The Washington times., 1910-04-06

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they pay less than 81 apiece.
/ Mr. Moore-.Vhat does the average
householder pay?
! Mr.. GoIdsborough-About u cents
day, by the month. We have none
practically that run Up as high as 100000
/ feet
Mr.. Moore-Does that semet-Solvay
process apply in any other city?
Mr.. Humphreys-It would not apply
unless you could be sure of obtaining a
| sale for the coke: in other words. it is
! the price for making coke, not for max
ing the gas. coke FOR metallurEical pur-
| poses, and as a rule you could only in
/ troduce such a process in a limited
number Of .dties throughout the United
! states, AID especially in place Ike
Pittsburg, where they have a large de-
mand for a very solid coke.
! Mr.. Moore-Would those advantages be
applicable 10 Washington?
Mr.. Humphreys-NO, sir: you could
not find sufficient market for the
coke
Mr.. Cary-Why could YOU not find a
sale for 1t in Washington?
Mr.. HumphreyS-YGu could find a sale
/ fof some Of IL. but you could not absorb
/ the whole amount for domestic pur-
I poses, but in producing coke for metal
| lurgical purposes, by the Semet-SOlvay
| process, or any like process, you are
making coke, and you have 20 sacrifice the
/ gas for the coke. The result is that you
/ only make about 2,5a0 feet 20 the ton,
/ the rest Of IL beirG employed in making
/ the coke, so tina, you make tremen-
! dOuS amount, prOpOrtiOnately, of the
! coke as compared with the cas-. And an
| ordinary city could not begin 10 alb
| sorb the amount Of coke that would
/ be made in making the requisite amount
/ OF gas for the consumers.
| Mr.. COudrey-HOw much coke was
/ sold in Washington last year?
| Mr.. HumphreyS-In dOllars-$64.0O
| Mr.. Cary-DO you mean to say that
! Milwaukee does not ship the coke, and
! that Il is consumed by the local people
Mr. Humphreys -Ch, no, sir; I did not
| say so at all
| Mr.. Cary-Then why do we not have
the same condition here in Washington?
| Could they not shin II from here?
No Question of Freight Rates.
Mr.. Humphreys-There is the question
] Of freight rate 10 be considered there.
Mr.. Cary But Washington is much
nearer 20 Pittsburg than Milwaukee is.
and nearer 10 the coke furnaces than
Milwaukee; but still they make profit
! out Of it at Milwaukee. have always
/ figured that the coke is a by-producJ.
! Do you think It IS?
Mr.. Humphreys-Yes, sir; IN making
coal gas. but not N the coke oven bGsi-
ness.
/ Mr.. Cary-Ard they sell II at 50 nnch
per ton. Now, who buys the coke?
Mr. Humphreys-The consumers
Mr.. Cary-In Washington?
Mr. Humphreys--Y-
MIR. Cary-They would use It IL little
! ranges and stoves2
! Mr.. Humphreys-Yes, sir.
| Mr.. Cary-But the coke made n the
| Semet-Sol. ay process IS not that coke.
! Nfr- Humphreyz-ft can be used Tor
| that purpose. but 1t is also used Tor
metallurgical purposes, for Whlcn gas
/ house coke is not available
/ MIR. Cary-Yes; they use some OF *
for that purpose, but I don't think tiia'
/ has anything TO do with Il
! NIr- NIoore-But I would ike 10 have
your answer. Mr.. Humphreys u the
question raised by Mr.. Cary. as 10 why
this system which is working II NIL
v,aul,ee will not work IN Washington.
/ Mr. Because, as L have
= stated. IN order 20 make gas here oy
that process, the conditions would be e1-
ac-I,, reversed. VIII you make the gas
and have the coke as a by-product, or
will Won make the coke and have the gas
as a by-product? If you make the coke
and have the gas as by-product then
, Won will have 20 have tremendous
/ amount Of coke, which you VIII nave 10
place upon the market, IN order 70 sup
pIv your consumers with gas. Ana.
furthermore. as 10 finding a market for
the coke. II YOU should ship II TO TITS
/ burg then you would have 10 compete
with the Connellsvilie coke. made ID Ine
| ordinary beehive ovens, where they DO
not save the gas, making the coke SN-
cIusiyelv. and YOU would also have 10
I compete with the scOking ovens IN ard
. around Ptttsburg. and that you couid
not do with freight added And then
. Milwaukee does lot have 70 senc It's
: coke 10 PittsburE. All Of you must
/ know that Chicago is one Of the great
] steel centers Of the United states, ana
that there are many industries In the
.neighborhOOd. Milwaukee uses this coke.
so that the cases are entirely different.
But the point is this-it is a question Of
the amount Of coke 10 be disposed OI- II
you will bear with me half minute,
will give you an illustration. When my
firm went into the manufacturing % wa
ter gas plants in Great Britain we did
not attempt 70 drive out the coal gAs,
but we saw that there was so mus gas
house coke being made, by making ~ %
il from coal and making coal gas. that
bv displaCing a portion Of the coal gas
with water gas, so reducing the amount
Of coke so made that the gas companies
would get a higher price for their coke,
simply by a reduction in the amount
thrown on the market. And throughout
Great Britain the introduction of the
Humphreys ard Glasgow plants had the
effect Of raising the price Of coke simply
by reducing the amount Of coke pro-
duCed as a by-product in coal gas manu-
facture. You would have so much coke
to dispose Of here that you could not
sell It at a price 10 make it pay
The Milwaukee System
Mr. NoOre-SuppOsing a number o
citizens Of Washington should feel tha
they had an opportunity Of adopting th'
Milwaukee system. invested their money
and started an establishment on th'
Milwaukee basis. do you think the.
could make money in Washington?
Mr. Humphreys think not.
Mr.. Cary-I do. and that is the diff
ference between US. You might as vel
% compare them in their manufacturing.
+, Mr.. Cox-what do you get a ton TO
the coke here?
Mr.. Humphreys don't recall offhand
I would have TO look that up.
Mr.. Goldsborough-I should say abou
7 cents a bushel, or something arount
that.
Mr.. CoX-What viii that run 10 a ton
Mr.. Schulties-S35O for 40 bushels.
Mr.. GoldsborOugh-Tha includes de
livery.
Mr.. Schulties-And a larger price il
I proportion for smaller quantities. o
I ] would tho