The Topeka state journal., 1909-01-18
Break in Main Near Ottawa on
II Sunday.
ALI Afternoon the Topeka Pipes
We're ''Dry."
MUCH EXCITEMENT.
People on a FrenZied Hunt Tor
Fuel.
Coal Men Rushed Deliveries
During the Day.
RELIEVED AT $3.50 p. NJ.
But Has Continued Weak Dur
ing the Day.
Temporary Main Built Around
the ''BlOw Out"
But Has Continued Weak Dur
ing the Day.
Temporary Main Built Around
the "BlOw Out"

At 2:3O today, l.. G. TreIeaven,
manager of the local gas company,
made the following statement to the
State journal:
II have been in communication with
the superintendent of the work at OF
tawa, who tells me that the repairs in
the mains will be completed this
afternoon OF course no one can tell
exactly how soon they will be COM
pleted, but in any event / feel safe in
assuring the people that it will be done
some time this afternoon. 1t will take
about an hour for the pressure to be
increased at this point. This however.
is certain to reach here by supper
time
At an early hour this morning.
when the demand on the local supply
was at a minimum. the pressure at
the city limits was 33 pounds. During
the forenoon the pressure had been
reduced to 3.S pounds and continued
at this limit during the day, although
it was slightly lower during the noon
hour.
The big reserve in the tank at First
and Monroe, which although small,
makes considerable difference on oc-
casions like today, was emptied at
noon Sunday. During the night this
was partially refIIed and it will be
emptied again should the needs of the
consumers demand it.
For the first time in the history of
natural gas in Topeka, the city was en-
trely without supply for any pur-
pose whatever on Sunday The trou-
BILE was caused by. big break in the
mains of the Kansas Natural Gas Co.,
cI1 ~
which a '"T'' joint and several feet of
pipe line were blown out.
The gas famine lasted nearly all
day. 1t started about nine O'Clock
in the morning and continued until
S:25 last night. However the gas sup
ply in the local mains in some in
stances was not exhausted until near
1y noon.
Manager L. G. Treleaven of the To-
cal gas company was notified of the
break almost as soon as it had occur
red. The information was Immediate
1y communicated to the State Jour
nal office. which remained open dur
ing day and evening with an elabor-
ate bulletin window for the benefit
of the public, on which the latest in
formation concerning the situation
was Immediately bulletined.
The same information was sent by
the gas company to the telephone Of
fees and to the churches.
The break in the gas supply struck
Topeka like a thunderbolt from an un-
clouded sky. The gas supply had been
at maximum for several days, or at
least sufficient to ward off complaints
as to the supply. The day was a rath-
er warm one for this time of the year
Housewives expected to cook their
Sunday dinners with gas, the restaur-
ants nearly all depend largely on gas,
and the result was as bad as could be
imagined.
There was not the inconvenience
however that one would expect The
newspaper bulletins had caused
the news to spread over the town and
before the gas supply was actually
shut off. nearly everyone was aware of
the trouble
AS soon as the supply began to
dwindle the office Of the local gas
company was swamped with inquiries.
Seven extra telephone girls were de-
tailed to handle the gas office calls.
And the calls at the State Journal Of
flee where the public has learned to
come for the latest news were as nu-
merous as an after election morning.
Hunted for Coal Burners.
Those who have depended entirely
upon gas for heating and lighting pur-
poses were the worst sufferers from the
famine Sunday. Had it been a ssbIue,
Sunday matters might have been even
worse. AS it was every second hand
store in Topeka was raided for coal
burners. The different coal dealers were
forced to open up their stores and call
their delivery wagons into service. As
soon as the news reached to the To-
peka Ice & Fuel company, R F. Hodg-
ins and Vince Kaczynski, two of the
proprietors called up their customers
and notified them that small supplies
of coal could be secured during the day.
The Edison company maintained an
open office all day by means of which
many of the druggists and others were
able to secure wiring for electric sun
plies which were installed in time to
be used by night.
The hotel and restaurants suffered a
great deal from the dearth of gas. Most
of them use gas entirely, although their
burners are such that coal could he
substituted. The different coal com
panies got out their wagons and deIiv-
cries to the restaurants and hotels were
the chief source of business for awhile
And these people had need of a LOT of
coal for their business was greatly in
creased by the lack of gas PeoDIe
abandoned their homes and sought some
of the public eating houses rather than
eat cold meals in the seclusion of their
own homes.
The churches suffered from the gas
shortage. Many Of the smaller