The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-10-26
GAS GAVE OUT.
People of Topeka Shivered Saturday
Afternoon.

Almost the first touch of cold wealth
er IN Topeka brought failure in the
gas supply OF the city and accompany
ing CONSERVATION to the citizens who
remember their experiences last winter
wen Ihey shivered and all but froze
wen Inc gas failed. It's the same old
story. Sc1pio is blamed with the
trouble though it makes but little diff
Ierence 10 the users of gas where the
TouDle is located if they are to be COM
peued to suffer every time that the
iilercury drops to the freezing point.
Inc shortage occurred late Saturday
afternoon and though the pressure
came back an hour or so afterwards
the incident was a painful reminder
that greater failures are liable to oc-
curr curing the winter The pressure
was so low that fires all but died out
ana nghts were of no use at ALL 1t
was Iully as complete a failure as that
which occurred last winter when the
mercury was near the zero point and
when much suffering resulted.
fortunately the mercury was above
the freezing point when the failure oc-
CURED and the period of low pressure
was not great and while the failure
caused much apprehension and fncon-
Venlence there was no actual suffering
as result. The gas company claims
that thousands of dollars worth of i'm
provements have been made at the
pant at OCtplO since the JrOu-
Die last winter and that several large
pumps have been Installed
A circular letter sent out by the
company several weeks ago warning
the patrons of the possibility of a fail
ure or gas during the winter suggests
that the management feared just such
an occurrence as that Of Saturday
They claim that the local company is
in no way to blame for the low
pressure but that the blame should be
placed on the carrier company which is
under contract to furnish the Topeka
company with gas. While this ex-
PLANTATION helps to ease the minds of
the local officials it in no way allie
viates the inconvenience and suffering
Of the patrons of the company.
The failure of the pressure was first
noticed in the district adjacent to
where the company's pipes enter the
city about half past four o'clock and
within a few minutes spread to nearly
every portion of the city. Topeka was
not alone in it's distress for Kansas
City and st. Joseph which receive their
gas from the same, fields which supply
Topeka were practically without pres
sure
After the failure last winter the city
council appointed a committee which
went to Scipio as guests of the gas
company and upon their return the
committee reported that extensive i'm
provements were being made which in
their judgment would do away with
another possibility of a failure in
pressure.
The local officials are at a loss to ac-
count for the low pressure Saturday al
though Superintendent Swan gives 1t
as his opinion that break in the ma
chinery was the cause of the trouble
Saturday. The gas company officials
in st. Joseph claim that the low pres
sure was caused b. the failure of GER
tain machinery necessary to increase
the pumping which have been ordered,
to arrive.
Again it is rumored that the floods in
the southern part of the state in which
the wells which furnish the supply of
gas are located are to blame. At any
rate Topeka was without a sufficient
gas pressure Saturday afternoon to
make the product of any value as a
fuel or of any use for lighting. The
hardware merchants of the city have
done a thriving business in their stove
department today and hundreds of coal
burning stoves will be installed in the
place of gas stoves within the next few
days.
The general opinion prevails that the
gas company has overstocked the ca
pacity of the mains between the fields
and Topeka with o view of disposing of
capacity during the summer months
and have disregarded the we'll known
fact that a much greater volume of gas
is required in the winter than during
the warm months of summer. Council
man Hughes promises to bring the
matter before the city council again for
the purpose of seeing If the consumers
are to suffer this winter as they did
last.