New-York tribune., 1905-04-17
INSPECT LIGHT PLANTS.
TUG RIDE TO ASTORIA.
Busy Day for Senator ,Sterens and
Other Gas Inrcstigators.

Part of the legislative gas inquiry committee
inspected yesterday plants Of the Consolidated
Gas and New-York Edison companies Sena-
tors Stevens and Page and Assemblyman Mer-
rift were the three committeeman. Vice-Presi-
dents ". r. Addcks and L. B. Gawtry of the
Consolidated Gas Company took the committee
men from the Fifth Avenue Hotel in hacks to
the East 14th-st. holder where Charles F.
Mathewson. counsel TO the company: Thomas
]. Hayward of Baltimore. who is erecting the
machinery at the new Astoria plant, and ". H.
Bradley. the Consolidat ted's chief engineer. were
in waiting. The party went through the 14th-
st. plant. the process Of generating gas and dis
posing of the by-products. ammonia, coal tar
and sulphur meanwhile being explained.
Considerably to the surprise Of Mr.. Bradley
and MIR Addicks. who were explaining things,
Senator Stevens appeared to know all about the
gas business Mr.. Addicks, speaking Of the
work Of the purifier. mentioned lime.
Lime exclaimed Mr.. Stevens: isn't that out
of date? ] thought you used oxides
Mr. Addicks said the Senator right, and
that he had spoken of lime inadvertently,
Statistics furnished by the companys officers
gave the product of the plant five million
cubic feet daily. produced at the rate of ten
thousand feet for each ton Of soft gas coal used,
with by-products of thousand pounds Of
coke eleven to twelve gallons of coal tar and
sixteen TO seventeen gallons of sixteen ounce am
moniacaI liquor.
From the coal gas plant carriages took the
party TO East 21st-st.. where the carburetted
water gas IS made. The capacity there was
given al eighteen million cubic feet day
The meter house is Just across the road. Gas
meters of all descriptions were view. from the
meter that measures the quarters worth of the
tenement house consumer to the one that meas
ures the hundreds of millions of feet OF gas dis
tributed. The feet Of gas measured into r spe-
cally prepared tank We're forced through
meter to show that the falling of the tank and
the register figure of the meter coincided. Then
the committee saw how pressure was applied to
tho big city mains. A workman increased the
entire service below Grandst. from two to a
four inch pressure by revolving iron valve
An automatic register at Broad-st telegraphed
the added pressure to the offlce at 2lst-st-
From here the tug Eugene F. Moran took
the party to Astoria where the Consolidated IS
building what is to be the largest single gas
generating plant in the world. It's capacity will
be 24OOOOOOO cubic feet daily. The biggest
single plant now in operation, Mr.. Bradley said
is in London. with a capacity of 54,OOOO00 cubic
feet daily. The company's offices at the Astoria
plant are on what used to he an old beer garden,
and mindful Of its traditions, luncheon was
served to the visitors. The committeeman and
constructed train. Temporary tracks had been
laid and two open fatcars fitted with rough
board benches and hauled by an old steam en-
CINE discarded from the Brooklyn Elevated ser
vice carried the party around.
From Astoria the tug took the party to the
Edison works. at 39th-st. and the East River
The investigators were met at the pier by w. ].
Lieb, jr and Thomas r. Murray, general man
ager and vice-president of the company with
Walter F. Wells. manager Of the station;
Henry NJ Edwards. chief auditor, and Arthur
williams, accountant. A trip was made through
the big generator room and through vault
like corridor which showed at every foot big
sign: Danger. $500 volts" Within hricked
arches broad bands Of copper were supported
few inches from the main wall. They contained
all the current manufacture at the station and
to touch them meant instant death. 1t was
planned that none of the current generated at
the 39th-st station was fit for commercial use.
and trip by automobile made to 27th-st.
10 the transforming station. There the experts
explained how the $500 volts are received, how
that current enters the static transformer and
is reduced to three hundred volts alternating
current and sent 10 the rotary transformer
from which. as direct current. it goes to the
consumers mains. A up to date station
101th-st. the next point of interest to be
exhibited. The trip made in automobiles.
This ended the inspection.
The committeeman expressed themselves as
much pleased with their experiences. Senator
Stevens who once president OF electric
lighting company. said he had never enjoyed
himself more, and that the trip had taught him
many things. Messrs Page and Merritt were
equally complimentary.
II is expected that Charles F. Murphy leader
OF Tammany Hall. will appear at the session of
the committee to-day to be examined regarding
the contract obtained by the New-York Con-
tracting and Trucking Company for work at the
Astoria plant.
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