Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-31

other. from the same reports, declared
that 81 was the most reasonable.
Mr.. McIlhenny-The man who said 50
cents did not know his business.
Mr.. Sims--He was an expert.
Mr.. McIlhenny-He did not know his
business.
Mr.. Si,ns-He was presented to us as
an expert
Mr.. McIlhenny-I bet YOU he never
made a foot of gas in his life.
Mr.. Sims-You have just illustrated
the truth of that tatement. You are
an expert and you differ from what the
others have said.
| Mr.. McIlhenny--I do not claim to be
an expert in gas making.
| Mr. Sims-You ought to be; you are
| a gas engineer.
| Mr. McIlhenny-I look after the physi-
cal condition of the company. when a
holder is needed, or anything OF that
kind. We put i'll large quantity OF
water gas apparatus last summer. and 1t
costs a great deal of money You can
not move unless you spend fifty or one
hundred thousand dollars in that way,
and when those questions come up /
am always consulted. but I am never
consulted upon the little affairs Of the
company. I could not give my time
| to it.
Mr.. Murphy-You probably know what
the daily consumption Of gas here is?
Mr.. McIlhenny-At the present time
| Mr.. Murphy-Do you have in your
company chemists to examine the con-
stituents of the oil that you use before
| it is used?
Mr.. McIlhenny-Oh. yes.
Mr.. Murphy-You have that analysed:
| Mr. McIlhenny-Oh, yes; that is chem
ically examined. We have a large amount
| of money invested here in tanks and pipe
| lines.
Mr. Sims-Changing to coal gas would
not disturb your pipe lines?
Mr.. Mc1lhenny-For there would be nc
use for them afterward.
Mr.. Sims-I mean the mains throughout
the city.
running from one works to the other.
Mr.. Sims-Would you not need oil In
making coal gas?
Mr.. McIlhenny-No.
Mr.. Sims-Coal gas of twenty-five can
dlepower?
Mr.. McIlhenny-No, unless you are com.
PEELED to make twenty-five or twenty-four
candles.
Mr. Sims-I said making twenty-five
candlepower you would need OIL
Mr.. McIlhenny-Oh. yes; and that was
done here for long time.
Mr.. Sims-Then the pipes would not be
entirely abandoned.
Mr.. McIlhenny-It Is a very expensive
way Of doing 1t. and it is not a Satsfac-
tory way. because there is no way of FIX
ing the oil.
Cost Of Coal Gas.
Mr.. Sims-1n making twenty-five candle
power water gas. or making twenty-five
candle power coal gas. as you would
have to do, which is the more expensive
to manufacture?
Mr.. McIlhenny-I think the coal gas.
raised to that candlepOwer would cost
more than 1t does to make water gas
Mr.. Sims-Could it be furnished as
cheaply to the consumer?
Mr.. McIlhenny-Coal is going up.
Mr.. Sims-Could 1t not be furnished as
cheapiy to the consumer, twenty-five can
dlepower coal gas brought up by Oil?
Mr.. Mc1lhenny-No, not quite: but six
teen candlepower coal gas could be fur
nished cheaper probably, but twenty-five
could not because that would involve the
purchasing and handling of a large guam
tity of oil.
Mr.. Sims-A few moments ago a gentle
man. Mr.. Love, stated that it took about
one gallon or gallon and a half of Oil
when it takes about six gallons to enrich
water gas.
Mr.. McIlhenny-That is correct.
Mr.. Sims-So it takes more oil with
water than 1t does with coal?
Mr.. McIlhenny-Oh, yes. In the first
place you commence coal gas with 49,
candle gas, and with blue gas you have no
illumination whatever.
Mr.. Sims-You supply it all with oil?
Mr.. McIlhenny-We supply it all with
! OIL
Mr.. Sims-Then with coal gas the con-
sumption of oil would be less, If ! under
| stand you, to make 22-candlepower per
thousand feet?
Mr. McIlhenny-Yes. 1t would depend
on the character of the coal, probably
between one and two gallons. $3.50. .
Mr.. Sims-But you would have to have
more coal per thousand feet than You
now have? 49, "a =.
Mr.. McIlhenny-Oh. yes. - -,
Mr.. Evan Fl. Tucker-Mr. MeIlhenny.
understood you TO say that the citizens
of Washington were not satisfied with the
16-candlepower gas. Did you mean by
that that they were not satisfied prior, to
this present act of 1895? 49,
Mr.. McIlhenny-Yes-no. not 1886; TWEEN
tyfour years ago, when we made nothing
but coal gas.
Mr.. Tucker-The law prior to this pres
ent law provided for a 16-candlepower
gas. but you remember that that was by
different test from the test now en-
ployed. The old test
Mr.. Taylor-Now. Mr.. Tucker. if this is
a statement
Mr.. Tucker-This Is a question. He
knows all about this law.
Mr.. Taylor-Proceed with the law.
Mr.. Tucker-The old test provided for
the BunSon photometer and round-hame
burner. an Argand burner. with, / think
and it was told before this committee ten
or twelve years ago, that that test pro-
duced a 16- candlepower, the new test that
is employed now. with the f1at-flame bur-
ner, produces a 22-candlepower. and that
there was the same gas, only by differ
emit test. Is that fact? Is there that
much difference between a round-hame
gas and f1at-flame gas?
Test Laws From England.
Mr.. McIlhenny-We get all our testing
| laws from England. There was an act OF
parliament creating board of gas ref
erees for Great Britain. and they have
gone into it very scientifically. Able men
have been at the head Of it, and they have
gone into it. The first tests were used by
burners that we called "Argand' burners:
| that is, a burner with q chimney over it,
so that it would induce the oxygen to
come in contact, twenty four holes to the
| burner, and that ran along for years and
years as test of candlepower. Then
the law was not changed. but the recon-
mendation was made by the referees that
| they be allowed to use fiat flame, be-
| cause they felt it was a more exact test
| Of the gas and there was no aid to it:
| there was no chimney over it to induce
more oxygen to come In contact with it.
| and today all over the world, Germany
and France, and all over the civilized
world, the fiat flame is used, and 1t is
considered better test than the Argand
| burner and we are using it here, of
| course, because 1t Is used all over the
world We did not adopt it. Other peo-
ME adopted it. and we followed suit
Mr. Tucker-The point wanted to bring
nut is getting