The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-11-07

n hno remainder Of improvements, consist
,,a Of changes in connections, 1nst aus,
iHs If scrubbing. Condensins ana pllri.
t IN nlant etc, should go forward AZ
thc same time that your penches are W.
"S tJpon the completion Of the new holder vac,
and after tllr present 400, 900 cuDlc loot
hnIdcr has been rebuilt ] would recon-
mend that you entirely abandon your up
nor works as a distributing station. lne
holders are In such bad condition as 10
be not worth repairing. and. moreover,
their maintenance costs you from s3,ooo 70
Sc, 900 per year.
Mains.
THAT you lay mains MS per exhibit ~,
attached hereto. This exhibit provides,
for the laying Of fifteen mics Oh SHY l.,
mains. largely inches ana ,ncn asinc i,
pipes. You may urge that TINS WORK
can be postponed, and so IN facl ~ ,nay,
but your system Will never be what ~ ~
should be until these 3-inch hihl'ls '''o
replaced by larger pipes.
Ultimately you will find 1t necessary 10
relay moro than the fifteen miles. "m mn
IRE now recommended. Your main sys.
TEN should be put n sven &C Gonu ressre e" or,
any portion Of your system, and TINS us
pressure should be maintained ml!h f
having an excessive amount on any olhet
portion. ,,, .v..
tenn had to BIO undertaken during ~ tmo
Tina Of minimum consumption and as INC
conditions OF supply would be enlireiy
changed after the completion o. a,,t tne 10
determine Just what large mains sho .un
be laid. Due to these conditions. my reg,
ommcndation that you lay MANS s., N-ii ~
and lnrper MS shown on EXHIBIT nus
been worked out In the most conserValiyi,c
manner. and in all probability you Will
after the new holder has been III ser !,
vice for some time ma IT necessary "a ,, o ~
mn
Recommended. During the coming winter
n careful study should be made OF your VT
main system, and pressures .snould pc
constantly taken to determine the weak
est districts.
Services.
That you lay no service smaller m, tl,,, 'h All
service pipe be coated with a prcBervatlHc
before being put In the trench. and fir-
Their, when 1t Is found necessary 70 re-
That the same be replaced with q larger
pipe It Is estimated that In the next
eighteen months you will. In extensions
and requirements. lay two thousand ser
Vices.
Metres.
That all metres on your system DC sys I
tematically removed. tested md repaired,
ut least once in three to five years For
testing a proven should be used In place
of the present small test metre. we es,
innate that to provide for extensions and
to replace metres now In service, which
will be found worn out, you VIII REQUIRE
in the next twelve months 1900 metres,
none of which should be smaller than five
light.
Quality Of Gas.
That you make twenty grains of sulphur
per 100 cubic feet, and five grains Of am
monla per 100 cubic feet the maximum
amount of these impurities to be con-
talncd in the gas distributed.
That you distribute q mixed gas OF
twenty candle power. and that you pur-
| chase and install the necessary bar Pho
tometre and laboratory apparatus TO en-.
| able your superintendent to uniformly
carry out these regulations.
Operations.
Heretofore ii has cost you less per
! 900 cubic feet to manufacture water
gas than to '~snufacture coal gas ny the
! Installation Of modern and efficient coal
| gas apparatus the coal gas should be
| the cheaper Of the two gases. As gas
coal can be purchased In Richmond for
Of anthra cite coal retail for $3.50 to 800
per net ton, you should be able to de-
vclop a good market In Richmond for the
sale OF coke for domestic purposes. !
would recommend that you manufacture
as much Goa! gas, as practicable at the
same time disposlng OF your coke and
maintaining the proper candle poWqr e IN
other words, that you manufacture water
!
taking up the Irregularities In winter
consumption and for controlling the mar.
ket for coke. would also suggest that
you use cheaper grade OF oil In the
| by making the improvements herein
suggested. you WILL with efficient ns,n-
agcment. be able to deliver gas to the
consumers burner, giving the consumer
at the same time maintaining your prop
erty in the proper condition. for less than
| the amount which 1t now costs you to
deliver gas OF doubtful quality. giving
economy must. OF course. carry weight,
but the chief argument for making the
improvem ents is that without them the
service. already poor, will lapse entirely.
| further recommend tina you use every
| endcavor to encourage the sale of gas for
! heating and power purposes: that you In
| troduce modern methods of accounting
| In your commercial department and that
! you extend your main system, taking In
| outlying districts In the West-lI End along
| Cary Street Road and the East End, 10
i take in the triangle included between the
/ lines of Seventeenth Street and Venable
| Street. AS these districts are outside of
the present corporate limits, the cost of
4 such extension has not been included in
| the estimate hereto attached.
10 intelligently carry out the plan of
i bctterment herein generally described.
and. after the completion of this work, to
/ realize the economics therefrom, your
mana cement must be p-to-da te and pro-
! gressive. l assume that your chief in
terest and that OF the taxpayer Is that
your gas property gives the greatest
amount of service to the consumer for The
least amount of expenditure.
(, The form Of management under mum.
cipal government. which, to my mind
would seem most likely to give the de-
| sired result, Is rs follows:
That the actual management of your
gas property be placed in the hands OF
an executive official trained in every
| branch of the gas business, having un.
hampercd contrQl OF all employees. and
4 reporting to a commission Of three.
This commission should have the gen.
eral direction of all operations. more
! particularly the financial transactions
4 The commissioners should be selected fol-
their business ability and practical fitness
for the Office in question. They should
+ be appointed for a long term of years and
4 paid a sufficient salary to insure Their
/ having a sense .of responsibility.
The executive official should be ap.
J pointed by this commission for tern
K Of from four to six years. and to be re-
moved only by the unanimous vote Of thu