The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1922-12-21
END LONG FIGHT
FOR CHEAP FUEL
As GATE TURNED
chIekssha Loses Legal Battle. but
End Attained Through Agree
ment; Bout Was Started Over
Four Years Ago.
CHICKASHA GAS FIELD
IS ANSWER TO SUCCESS
Natural Resources Of County Aid In
Decision Reached. 10 Belief; His
tory OF Lengthy Struggle
Waaed by People.

As far AZ natural gas is con.
cornodh II has not been casc OF
ION again. off again" with Chicka.
sha. nor IL that the case now. 1t's
"on" and that's all there Is TO Il.
Wednesday at 1:i5 when Mayor
Coffman turned the gate valve and
let natural gas from the mains OF
the Oklahoma Natural flow into tho
distributing system OF the Chicka-
sha Gas and Electric company here.
fight OF four years. staged by the
citizens OF Chickasha through tho
Chamber OF Commerce. and other
channas. came TO an end and the
peaseStrcaty went into effect.
Chfckasha faces the rather singu-
lar situation OF having lost tho
fight, but attained the end for which
the town battled. Tho bout went
against city. with the decision OF
the state supreme court. handed
down December 10. that the Okla
homa Natural could not be forced
TO make connection. The success
came. when Mayor Coffman turned
natural gas into the distributing
system, after an agreement had
been reached by officials Of the
Oklahoma Natural and the insult in
terests, owners 'ofthe Chickasha Gas
and Electric company.
Chlckasha Field Is Answer.
The answer TO the successful ter
mination OF the fight, from Chick.
asha standpoint, Is the Chickasha
gas field with combined volume
OF more than 500.000,000 cubic feet
of gas day, It is believed This
feature did not officially enter into
any announcement from officials Of
either company. howevel.
Within three hours after news was
received here that the supreme
court had reversed the order OF tho
Corporation Commission, command
ing tho Oklahoma Natural to con-
meet. came the word from Fred w.
insult, president o. tho Chickasha
Gas and Natural company, that an
agreement hid been reached with
II. c. Sharpe of the Oklahoma Nat
ural to connect with the Chickasha
line and supply this city with nat
ural gas. The news was received
with much rejoicing and when
Mayor Coffman turned the gate
valve, every whistle in town cut
loose and staged another "armistice
celebration"
Long Fight Is Ended.
About four years ago, the Cham
Der OF Commerce of Chickasha took
up the proposition of securing nat
ural gas for Chickasha. Many let
tiers were written to the Oklahoma
Natural, after that company's main
was built to the Cement field and
later extended to the Walters and
Duncan fields. Many conferences
were held with oklahoma Natural
officials, but to no avail.
Appeals were made to the Corpor-
alton Commission without any re-
suits, in the way of gas. Little
hope was held out. In the fall of
1921, the proposition began to take
form with a proposal by the Chick
asha Gas and Electric company, to
build line from the city, to
point four miles south to the Okla.
homa Natural main, providing Chick
asha would give the Chickasha Gas
and Electric company a franchise to
distribute natural gas here. On
October IL, 1921, the franchise was
voted by the citizens of Chickasha
and soon thereafter, the laying OF
the line was started In December,
1921, the line was completed
Appeal to Corp. Comm.
On January IL, 1922, a petition
was filed with the Corporation Com
mission, praying that the Oklahoma
Natural be ordered to connect with
the line The local company, hold.
ers of the franchise, was represent.
ed and in addition, the Chamber OF
Commerce, appeared through Off
GERS and attorneys before the COM
mission at the hearing.
In the spring of 1922, the Corpor.
alton Commission issued an order
for the Oklahoma Natural to con-
meet An appeal from that decision
was taken in May, 1922, by the
company and last August, attorneys
for both companies appeared before
the supreme court and briefs were
filed. A supersedeas order had pre-
viously been denied.
The elimination Of the long fight
came December 10, 1922, with the
decision of the supreme court, up
holding the contention of the Okla.
homa Natural that that company
could not be forced to connect with
Chickasha.
The grand finale of the afterpiece,
however, was the agreement to give
Chickasha natural gas and the
prompt turning of the cheap fuel.