The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1909-01-31

NUaA + 4UAANL " NNAA 44NdAA AAAol va ANtAt I
Review, Including Philadelphia's Ex-
periences-Information About Candle
power,
Following is the statement of John /
NcUhenuy. OF Philadelphia. consulting /
engineer OF the Washington GaslighJ /
Company, before the District Commit /
lee of the House. which has under con- I
sijRratiou the bill to limit the amount /
of carbon monoxide in the gas supply /
Of the District of Columbia TO 10 per /
cent.
Mr.. TAYLOR-I infer YOU are here
at the request of the gas company?
Mr.. McILHENNY-I viii say a little /
further Tran that. that I am here at /
my own request.
Mr. NOORE-Are you not manufac- /
turer aIso2
NIr. McILHENNY-Yes. I am here /
because Sould like to see justice done /
tue business that [ have devoted my /
life TO- I suppose there has never been /
"a corporation organized in this coun- /
NY that has been subject to more in /
yesuigatiOu than the Washington Gas 4
COMPANY I have been connected with /
that company about so years, one way /.
OF another. Ny brother was former /
president of the company, and was an I
invalid. i'm bad health. for a long time, /
ana il required somebody TO come here /
and look after its interests. and I /
used to do that for him
Alr. 5OLDSBOROUGH-You reside in /
Pa# delphia, do you not:
Was Elected Engineer.
AIcILHENNY-Yes After his /
ath the company elected me its con /
ulting engineer, and try 10 do for /
I'll all l can i'm that position. I would .
like 10 say to YOU gentlemen that I /
have never known any body of men /
and I have been associated with .
great many people in my tme-Who are /
more anxious TO do right by the public /
than the men who have control OF the /
washington rGmuanV. II Is a constant /
anxiety and care and even Squib in 4
Ihe newspaper auuOyS tlcmt for fear
they have not been doing the right /
hing bE the people The matter or I
expense has never been considered. We /
keep men i'm the office day and night +
10 answer calls. II @ man has leak /
in lis home. me can telephone, and ne /
man VIII be there as iast as a taNlcao /
can carry, him, or horse and wagon /
10 fix IL IJr him.
No Better Service.
We have always done the very best
We could. and I do not believe there is /
better service rendered i'm that line ia /
The United States than is rendered here /
iu WashiuEssn. 7 have been in this I
business al my life, and / an. connect /
ed with - e.al other companies like /
this. But the anEiety OF the people /
here 10 serye-l suppose IL IS probably 4
the eve of the Congress on Them it'll
might be that il might not be any de- /
sire TO do better than other people, /
but. at any rate, they are always try
Ing 10 do the best they can and give /
make-JEe uurest gas.
Accidents With Coal Gas.
am not going into the question OF /
accidents. but there are many acCi-|
dents in coal sas. just as We HAD all /
The time before we made any water +
Eas, but we were forced into the max +
ing OF water gas against our will. The I
people were not content with I6-caudle-|
power gas. and the newspapers pub /
fishing all the time that other places /
were giving 29-caudie gas and - candle I
and - candle gas, and here we We're
subject 10 au outrageous corporation /
that only furnished sixteen making (
mints of money out OF the people and /
giving NClliaE l1 return. That forced /
IDS 10 spend millions of dollars 10 fur /
uIsh water gas.
We could have got along with max I
Ing coal gas, but the popular idea was
shat the water gas was the best and /
10 is the best for the people there is /
no doubt about that. There have been I.
some lives lost5 nobody can have any /
thing but regret for loss of life. Every
man with heart I'm linn deulores any +
thing like that. and no amount OF f
money ought 60 stand iu the way OF
protecting them.
Requires Human Sacrifice.
We all understand that, bat every I
thing seems 10 require human sacrifice. /
7 do not care what it is. When ueNuaJ I.
coal gaz people would get sunocated, F.
explosions took place, and with water
sss it Is the same thing. It is the same F..
In all branches of business / have +
newspaper clipping right now Of an lu- T.
vestigatiOu iu PIrtsburg lately, where 500 I
ueu lost their lives iu tho iron works /
That Is oepl1Table thing but legl=la- /
ZION cannot stop IT, and people are uOl /
going 10 stop making iron on that ac-
count.
II you were 90 pass this law today
and put us out OF business as the pas
sage or such law would. We could not
20 10 making coal gas now. j. you were
TO put us out of business now the Ue0-
pie would rise in arms against such q .
laws they would not have u. and before .
j say what i am E5luG ~ say ] want 10 .
give YOU another side Of the gas bust F.
ness.
What Gas Has Done
II is q DeuedCGuC one. and remarkably f.
SO. too, fl has heightened mems days .
and made-tEelr service at night valuable .
ana until the Introduction of tho cleo .
trio light there was no orlar iuumluaur
bat gas. But there is one oirectiOa il
which be hss been "a vast benefit 10 .
society.
Iu reading Miss EaEles book -l.e .
old Colonial Days BOO New England
and DF- Cooks book Ola Tie Lalmers. .
SOU viii uud that ile condition OF our
grandmother days was one OF aIulg-
cry. cooking down eu low hearth Oh "a .
not summer aav iu Dutch ovens for the
family THE wood stove came aloHE
sud was q great relief Ir lifted them
half way out OF ulaJ Qrldgery. Then
along comes the Ea- stove, and COR
Urban people there BIS nothing mat has
happened Of late years that has so ele- .
waited and lifted the character OF the .
woman as the gas stove.
Room to Woman
she can DC u bed AN hour later boo