. Dykman.
We were not heard by the committee and
we were not allo wed hearing by the legis-
azure"
Charles F. Mathewson. counsel for the
Consolidated Gas Company. said that the
haste with which the veetigating COM
mittee and the Legislature had acted de-
pT1Ved lhe pllls OF any llle 10 SERIOUS con
sideration. Drastic laws had been oom-
pleted in five days. and the bills were com
pleted at last only by the committee sitting
up all night The act would permit the Con-
solidated Gas Companyto make profit a the
rate of only az per cent. on the amount 1t had
invested. and he added: Those who found
it possible to vote for such a proposition
ought to explain how they ever arrived at
their conclusion"
Perhaps they received my. telegram
in time. the Mayor remarked with a smile.
Il understood that those who voted the
other way did not receive the message"
Mr.. Mathewson replied that he had no
doubt OF the Mayors sincerity in the matter.
and continued: I'VE are sure, on the other
hand. that the Mayor. like other men hav-
times find he has made a mistake. and that
he will change his mind on this subject
when he has all the facts at hand"
No one appeared in favor Of the bills,
nor was there any opposition to the measure
regulating the price OF electric current sold
to the city.
On the proposed regulation OF pressure
Mr.. Mathewson handed up to tine Mayor
letter from President Alexander c. Hum
phreys of the Stevens Institute of Tech
pheys 4 Glasgow, Of London and New
York, constructing engineers Of the British
Parliament.
Mr.. Humphreys. who has had to do with
the practical problems of distributing gas
in fifty cities, says that the gas engineer
does not live who could operate any New
York city gas company in compliance with
this provision of the law. Prof. Hum
phreys couldn't do it, he says. Even if it
could be done, it would not benefit the con-
sumner. He wants pressure that will
give maximum efficiency under varying
conditions to burners that require different
pressures, Insufficient pressure IL his
great trouble FOR good service the gas
engineer must Use an initial pressure strong
enough to give the maximum efficiency
at burners Of all kinds everywhere. The
consumer can control this pressure at the
meter and also at the burner. 1t is to the
interest Of the company to keep the pres
sure as low az IL consistent with good
service. The consumer pays for gas by
volume, and more gas goes to a registered
cubic foot when the pressure. and there
fore the density. is high than when the
pressure is low.
"A % intaining pressure Of not more
than ~ inches at the plant and not less
than / inch at the burner Prof, Humph-
revs saws IF the offer should be made
to pay salary Of 500, 900 a year to secure
man Capable Of doing it,, any one rash
enough through ignorance and greed to
accept the appoint ment would fail under
I, ,,ol net