Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1921-07-07
SPEAKS ABOUT
PUEBLO SERVICE
GAS MAN TELLS ABOUT THE
WONDERFUL SERVICE GIVEN
IN PUEBLO.

Today Pueblo appreciates gas serv-
ice and the gas mans traditional de-
votion to duty as il never did before,
says II. b. Wagner of the local COM
pany who has made a close study OF
the work there since the flood. Every
person in the city will tell you why.
1t is because the gas company, OF all
the public utility companies in that
flood-stricken city was the first to
resume service.
1.-THE gas is on" was the first joy
full news shouted by the city of $4,000
people who were suddenly thrown
back to the primitive days of hun
dred years ago. How that herculean
feat was performed is one of the un-
written chapters of Pueblo's catas-
trophe until today. 1t may be told
now, however, without fear Of exag-
geration.
Two separate floods of equal vol
ume hurled themselves upon the city;
one on the evening Of Friday, June
3rd, and the other on the afternoon of
Sunday, June 9Th. Water from ten
to fifteen feet high swept over and
engulfed some 325 city blocks, put
ting every public utility out of bust
ness-gas, electric light and power,
street railway, steam railroad, tele-
graph and telephone. The entire
plant of the Pueblo Gas and Fuel
Company was submerged in water
from eight to nine feet deep.
SO sudden did the first flood arrive
that stokers pulling red-hot coke from
the. flaming gas retorts We're obliged
to drop their rakcs and flee for their
lives. Almost Immediately the plant
was inundated by veritablc Niagara.
Not until five o'clock the next morn
ing had the water subsidized enough to
permit the gas men to enter the plant
by boat and inventory the damage.
All day Saturday they worked as best
they could, but their efforts were
stopped and all preliminary work de-
stroyed when the second flood hit The
city the following day.
Undauntcd, they again waited with
boats and early Monday morning, as
soon as it was possible to get into
the plant they resumed work with a
vengeance. 1t was a tough job. Two
feet of ooZy mud covered the plant.
Five feet of water was in the furnace
pits. Boiler furnaces, blowers, en-
gines-evcrything, was covered with
mud. The barn at the plant had been
washed away and with it, horses
wagons and motor trucks. Mains
were broken, twisted, destroyed The
flood had done its work well.
But there could be no delay in re-
Stunning service, no matter what tho
odds were. The deprivation of gas
service was perhaps more 'seriou.
than any other public necessity except
water. Coal ranges were few an(
fuel practically unobtainablc. Com
mtmity cooking was largely employed
and cooked food was at a premium
1--WE must have gas scrvie and hav,
it quick" was the command Of mill
tary and municipal authorities.
The gas mans response was immcd
late, heroic. Equipped with hip boot
they set TO their task like veterans
There was no resting, no sleeping
Monday morning the work began
Monday night the first real progress
had been made. Tuesday morning cf
forts were redoubled. BY noon Their
began to be hopes and by 4:30 D. m
the same day-Tucsday, June 7--ga
was turned into the mains in the prin
cipal portion Of the city, the frs
essential public utility service to b.
resumed. Only ty-cight hours pre-
vious, the plant had been under hin
feet OF water
None but gas men can appreciat
the terrible physical effort that mad
this feat possible. And the citizen
of Pueblo now have a trucr sense o
the indispensable character of thei
public utility enterprises.
Today gas men in every part of tn
country arc eongratuIatipg their fel
low workers in Pueblo because the
bravely met the scverest test that ca
be imposed upon men in the publ
utility business and gloriously live
up TO the gas industry's unbrokc
tradition Of putting Service Firs
above every other consideration.