The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-05-20
Local Capitalists and the
Schott Firm of Chicago Are
Besieging the City Officials
For Plum.
RIVAL BIDDERS OFFER
TO SHARE WITH CITY
Local Firm Offered to Make a
Flat Rate of Seventeen
Cents-Plans of Work We're
Submitted.

In order to reach some agreement
and understanding, a conference was'l
held by the board Of works. City At
torney T. J. Study, the franchise COM
mittee of the city council and Mayor
Schillinger, yesterday afternoon with
a representative of the W. H. Schott
Engineering Company of Chicago and
a conference today with the represen-
tatives of the Central Engineering
Company Of Chicago. The former
company represents it's own interests
but the latter engineering company
represented E. G. Hibberd and George
H. Eggemeyer. The two companies
desires franchise for central hot
water heating system.
At the conference today Mr.. Egge-
meyer and Mr.. Hibberd were present,
as were also B. T. Clifford. C. A. Gil
ham, D. T. Wallace and ]. E. Meyers,
all Of Chicago. They presented plans
and specifications of the routes which
they desire to take in order to lay
their mains over the city. A franchise,
which would be agreeable to the local
promoters, was also presented and
carefully considered by the officials.
Offer II Cent Rate.
In general the proposition offered
by the local capitalists is to furnish
hot water for heating purposes at q
of radiation, in every home In which
the system is installed. The promo
ters agree to maintain temperature
Of a degrees fahrenheit between Sep
tember Is and May 25 and longer IL
the weather warrants. The above
charge is a minimum one and the pro-
moters desire that a section be plac-
ed in the franchise increasing tho
price one cent providing the cost of
coal during any one year averages
$3.50 per ton. The engineers main
tain that the cost to the consumer
should increase II the price of coal
raises a certain percent. But the
city officials are demanding that the
company agree to furnish their pro-
duct at flat rate Of II cents, which
shall be a maximum one. The promo
ters show signs of yielding to this
point.
City Demands Share.
Whatever company gets the fran
chise, it seems very probable that it
will be compelled to give either a
certain percent of the gross earnings,
or so percent Of the net earnings to
the city.
The Schott engineering company is
willing to give so per cent OF the
gross earnings. The local firm has
not as yet consented to this point.
Neither company wants to. give a
small per cent of the gross earnings,
because they claim 1t is poor finance
and hinders the sale of bonds. Pro-
lection precautions will be taken by
the city.
The acknowledgements company
presented plat showing the route de-
sired. The plant will be located near
Twelfth and North e streets and the
main distributing lines will be on
North and South A streets, making a
loop or belt. Tributary mains will
branch out from these distributing
mains and cover all parts of the city,
where there are enough customers to
warrant the expenditure. The Schott
plan is a little different No plans
| were presented by them. Its distrib-
uting mains will be on North A street
exclusively. and the branch lines ra-
diate from this line. All branch lines
| will be placed in alleys. whenever pos.
| sible. The city officials insist that
Main street be torn up in as few plac-
es as possible. Each company states
it will cross Main street but three
times.
| The local company agrees to main
tain temperature in the mains Of 200
degrees Fahrenheit when 1t IL 20 de,
grees below zero outside. 1t frst
agreed to maintain . temperature Of
$50 degrees when the temperature out,
side was zero. However the Schott
representative agreed to furnish hot
water under the first above mentioned
conditions and the local men accepted
this proposition
To Heat All Rooms.
The local company desires to In
clude all rooms generally used by the
patron when 1t makes . contract to
supply hot water. It will only consent
not to include such rooms when they
are very infrequently used and Of the
nature Of store rooms or the like The
other company. however. states that
| 1t will contract to heat any number
Of rooms IN residence providing the
rooms not heated by their system are
kept closed up.