The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-02-03
WOULD FORFEIT IT
Council Threatens Gas Company
With Extreme Measures.
Members Favor Taking Away
Its Franchise.
ON A NEW BASIS.
Grant One Providing for q
Lower Rate.
Much Distress in Topeka Owing
to Low Pressure.

Instructions will be issued TO tie
legal department of the city this even
ing to commence proceedings looking
to the annulment of the franchise OF
the gas company and the issuance or
a new franchise wherein certain fea-
lures will be more favorable to the
city. Such is the intention at least
expressed by majority of the coun-
ell today
The pumping plant at Scipio is the
cause for the present lack of gas pres
sure, in the opinion of l. G. Treleaven
OF the Consumers Gas company. Mr..
Welch, the chief engineer, at the plant
informed Mr.. Treleaven that the ma
chinery had not been working smooth
ly- THE trouble is not in the pipe
lines OF MAINS" said L. @. Treleaven,
manager of the gas company, who has
returned from Chicago Topeka is
known as the model town when 1t
comes to the main service that Is in
here. There is not another town within
a radius of 500 miles that has so well
8 constructed pipe line as Topeka.
There is nothing to the theory that the
trouble lies in the pipe line People
who say that don't know what they are
talking about. to speak charitably. Over
here on the west side where the first
trouble was reported are nothing but
six inch mains everywhere. And then
look at ST. Joseph, Atchison and Leav-
enworth, why they are full of two and
three inch mains. There is not another
town as we'll piped as Topeka In a
few individual cases some people may
not have as large service pipes running
from the main to their homes as they
should, they may be using old oonnec-
tions, but that does not begin to eX-
plain the present difficulty. All new
machinery is affected the same way, 1t
is apt to work unsmoothly. don't be-
heve that we viii have a recurrence Of
this but then I wouldn't want to prom
ise that we wouldn't
Well TO Have Coal on Hand.
cit is well to be prepared for an
and some coal on hand where they
can be used Several things may hap
pen to cut OF the supply of gas en-.
tirely. For instance, a few days ago
a barn caught fire near where the
pipe line comes into the city. If the
flames had been blown over in, the di-
recdon of that pipe line, an explosion
might have taken place blowing up
the line and cutting the city off from
its supply of gas entirely, perhaps for
twenty-four hours and maybe longer.
The pipe line is apt to break. These
things do occur and it is the part of
wisdom to be prepared for them with
is no question but the pumping plant
is adequate or that the gas field is
amply able to take care OF the de-
mand placed upon it. 1 have been in
formed that the Kansas Natural Gas
company is not using the gas from all
of its wells, that it has number that
are capped 1 have not been down
to see for myself but / think that
there is no question over the ade-
quateness of the supply.
"As regards the threatened for
feiture of our franchise, though 1 am
not an attorney, I do not think that
there Is a court in the land that would
declare it forfeited under it's terms.
don't think that the court would con-
strue a difficulty to supply gas for a
short period complete failure to sup
ply, it would have to be over a
duration of time. However, that is
not for me 10 say nor for the city
council, that's something for the at
torneys to fight over
The people themselves I find have
disposition to treat the matter fair
ly. / have had a numper come to
me who took a sane view They
overbalance the benefits of the service
we give in the $50 days of the year as
against the fifteen when we fall
down
Here is another important thing
We are selling less gas today than we
did last year Our recorus show that
for December of 1906, we sold s per
cent more gas than We did during last
month. So that goes to show that the
difficulty does not lie in the main
system here. When we cut off our
large consumers we reduced the
amount of gas that we sold and
though we have hooked on a great
many private consumers they don't
offset the big ones. who use in some
instances a thousand times more than
the average small consumer"
1t is natural in times of distress like
those OF Saturday night and Sunday
morning, where hundreds of families
in the city dependent upon gas, were
without adeuuate heat or means for
cooking, that they should be angry and
that they should reflect their anger
upon the counoilmen.
It is serious thing to be without
heat; particularly. with sickness in the
family But at the same time 1t must
be realized that those who depend en-
tirely upon natural gas must take GER
tain risks that those who rely upon
coal need not assume. except in the
rarer contingency of coal famine
There is danger that the council
spurred by complaints of distressed
constituents may take some rash ac-
tion which would be disastrous. or he
merely of no legal force
If the franchise should be abrorate5
tonight what would the city fathers
substitute in place of the gas we are
receiving from the present comnanvo
There would be simply untold misery
with no good done. Not every one
could on the spur of the moment sI,n-
ply some other heat; neither can the
gas company build new mains, if such
are necessary. in a few days
The State Journal does not believe
that the council can take ADVANTAGE IF
the present emergency to get a more
favorable contract. What we have gor
to do Is to do the best we can during
this midwlnter season Those who can
do so should provide coal or wood that
in case of very severe weather during
the next thirty days they may not be in