The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-01-04
ALL ARE CUT OFF.
Gas Company Not Supplying the
Manufactures.
ALI Forced to Put in Coal Burn
ers Dec. 6.
THOSE AWFUL METERS
Manager Treleaven Says They
Don't Run Without Gas.
THOSE AWFUL METERS
Explains That 1t Would Be I'M
possible to Use Air.

Any action on the part of the Com
mercial club toward conserving the gas
supply by shutting off manufacturing
plants and large concerns seems TO
have been thwarted by the gas COM
pany in doing that very thing on De
cenber {.
Thirteen large concerns were depriv-
cd of gas on that date according TO
Manager L. G. Treleaven. AL that t1ne
saws Mr. Treleaven. the supply was
cut off from the Wolff Packing COM
pany. the Seymour Packing company,
the Topeka Ice company ana the Mu-
tua1 Ice company, the kaW, inter
ocean, Mid-Continent, Crosby, and To-
peka Milling companies. the Topeka
Wooden mills, the Topeka Wooden Man
ufacturing company, the Contlnental
creamery and the Otto keuhne Pre-
serving works.
"a break in the Oklahoma pipe line
caused US to fear a shortage at that
time with the result that we shut the
gas off from these large consumers. a
few of them have since burned Htlie
gas. under one boiler but all changed
to coal fires Immediately and they have
not been using gas during the past
month.
How can we deny them gas when
we saw we can not do the same to do
mestic users? Simply because that IS
our contract with them. They get
rate of 10 cents while domestic con-
suners nav 25 cents. Is it reasonable
that we should give them gas at that
rate when we can sell all we nave at
% cents? In the summer time When
we have more gas than the domeSllcs
can consume, then we let the idiSe coii-
Germ have t. ET ffF
while we can under our contract
shut them off, we can not do the same
to domestic consumers under our lrdll-
chise There was some talk yesterday
of cutting off the supply from a num-
Of
domestic rate. consume very little gas,
and nave the right to it. esa
Those lawful Meters.''
This talk about the meters running
lust the same whether gas goes through
them or not makes me sick, continued
Mr. TreIeaven. "A man called me up
at my home last night to tell me that
the air in our pipes was spinning ms
meter round and round. L told MN. L
knew better but that he need not take
nv word for it. All he needed to do, {
told him. was to go down and time 1t
bv his watch and then do the same
this morning when. the pressure was
up I promised him $40 Dill TO snow
me that it ran half as fast. He sald ne
would but 1 have not heard from him
today.
How peipIe get that foolish notion
heats me- Why natural gas mixed with
air forms the most violent of eploslves-
Not a gas man on earth would risk sucn
appliances on gas burners but never
more than four inches or so from the
burner If anyone dares to let the air
in as far as ten feet back from the
burner, he had better try it out on the
prairie or he would have to build new
house Natural gas of itself positively
will not explode. You can not explode
a tank of gas but let it mix with air
and then light a match if you would
have results.
THE gas pressure today is about IA
pounds at the reducing station where
yesterday it was 10. Unless the wealth
er gets much colder again, that pres
sure will get us through all right But
it is doubtful if that pressure will keep
up until night for the weather is sure
to get colder.
One should remember" went on Mr..
Treleaven, that this cold wave was an
unusual one. 1t was accompanied by
% mile wind. It is my experience in
trying to furnish heat that each mile
| of wind is equivalent to one degree Of
cold. That 25 mile wind is just as hard
to combat as % degrees lower temper
ature. In fact, you will find that on :;
/ still day a zero temperature will not
chill house as much as a 25 mile wind
with the temperature % degrees above
zero
Two Killed in a Wreck