The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1913-12-31
Brick in the Carburetor Melt and
Give Way, Putting the Entire
System Out Of Commits
sion
FAITHFUL MEN TOLL
THRU ENTIRE NIGHT
Many Calls Received at Office But
Public is Patient = Telephone
Operators Perform Valiant
Service in Warning


Al 10 O'Clock today the fire whistle,
sounding warning. proclaimed to the
stranded citizens Of chickasha. that
the gas had been restored TO the
mains, all Of which was good news TO
Industrious housewives and hungry
husbands, and was possible only after
heroic work on the part Of the men at
the gas plant who labored necessarily
through the weary watches Of the
night
The promptness with which the re-
pairs were made and gas given to the
city again can only be appreciated by
taking peep into the real cause Of
the trouble that stopped as effectively
the manufacture Of gas as if there were
no plant here.
Among the apparatus necessary in
the manufacture OF gas is a cistern.
like arrangement called the carbure.
tor Il is some five feet In diameter
BY 20 feet deep and is filled with
brick set in sach a manner as TO al
low The gas, IN the process OF making.
tc pass freely through The brick are
kept white hot About 1880 yester.
day the brick in the carburetor caved
y melting and becoming a solid mass
Ai the bottom Of the carburetor and
stopping the entire plant
The intense heat made II impossi-
BILE for workmen 20 start repairs and
10 order to cool the affair. cold air was
forced through II for several hours. AS
soon as il was cool enough. men with
picks, cowbars and other tools, went
into Il and literally mined the melted
brick, hoisting il out in buckets. This
necesstated the disconnection OF all
joints and pipes leading to and from
the carburctor When the debris was
cleaned away. other brick were reset
the pipes we're again connected and
the heating OF the carburetor started
again. which latter process required
some time in itself
At O'Clock this morning the plant
was again ready to make gas and the
filliag OF small storage tanks was
started As is customary with gas
plants in cases Of this kind. and
through advices from the general Of
fices at Oklahoma city II was decided
not to turn into the mains until lO
O'Clock, as some very serious acct
dents are on record resulting from the
escape Of gas through gas cocks thas
were carelessly left turned on. The
whistles were sounded as a warning
that gas had been again turned into
the mains
Mr.. Shaeffer. manager Of the plant,
has been on the Job continually since
the breakdown, as has Joseph Getz,
head gas maker. who. like a true hero,
refused to take any rest, but stayed
with the crippled ship until repairs
were made and she was away again
under her own power
At the office OF the company on
Kansas avenue innumerable phone
calls have been answered since yes
terday at 1880 and someone has been
on the job all the time to answer the
proverbial 1901 questions asked by the
company's customers. Officers of the
company stated this morning, however
that in the main the people of Chick
asha have been very considerate and
accepted the situation as one that was
unavoidable. Very few vitriolic con-
versations we're experienced from dis
appointed cooks who had pastry or a
roast in the oven when the gas went
off.
To the telephone girls at the central
station a generous amount of praise
is due for the faithful and constant
service rendered last night when sew
eral hundred calls we're made to Gus
toners. warning them to cut off all gas
cocks aud so forestall all possibilities
of accidents when the gas was again
cut on