New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-06-26
Pittsburgh Is
Threatened with
Shortage of Fuel
Lack of Labor Curtails Out
put of Natural Gas and
Coal Is Lacking
Piftsburqh. June 25.

fUISOHFyNs Juno 80
The fuel situation in this home OF
coal. coke and natural gas is not only
cri,icas. hut promises to become worse.
This view is warranted by action just
taken by two OF the largest natural gas
companies supplying this territory.
The Peoples Natural Gas Company,
controlled by Standard Oil interests
and one of the most progressive in the
natural gas business, has suggested to
customers the advisability of providing
themselves with supply OF coal TO
tide over a possible shortage OF gas
next winter. The Equitable Gas Com
panv. subsidiary of the Philadelphia
Company. which operates the gas de-
partment Of that great public utility
has made a similar suggestion.
Consumers Are Warned
The exclamation is that there is
shortage Of labor for field work. and
that II has been impossible to obtain
delivery Of pipe, drilling supplies, cord
age. machinery, etc, hence the com
panies have been unable 20 prosecute
drilling operations to the extent neces-
sary 10 maintain the supply OF natural
gas. As consequence OF this notlce
work has begun in % Of the 100 pubic
school buildings in the Pittsburgh dis
trict TO install equipment for burning
coal the coming winter.
Owing to the doubling and in some
cases trebling of the price OF coal last
winter many domestic consumers re
turned to the use of natural gas Tor
heating purposes, and many more we're
preparing 10 do the same thing this
year The Philadelphia Company alone
increased the number of domestic con
sumers last year by 6,278, bringing the
total up to 1929. In addition the
company supplied 427 industrial estab-
lishments with gas for fuel, making a
total of l39,626 consumers on ITS lines.
The amount of gas sold through meters
was 1880, 600. 900 cubic feet. To keep
up with requirements the company in
1916 laid eighty miles of pipe lines,
and at the present time II operates
1897 miles OF trunk and distributing
lines. II completed 295 new wells last
year. and owns and operates LAO gas
wells, after abandoning seventy-six
wells that had ceased to be com
mercially productive.
Turn from Gas TO Oil
The Manufacturers Light and Heat
Company ranks next to the Phladel-
phia Company as a producer Of natural
gas in this district The Peoples Nat
ural Gas Company does not publish de-
tailed reports. but it probably ranks
third. and then come the Ohio Fuel
supply and several smaller companies.
The figures for the Philadelphia Com
pany. however. will indicate the annual
requirements for labor and supplies OF
the natural gas business. In addition,
several fairly rich oil pools have re-
Gently been developed by two Of these
companies. and as the price Of oil is
now at the highest ever recorded, 1t is
posgible that some Of the labor and
supplies that otherwise might be de-
voted 10 increasing the output Of nat
ural gas have been temporarily di-
verted to the production of oil and
gasoline. 80:
tuallv Communicating large quantities
Of coal and oil 10 be used as fuel III
the navy. and with the iron and steel
companies struggling TO accumulate
stock piles of coal and coke IN order 70
tide over a possible emergency IN
TRANSPORTATION circles later on. the out
look for the domestic consumer IS not
encouraging.