Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1913-10-22
BREAK IN GAS MAIN
REDUCES GAS SUPPLY
CONSUMERS OF NATURAL GAS
ARE INCONYENIENCED WHEN
PIPES GO OUT
Manufacturing Plants Had TO Cut
Supply In Half-Full Pressure
Again Today.

GaS users all over IHC CITY COIn-
planned long and loud yesterday morn
ing for a time over the low pressure
a time before the cause was ascertain
ed. The local management was un.
able for a short time to locate the
trouble, since every main and connec.
ton in the city was in perfect condi'
ton, but a message from Benton at an
early hour in the morning brought the
information that a "wash out" fear
Benton had undermined the large
fourteen inch line running from the
Caddo fields north to Little Rock
breaking the connection at that point
and forcing the large compressors, To-
Gated at Vivian, Louisiana, to be shut
down temporarily while the necessary
repairs could be made. A rubber
sleeve" was substituted at the break
through which only a limited amount
of gas could flow, and Little Rock
Benton, Pine Bluff and other nearby
cities using natural gas were forcec
to put up with minimum quantity
until the repairs could be made. The
break was repaired in the late after
noon and the engineer in charge of the
compressors at Vivian wired to throw
into the mains the full pressure. Here
another stroke of bad luck struck the
company When the full pressure was
started through the mains at Vivian.
the load was too great on one of the
giant compressors, which broke down
again reducing the pressure to a mini
mum. The repairs on the machine
were begun at once and completed
during the night. Owing to the dis
[ lance gas must travel from the COM
pressors at Vivian to consumers in
Pine Bluff and Little Rock, with the
constant demands made at all points
along the line, it is slow and diff
cult matter to regain the usual pres
sure in the mains in this city. Because
of the large number of manufacture
ing plants in Texarkana, Hope, Pres
colt, Gurdon, Arkadelphia and Malvern
as we'll as the thousands of homes de-
pendent upon gas for heating and
cooking purposes. coupled with the
sudden cold weather, the company
finds it hard matter to supply the
demand and at the same time raise the
pressure to standard, yet this will be
accomplished during today.
Locally, the low pressure caused
good deal of complaint, it being nee
essary ii eliminate one of the three
boilers in use at the Cotton Belt shops
and to hastily fire up the second with
coal, using the small supply of gas on
the third boiler. BY this means the
shops were kept running full time yes
terday. At the homes in the city.
where gas is used as fuel for cooking
and heating, a reasonable pressure
was maintained. Manager Bair re
quested the shops and other manufac-
turing concerns in the city using gas,
to cut out altogether or use as little
as possible of the supply of gas, to the
end that the citizens who depended
upon the company for their supply OF
fuel might not be Inconvenience. This
was readily agreed to and Pine Bluff
suffered less from the break down
than did any of our sister cities.
The usual pressure will be main
tanned today and henceforth provided
the unforeseen" does not happen again
and Manager Bair promises that every
effort possible will be made to provide
for the comfort Of the citizens who de-
pend upon natural gas for fuel in the
homes.
0uiCk Holm IN RNcEarhA and RhQu.