Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-02-01

ties of the city?
Mr.. Forstall--Yes. there is an inspector
of gas in every large city.
! Mr., Moore-Thl every large city rs lit
not1a fact that the municipal authorities
do know something about It? -
Mr., Forstall-They should know, yes.
Mr. Moore-Yes. / want to quote to you
| section Of the act incorporating the
| Washington Gas Light Company. APP
proved June 8, 1S4S. It reads as follows:
'"Section T. And be it further enacted.
| That the president and directors shall
| have full power and authority to manu-
| facture. make and sell gas. to he made
| of coal, OIL tar, peat, pitch, turpentine or
other material. and to be used for the
purpose of lighting the city of George
| town. or the streets thereof, and any
| buildings manufactures or houses there
! in contained and situate: and to lay pipes
for the purpose of conducting gas in any
Of the streets. lanes or alleys of the said
city; provided. however. that the said
company shall so conduct the manufac-
ture of gas as not to injIire private prop
erty or create nuisance; and that the
said pipes shall be laid, subject to such
conditions and in compliance with such
regulations as the corporation of George
| town aforesaid may from time to time
prescribe: and provided further. that the
| right to erect and put up any buildings,
works or apparatus for the manufacture
| of gas shall be subject to such terms.
conditions. restrictions and regulations as
| the said corporation of Georgetown may,
| from time to time. prescribe Or direct
| Having quoted this provision of the act
| incorporating the Washington Gas Light
| Company for proceeding with its business
| as it does in Washington l want to ask
| you if it is not substantially the provision
that holds in regard to the manufacture
| of gas and the privilege of manufacture
| ing gas in practically every large city in
| the country?
| Mr. Forstall-I think it is so far as my
knowledge goes from the Investigations
/ have made. I have to look up fran
| chises in connection with my investiga-
| tons.
| Mr.. Moore-Let me quote from section
0 of the same act. Incorporating this
| Washington Gas Light Company:
Sec. .. And be it further enacted. that
nothing in this act shall be construed to
| prevent any person or persons. nor any
| incorporated company, hereafter to v'e
| created by Congress for that purpose,
| from engaging in and pursuing the bust
this act, and that it shall be lawful for
| Congress at any time hereafter to alter,
amend or repeal this act
Question of Competition.
Having quoted this section to You. let
me ask you If you know of any corpora
ton or any person or persons from any
section of this Union who desire to enter
| into competition and establish business
on the line of business referred to by Mr.
! Sims in his questions?
Mr.. Forstall-I do not.
| Mr.. MOore-YOu do not know anybody
who wants to come here and go in
| business on those lines in competition in
| the gas business?
| Mr.. Forstall-I would not advise any
gas company to come in here to furnish
coal gas exclusively in Washington in
competition with a company furnishing
| mixture. The facts are, obtained from the
re nf bo Iona p fTlp
| 1907. that there were in the District JO,332
| brick buildings and 22.26S frame buildings,
| housing the entire population of this Dis
trict. Quoting those figures to you. then
the facts are that the Washington Gas
Light Company is furnishing service to
all these people in all these buildings?
Mr.. Forstall-No.
Mr.. Moore-Substa ntially?
Mr.. Forstall-NO, 1 do not think prob
ably the Washington Gas Light Company
is furnishing service to more than two
thirds Of the buildings in this territory.
Mr.. Moore-Whatever service they are
getting is being furnished by the Wash
ington Gas Light Company?
Mr.. Forstall-Yes, whatever service
they are getting is being furnished by the
Washington Gaslight Company.
Mr.. Moore-Therefore the public is get
ting the benefit and the convenience of
whatever service the company is giving,
and paying for it?
Mr.. Thomas-That is, east of Rock creek.
MIR. Moore-The point l am getting at is
this: You and other witnesses have said
that there has been an expenditure here
of 100000 Of capital for the purpose of
establishing these works in order that
the public might have this service; is
that correct?
Mr.. Forstall-No; do not know what
the expenditure has been here
Public Getting Service.
Mr.. Notwithstanding that an expendi-
<.F rv,i11 &c
made, the public is getting the service
and whatever benefit that expenditure
conveys to them?
Mr.. Forstal-Yes sir.
Mr.. Moore-The purpose of this bill be-
fore us. as you understand it, is to pro-
hibt the manufacture of carbon monoXide
in the District of Columbia, which, ac-
cording to your judgment, would practi-
cally put out of business the Washington
Gas Light Company with the enormous
expenditure of capital that it has made?
Mr.. ForStall-1 do not know what the
purpose of the bill is. The effect of it's
passage would be to stop the COMPANY
Mr.. Moore-I will strike out the word
purpose and use the word EFFECT" be-
cause it suits my purpose. The effect of
it would be that it would destroy that
S1,OO0,O00 of capital that has been put in
this business by the gas company?
Mr.. Forstall-Yes; you would destroy
that part of it that is put into the manu-
featuring plant AS was stated yesterday,
the street mains would serve as we'll for
either kind of gas.
| Mr.. Moore-The purpose of the bill then,
apparently is to save the lives that have
been lost through accident or suicide by
reason of the inhalation of carbon monox-
id. You understand that to be the pur-
pose of it?
Mr.. Forstall-Yes.
Mr.. Moore-You have given us figures
indicating that in certain large cities,
and notably in Chicago. the percentage
of loss per one hundred thousand of popu-
lation was about 3J or 4.
Mr.. Forstall-Yes, in Chicago for one
period ofeyears it was "a
Mr. Moore-Do you regard that percent
age of loss as greater or less than the
percentage Of loss through the use OF
electricity, for instance?
Percentage of Loss.
Mr.. Forstall-I should think that it was
probably less. though l have not the
actual statistics for that.
Mr. Moore-Take the losses from the
third rail- to specify.
Mr. Forstall-Of course the deaths from
electricity increase all the time
count of the increase of voltage at which
cities
overhead wire
Mr. Forstall-My own impression is that
! the deaths from electric shock are fully
| as many as the deaths from gas asphyx a
| ton.
Mr. Noore--'raEp the trolley and the