Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1905-10-02
AIR SOLD FOR Gas
indianapolis Uncovers Great
Fraud Against Con.
suners.
PAYING BIG PRICE FOR WIND
Mixer Actually Found at Work.
Yet Company Says Illumination
Good.

Indianapolis, Ind. Oct. 2.-The peo-
pie here are up in arms over the dis
covery that they have been using and
paying for common everyday air for
| Illuminating purposes and that the In
dianapolis Gas company has been
charging them 1,000-feet rates for the
privilege. With Philosopher Dooley,
the Indianapolitans think that if the
gas company is going to charge them
! for ordinary atmosphere, they might as
well detach their gas piping from the
meters and connect the same with the
ventilatorS and save expense. AT the
same time the seriousness of the sit
uation has aroused feeling that pre-
sages real trouble for some magnates
of the city in the near future.
For years the people have wondered
and speculated as to why the quality
of illuminant furnished by the gas COM
pany was so varied. Sometimes it
burned with considerable candle pow
er and then again it flickered and sput-
tered worse than an old tallow dip in
the last stages of dissolution.
Find Mixer ut Work.
The explanation came yesterday.
when, following a report from City
Chemist Underwood on the ingredients
of the so-called gas consumers had
been using, City Engineer Jeup and
his assistants suddenly invaded one of
the company's plants and found the
pumps that had been installed TO force
common air into the gas mains in full
operation.
A rotary fan similar to the blower
under an up-to-date blacksmith's forge
had been installed. The blower, which
was a large one. had been geared up to
shaft which made from 125 to 200
, revolutions per minute. But the shaft
was reduced so that the fan would re-
volve at terrific speed. taking in the
air and forcing it through a pipe which
ran under the floor to large, old nat
ural gas meter made of cast iron and
intended for heavy pressure. Only the
dial of the meter showed above the
floor.
Meter shows Much Air.
General Manager Graft of the Indian
apolis Gas company stood by while the
city officials were examining the dial,
which registered Is feet of air a min
ute during the period of observation.
While the astonished officials watched
Mr.. Graft Indignantly denied that air
was mixed with the gas. Then. with a
show of defiance. he declared it didn't
make any difference whether air was
mixed with the gas or not Finally he
refused peremptorily either to deny or
az Il
that the mixture of air with gas fur
nished to consumers has been a com
mon practice is contained in the dec
laration of the gas company officials
that il didn't make any difference if
such was the case as long as the pro
duct supplied the candle power called
for in the franchises. The city officials |
replied the real trouble was that the |
required candle power was not main |
tanned at all times, and the answer to |
this was that the city had not been
making tests with the right kind of !
burners.
Testing Plant started. |
Discovery of the conditions placed |
before the citizens of Indianapolis was
the outcome of an investigation which |
was planned some months ago, the city
going to the expense of establishing a
gas testing plant in charge of the city
chemist. The tests have shown that
the candle power of the gas is much
lower than the 1S-candle power speci-
fed in the contract between the gas
company and the city. Some tests
have shown that the gas fell as low as
10-candle power. Recently. however
since the movement for 60-cent gas has
gained ground and the gas company
has entered the municipal political
fight, it has been furnishing gas of
higher Illuminating power. Tests made
even during the last week, however,
have all shown approximately 13 per
cent of nitrogen and oxygen in the
gas. Thirteen per cent would mean that
the nitrogen and oXygen-componen
parts of air-are about one-eighth of
the total body of the gas. or that there
are about 125 feet Of nitrogen and oxy-
gen in every 1000 cubic feet of gas"
With gas at 80 cents this would
mean that there is about IL cents
worth of gas. This figures up bill of
about $4,000 year for nitrogen and
oxygen.