Evening star., 1920-03-18
$3,ODO,0OO COAL
GAS PLANT IN D. c.
|SBE|NGPLANNED
Washington Gas Light Conn.,
panyto Use New Process
on AnaIostan Island.

The Washington Gas Light Com
pany is considering plans for the erec-
tion of a new $4,000 900 coal gas plant
on Analostan Island, which property
was acquired by the corporation some
years ago.
Conferences of officials of the COM
pany with engineers from various sec
tionS of the country have been held
daily for some time. with 4 view of
ascertainin" the most desirable coal
gas plant. while the manner of finan
cling the construction has also been
given much consideration.
President ReeSide is authority for
the statement that the company hopes
to have all the problems connected
with the changes from an oil to a
coal gas production solved during the
next few weeks, and the plant in op-
Grafton during the coming summer.
He says that there are serious prob
lens. The present plants of the COM
pany are fitted exclusively for making
oil gas. and include a gas washing
outfit recently installed.
Advances in price and what experts
term the utterly inadequate produc-
ton of oil for the needs of the ma
tion make such a change in the mat
cd of making gas absolutely neces-
sary. gas officials say, as the oil that
formerly cost the company ~ cents
gallon is now selling at 1214 cents
gallon, and hard to get at that price.
Producers of the grade of oil needed
in gas making have discovered that
this cheap product heretofore used en-
tirely for industrial purposes can
now be used to produce gasoline, thus
contributing materially to the in
creasing cost of the material.
Restriction ls Possible.
SO serious has this shortage of oils
become that extraordinary efforts are
being made to increase the flow of
wells all over the country.
Mr.. Reside believes that the short
age may lead to some legislation re-
stricting the use of gasoline for pleas
ure purposes that the nation may not
suffer industrially.
The Washington Gas Light Company
is manufacturing and selling 4.5O0.-
600. 900 cubic feet of gas annually. or
about 15.000,0o0 to 20,000.000 cubic
feet daily. Washington is the largest
of gas per meter of any city
in the United States. Mr.. Reeside
said today.
Il do not propose to see this corpora
tion put into a hole nor do ! intend
that the people of Washington shall
suffer for their fuel gas or that those
who still use gas as an illumfnant
shall be without their light" said MIR.
THE change is necessary" he con-
tinued. "Analostan Island will give
US easy access freight tracks and the
hills not a thousand miles away are
full of coal. Moreover. we will then
produce 1000 tons of coke a day from
the use of coal in gas making and
believe we will find ready market
for it as anthracite coal is sure to
continue high in price.
Limit ON Bonded Debt.
Our toughest problem is that of
financing. With money. any kind Of
a plant may readily be constructed,
but the Washington Gas Light Com
pany has a limit as to bonded debt
and there has not been an increase
in it's capital stock Of $4,000, 900 since
it was organized, seventy years ago.
IF the Commissioners bill now be-
fore Congress. permitting the street
railways to merge and increasing
taxation and permitting issues Of
stock by street railway and gas
should become a law, the matter of
financing the new plant will be
simple.
IF the Commissioners measure is
delayed" continued Mr.. Reeside, "or
does not become law the company
some other way. 1t is possible that
We may have the plant built for us
and operated by the company erecting
it. or may share in the financing with
the company assuming the contract
We do not know just how, but we will
find way.
I'VE feel that we are not profiteer-
ing in the slightest when we ask the
Commissioners to permit us to charge
the ninety -five-cent rate for gas until
the lst of June, in view Of the present
manufacturing costs"
The Washington Gas Light Company
has a contract for oil at the low rate
of 7k cents a gallon that will expire
with the month of May. AS the COM
pany uses 100000 gallons OF oil a
year, the increase cost Of oil makes
its use prohibitive, save in an emer-
geHcy.
The company will retain it's present
plants to help out in the rush months
when capacity production is required.
A bridge will be built from Rosslyn
to Analostan island for freighting
purposes. and the gas mains between
the city and the island plant will lie
at the bottom of the river