The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-03-05
ALL GAS IS OFF; !
|. NO WARNING WAS .
GIVEN TO PUBLIC
Probably No Supply Will Be
Available During Thursday.
Entire Plant, But Not Of
fiCiaIS, Being Cleaned Out,
SEQUEL TO MERCY PLEA
AND FAIR PROMISES
Medical Society Unanimously
Charges Gas Company With
Poisoning Consumers and
Demands Improvement.

with no sort Of warning TO the pnbi2e
and fresh upon the heels OF pleas 70 the
doctors for mercy and promises Of ira-
mediate Improvement in service, the gas
company at about 10 o'clock Wednesday
quit feeding poisonous fumes to Mem.
phis, but It Is a sort OF peace Of Warsaw
All gas was shut off
The company said that 1t was nec-
essary to clean the pipes
There will be no gas from is TO 9e
hurs. it.was stated al the office Of the
gas company Wednesday noon. The Gas
went Off about 10 O'Clock, due TO stop-
pages OF pipes OF the plant. The entire
system of pipes at the gas plant must
be cleaned out before the manufactura
OF gas Is resumed, 1t is said.
To prevent explosions company offiS
cials said they will shut Off all meters
at the houses.
Men worked all night in trying to
avoid the shutdown, it was said, but
Wednesday morning the pressure grad
ually dwindled until all the reserve sup
ply in the storage tanks was exhausted.
The exact nature OF tho trouble APP
parently was not known at the com.
panys office at noon, but II was stated
that here would be no gas before Thurs
dY .n,,,. ,,.... ..,.,,.., ~. .,,..,-
office Wednesday morning complaining
that thererwas no gas at all to cook
with.
The mayor said Wednesday that no
would take no further action unttl adj
vsed by the city attorney. He said the
plant at present IL later to call officials
ala
commission In open meeting and de-
| nRnd angSxplanatlon and satisfactory
explanation at that, as to why the gas
bills are growing larger every month,
Octopus Pleads for Mercy.
Have heart" was the plea OF the
gas company Tuesday when officials OF
the company learned that action In re-
gard to the gas situation was con-
templated at the meeting Of the Menu
phs and shelby County Medical So
ciety Mt the Hotel Gayoso Tuesday
night,
Asserting that the management of
the gas company was working night
and day and doing everything In its
power TO improve the quality and guam
Wy of gas and making desperate
promises Of better service within rs
hours two directors of the gas COM
pany called on DR.. Frank A. Jones
Tuesday afternoon, the doctor told the
assembled physicians Tuesday night,
and begged that the medical society
refrain from criticism at this time, and
further pleaded that II the medical
society must take action, for Gods
sake. DOCTOR be as charitable as you
can"
"rhe medical society will have mercy
when the gas company begins furnish-
Ing the people with gas" was DIR,
Jones reply.
No mercy was shown by the medical
society, but resolutions OF most drastic
condemnation were unanimously passed,
declaring that the gas company has
''perpetrated Il criminal practice of SELF
Ing poisonous gas to the people for
gold and further declaring that the
gas furnished was unfit, unscientifio
and positively deleterious to the health
OF the consumers Of such gas" The
resolutions were adopted without "a
dissenting vote by the $50 doctors
present
The resolution was offered by Or.
William Britt Burns and the, discus.
sion which followed brought out the
statement from Mr. Burns that invests
CATION had convinced him that the facts
stated in the resolution were true.
Dr. Burns charged specifically that
the gas generated carbon monoxide,
and many other fumes highly injurious
to health; that even the plesent plant
could manufacture gas far better than
that now furnished and that the light
Ing quality was as bad as the heating
quality,
Specific Condemnation.
The doctor then offered the resolu-
tons as follows rrA
Whereas the Memphis and shelby
County Medical society. as a body and
Individually, has viewed with alarm and
chagrin the inefficiency and banefui
service Of the Memphis Gas and Electric
company which has committed breach
of contract in serving TO the public q
low candle power and low heat unit OF
gas, and has perpetrated a criminal
practlce In selling poisonous gas to the
Resolved, That the Memphis ana
Shelby County Medical society con-
demns unqualfiedly the illuminating
and fuel gas supplied by the Memphis
Gas and Electric company as unfit, un.
scientific and positively deieterlous TO
the health Of the consumers Of such
gas be It further
Resolved That the Memphis and
Shelby County Medical society approves
and applauds the efforts Of Judge Fitg-
hugh to bring this aw-defying and con-
scienceless quasi-public corporation into
decent respect for the law and it's oon-
tractural obligations. 7a
Resolved further, That copy Of
these resolutions be furnished the local
press for publication"
There was no defender present for
the company, No one raised voice
HntrAr iV, 20 hal IN M