The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-01-12
of Plant Would
Paralyze Whole City.
Reserve Coal Will Not Run
Thru Next Week.
PURDY IS DOING HIS BEST
Must Get Labor To Make StOr-
age Coal Available.
Light, Heat and Car Service
Depends on Company.

With the Topeka Edison company
heroically struggling night and day to
avoid such disaster, Topeka was to-
day facing the danger of becoming a
heatless, lightless and transportation
less city next week. A H. Purdy.
superintendent of the Edison company,
today asserted that it has been an
endless struggle this winter to keep
things going,'' because of the fuel
shortage. And" he said," conditions
were never so bad as right now.
I'VE have coal enough on the tracks
here to last until Sunday evening, if we
piece out with storage coal. Storage
coal on hand is sufficient to carry
the load, if things run smoothly, until
Friday. Things must run smoothly,
however, if the plant runs until Fri
day. We must have labor and don't
know whether or not we can get
enough help to transfer the storage
coal from yards to plant after it has
been put thru the crusher, the latter
being necessary. It's almost impossi-
BILE to get labor"
Outlook So Uncertain.
Purdy emphasized the fact that the
situation is so indefinite a break is
liable to come any time. The first
part of this week the plant was
forced to shut down for few hours
| because a boiler gave way under the
| monster load the plant is carrying The
| load today, because of the extreme
cold weather is heavier than when
the break occurred.
Things must run smoothly, said
| Purdy. IF a slip up doesn't come,
and slip up is liable to come any
time we will be all right The lay
man may ask why We don't cut off
/ p.rt of our load. We can't do that.
With US it's all or nothing. We have
| to have all the steam exhaust we can
get, and it's the heat load that is kill
ing us. A rising temperature would
make the outlook much brighter"
| Purdy pointed out that the plant
burned 160 tons of coal Friday and
fuel oil AS much fuel was used to-
day.
Use Two Kinds of Fuel
Another thing" said Purdy I'VE
are depending upon two kinds of fuel.
coal and oil, and we must have both
ton is indefinite. We have orders in,
as we have orders in for coal, but
we don't know when the stuff will get
here We have only obtained one car
of fuel oil this month"
Purdy asserted thai it hasn't been
long since the Santa Fe railway saved
the day by lending the plant two cars
of fuel oil.
The storage coal, Purdy asserted, is
the only thing that has saved the
t1IlS WlHl6I. Ills COesl 10 CApOh-
s.ve lump coal and was purchased at
higher price than the present one.
Time and money and effort are not
being spared by the Edison company
to keep going" said the superintend-
ent Now it's a case of going as long
as we can under the great burden.
It's case of all going to the ditch to-
gether if we do go. The Edison COM
pany is straining every nerve and is
not considering money in keeping
lights, heat and power going.
Have Ordered Coal.
I'VE have coal ordered to arrive
daily but its arrival, because of condi-
tions, is indefinite. Unless we get
more in transit We'll be out by the last
of next week.
The Edison company heats every
building of consequence on Kansas
avenue. 1t furnishes lights for all cleo
trically lighted residences and busi-
ness houses and furnishes power for
the street railway company. This
business, of course, would be forced to
close down if the plant should run out
of coal.
Frank NJ. Newland commissioner of
water and lights, said today that there
is enough coal on hand at the city wa
ter and electric light plants to run un-
I'll the first of next week Newland
however, thinks more coal will arrive
before the present supply is used nm