Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-09-20
Rumor Says Standard Oil Company
Is Doing It.
RIGHT OF WAY PURCHASED
Thirty-Nine Deeds Recorded at
Rockville-Property Owners
Favor the Project.

Washington will be given an opportun-
ity to use the natural gas Of West Vir-
ginia for heating and lighting purposes,
II the plans Of the Interstate Natural
Gas Company Of that state are carried
out as reported This company will run
fourteen-inch main to pipe natural
gas from Mineral county. w. Va, to
Baltimore a distance Of about 40 miles.
The pipe line will pass through the north
ern section Of Montgomery county. Md.
from where it is planned to tap it by a
line less than thirty miles long to this
city.
Work on the construction of the line
has not yet begun, but most Of the pre-
Iiminary details have been arranged.
Deeds conveying the right of way to lay
and maintain a pipe line for natural
gas or oil, as well as telegraph and
telephone line if necessary. have been
obtained for nearly the entire distance.
Thirty-nine of these deeds were recent
ly recorded by the coNnty clerk of Mont
gomery county at Rockville. The rights
In Montgomery county were conveyed to
W. Raymond Cross, who is said to repre-
sent the Interstate Natural Gas Com
pany.
May Be Standard Oil Company.
Little Information is given out as to
what financial interests are behind this
about 14O miles of pipe through three
states and to supply gas to Baltimore,
Washington and numerous smaller cities
along the line. The president of the
company is George s. Couch, jr.. Of
Charleston, w. Va, and S. P. Richmond
Of the same city is secretary and treas
eosI IN, 1,oi In.
terested in the project in Oil City, Pa,
and in Baltimore.
All along the line, where the deeds
granting the right of way have been ne
gotiated for by agents Of the company.
1t is said that the Standard OIL interests
are behind the project. Many rumors
are heard that the line will eventually
be extended to Wilmington and Philadel-
phia. but the representatives Of the com
pany are working quietly. and seem 10
know nothing about the project. except
for the particular section in which they
are negotiating with farmers and others
for the right Of way.
It is admitted that the pipe line is for
natural gas. but it is regarded as Sig
pificant by many that the deeds convey
telegraph and telephone lines as we'll.
The line. as at present planned, VIII
run from Mineral county, w. Va.
through Hampshire. to Frederick county,
Va, whence 1t Will run nine miles SoutH
to Winchester. From Frederick county
1t will go through Jefferson county, w.
Va, through Loudoun county. Va. into
Maryland, passing through Frederick,
Montgomery and Howard counties to
Baltimore. About nine miles OF pipe
will be laid in Montgomery county, en-
tering near Hyattstown. and going east
past Lewisdale and Damascus into How
ard county.
Will Feed Montgomery County.
The branch which will eventually be
run to Washington will connect with the
main line somewhere in Montgomery
county, feeding Rockville and other
towns in the county, as it runs south to
the District At the next session of the
Maryland legislature the Interstate Nat
ural Gas Company will ask for char
ter giving it the right to enter Balti-
more
The representatives Of the right-of7
way department Of the company are said
to have had little difficulty in obtain
ing the necessary concessions from the
property owners along the proposed line.
Most of the taxpayers seemed anxious to
encourage the project. Negotiations are
now under way with the corporation
commission at Richmond, Va, for OBJ
tanning a charter which will authorize
the new company to do business In that
state.