The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1912-07-16

Is a Problem InvOlved-The Mayor
in Print Is Acquiring Considerable
Notoricty i'm Free Advertisement
The Committees Reply.
There appeared Unexpectedly il
' the Shreveport Times of this morn
ing communication from Mayor
Eastman to w. X. Henderson Sr.
chairman of the gas well committee
of nine citizens. When an Officia
copy of the communication was re
ceived by Mr. Henderson last even
ing it was presumed to be somewhat
private, at least it was not believed
that it would have been given pub
licity pending its consideration by
Mr.. Henderson and the committee
However, this view of rule of OBJ
servation may be waived as a tech
nicality.
Shreveport has a gas WELL
It is unfortunate that Shreveport
has gas we'll.
If Little Rock or Dallas, or even
Monroe, had such gas we'll il
would long since have been applied
to good purpose, to the enhance
ment Of substantial progress and de
velOpment, but from the day the gas
we'll was developed at the Fair
Grounds there has followed an ag-
gravation which is deplorable.
IF such a well, or if any town of
The size of Shreveport possessed
such field for gas, instead of CON
flict of interests there would be a
1nification of all the people.
Why is it that there is such di-
Fergence in seizing on an opportun-
ity which, if handled intelligentIy,
would be productive of the best
possible results.
The contention which has been
nrecipitated between the Mayor and
he gas we'll committee of nine citi-
Zrns is deplOrable, but the commit
lee is not at fault, nor blameablc
for the condition of a gas well
which has been condemned by ex-
Derts but was revived by other cX-
)erts. On the rehabilitation of the
we'll several Thousand dollars have
zen spent. For such an expenditure
10 criticism is in order. Under the
'xisting conditions the Mayor did
what he believed was right in pre-
3erving the well which had been
condemned, but the Mayor has
placed himself in an attitude unbe-
coming his station by striving to lay
responsibility and blame on citizens
who have been invested with great
responsibility His references to the
committee is ungenerous and is be
ng disapproved by the whole com
nunity, fact which must be mani
est to him, and if not, will be made
,lain when he shall have heard the
oice of the people. Instead of crit
icising and blaming the gas wei!
committee he should have joined
them in their best efforts which
have been directed to the reaching
Of plan by which the gas products
which are within reach, either by
the present or some othes we'll can
be secured.
The following is copy of the
communication by the Mayor to w
x. Henderson ST., chairman of the
gas well committee:
"Mr. MeCue and Mr.. Clayton are
out of town, and SO | have been I'm
tble to confer with them. Mr.. De
VOre, however, has made an exam
nation of the gas well, and in his
opinion the damage is irreparable,
md the only way to protect the field
and save the situation is to kill the
veil For a radius of twenty feet the
sas is coming up through the
ground, and to prevent a blowout il
$ necessary to let the well blow off
rhe danger from fire is imminent.
and the situation, in my judgment,
is grave. .-
"The well was saved some weeks
ago with great difficulty, through
The skilful work of Mr.. DeVore III
anchoring the pipe with cement.
The eementing was effective and the
we'll remained quiet until you gen
tlemen saw fit, without consultation
with the city authorities, to reopen
it, without taking the precautions
that were necessary under the cir
cumstances.
'sThe we'll should have been
opened very gradually, the gas being
turned on very slowly for % min
utes until full pressure was reached.
and it~should have been closed in
the same gradual manner, thus pre-
venting the sudden and too severe
strain on the well.
TN your open letter published on
Monday, you refer to a 'trifling ac-
H.. 4