The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-12-09
Zero Weather and No Relief Is
Promised Today.
Pumps at Headquarters Are Do
ing Their Best.
AT FULL CAPACITY
Secretary Morgan Says That No
More Can Be Done.
The Coal Supply Is Also Run
ming Short.


At 2 o'clock this afternoon J. E.
Morgan, secretary of the local gas
company, stated that on account of
the moderating weather the gas sit
uation was being relieved. He anti
cipated less trouble tonight than was
the case Wednesday night and hoped
that the worst was over. He stated
that nothing had been heard from the
outside, but that with warmer wealth
er there would be more gas and more
gas would mean less complaint. He
repeated his statement that Topeka
was getting all the gas that could be
furnished at this time but that he
hoped when the improvements which
| have been under way in the gas
fields were completed there would be
no further cause for a gas shortage
this winter. He was inclined to place
the blame for the present shortage on
the fact that the Improvements being
made in the fields had not been COM
pleted.
Pumps Working to Limit
Mr.. Morgan's statement made a mo-
ment later, when asked if he had any
news from the gas fields, contains little
news of cheering nature for those
who have shivered over cold stoves
and furnaces for the last three days.
II believe the pumps are giving us
tilc Ild6lIIlUIIl dI1OunI OIL gas Iney can
give us at this time," said Mr. Nor
gan. 81 do not believe it is possible
for them to give US any more gas
than we are getting just now. I think
that after while they will be able to
give us more gas than they can at
this time. But at this time I nelieve
it Is impossible. We are getting all
we can get. Conditions may be such,
and I am inclined to think this is the
case, that we cannot be furnished the
nxySr 80 -
the pumps"
Mr.. Morgan could not say when it
might be possible to give Topeka people
more gas, further than to declare it
would be "later on And the situation
for today Is not to be relieved, accord
ing to the. information that can now be
obtained.
Mayor Green says there is no help
for Topeka, that there is no way of
compelling the gas company to furnish
could not be used in the pipes and
burners now in use and If 1t could be
the rate is prohibitive. Artificial gas
costs $1.25 per thousand feet and there
Is now no way of supplying it to the
consumers and four times as much ar
tif1ciaI as natural gas is required
for heating purposes. The houses are
not prepared to use the manufactured
product. Neither could the present
plant manufacture enough gas to sup
ply the demand
With the temperature rising there is
less gas used and with the supply at
just what it has been there is more gas
for the consumers. Consequently the
condition today is far less serious than
for three days. There is now hope that
the situation will not be SO serious to-
night and after today it is believed the
gas situation will right itself because
of the warmer weather coming.
The temperature rose rapidly today
nd he win ho h
west. from which direction it has been
blowing for three days, to the south
east. This indicates rising temperature
and the mercury rose from 1 degree be-
| above at o'clock. The white blanket
of snow which covers the state will
| cause this rise to be less rapid than
would otherwise be the case but the
backbone of the cold spell is broken
again and warmer weather is coming,
according to the weather man.
And it is we'll that such a condition
exists. This morning the gas pressure
started toward the bottom again with
sickening rapidity but as the weather
grew warmer the pressure arose. The
situation at noon was not as bad as
on the preceding two days, although it
was still far from satisfactory. The
coal men, who have been busy for the
last three days. announced last night
that they did not have enough coal to
4
was being held at Kansas City and an
other 4S hours of extreme cold weather,
such as has prevailed for the past three
days, would have resulted in a situation
desperate indeed.
| There has been the greatest and most
rapid rise in the temperature today
| that has been recorded since Saturday.
| Following are the horuly temperatures:
| o'clock. o IL o'clock. 9
| O'Clock. 2 IL o'clock. ..12
| o'clock. 49,. 3 / o'clock. IL
10 o'clock. ....... 6 2 O'Clock. IA
| The wind shifted to the northeast
| between and 10 O'Clock and between
| 10 and IL o'clock shifted again, this
time to the southeast 1t is blowing
| 6 miles an hour.
| There was serious shortage of gas
last night it having gone completely
out in many cases. Hospitals and
private dwellings were cold in the
early part of the evening. Later the
l gas came up but this morning the
usual cold weather conditions pre-
vailed and people shivered and won
dered when the weather would mod
/ crate More houses were equipped
| for the use of coal as a result. Some
| of the people living on the west side
spent the night with friends living
east of Kansas avenue, the gas short