Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1918-02-02
CONPL Amt OF MAYOR
ON QUALITY OF GAS
Public Service Commission Tells OF
Direct Cause of Present
Conditions
COMMON WITH GAS OF STATE
Situation Summarized-To What Cause
OF Complaint Is Due-City For
Fortunate 10 Getting Any Gas

I
Constituting himself committee o.
| one, Mayor James F. Strange visited
Baltimore on Wednesday and had q
long conference with the Public Serv-
ice Commission on the subject of the
quality of gas served to Annapolis
consumers, of which there have been
many complaints.
The Mayor yesterday received the
following letter. which explains the
situation:
Hon. James f. Strange,
Mayor Of Annapolis, Md
Dear Sir:
In reference TO your several COM
plants Of the poor quality of gas be-
ing supplied in your city by the An
napolis Public Utilities Company |
beg TO advise YOU as follows
Some years ago as the result of
complaints made by you to this Com
mission in regard TO the gas supply
then furnished by the Annapolis Gas
and Electric Company, extensive
changes and improvements were made
to the apparatus at the works, viz:
l. New retorts were built
?. Scrubbing plant was doubled
3. Condenser plant was doubled
A. Purifying capacity was more than
doubled.
s. Relocation of certain apparatus,
effeting a more direct passage of
gas through the works, reducing
fha ~ rd pSna5po
s. Building coal storage bins, and
more efficient handling of coal.
The direct cause of the present
complaints is owing to the offensive
odor given OFF by the gas while burn
ing. This odor IS due to sulphuretted
hydrogen in the gas and is traced di-
rectly to sulphur in the coal used.
The per cent Of sulphur in a good
cooking gas coal is small and under
normal conditions is always removed
at the work down to a percentage that
is unobieetionable to the user.
The removal of sulphur, or purifi-
cation Of the gas, as effected at the
works. consists in passing the gas
through successive layers of iron OK
ide (iron rust). This results in a
chemical reaction and temperature has
great Importance in its effectiveness E;
in moderate weather the effect Of the
reaction Is greater than in very cold
weather
In common with other gas com
pany's in this State, and many other
States as well. the Annapolis Com
pany has not only had great difficulty
in getting sufficient coal to keep go
ing, but what coal it has received has
in the majority been of poor quality.
Instead of receiving a good gas coal
such as was formally used, the COM
pany has been obliged to use in a
large part an ordinary semi -bitumin-
Gus coal such as is used under steam
boilers.
The purifying material formally
use is known commercially as iron
sponge" This can not now be OBJ
tanned in the market and any gas
company is under the necessity Of OBJ
tanning the constituents Gron chips
and wood shavings) wherever posi-
bic and compounding the purifying
material
4 We have been rather closely il
| touch with these conditions, affect
ing rs they do, all public utilities il
the State that use coal in their prod
ucts. It is not alone peculiar to ga:
companies but alike to water anl
electric light companies, steam ant
electric railways And as If this wer'
not enough. the situation in respec
to labor is equally discouraging il no
worse; for giving the manufacturing
plant the best equipment and ma
terials. If the labor is not there, or
it is incompetent and inefficient,
| will be reflected in the quality of tn
product turned out.
To summarize the situation as
know it TO exist in this section of tn
/ country. the cause Of the complaint
almost entirely due to:
/. Coal delivered in quantity iron
hand to mouth with no opportunit
TO accumulate a reserve stock; an
what coal is delivered is about in tn
ratio of SIS good coal and 11-16 Goa
Of poor quality unfit for making Goa
| gas.
? The market for commercial puri
| tying material is closed. and the con
stiluents nSst be obtained when an
where possible
3. It Is hardly necessary 10 refe
to weather conditions which hav
about demoralized al industry in thi
+ section
= The exceedingly acute situation
in respect to labor 1t is difficult {
1 procure and more difficult to hold, an
above al the average efficiency is tn
/ lowest in ny. experience OF 25 years.
8 And my sincere conclusion
that the gas users il this State ar
;, fortunate in getting any gas.
In conclusion. do not intend. i
what is said above. to convey the i'm
preston that the Annapolis Compan
is entirely perfect. but what / wan
To convey Is the fact that during thi