Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-09
NATURAL GAS LINE
|NTOD. c. BELIEVED
EARLY POSSIBILITY
Pipes Have Been Laid Within
100 Miles of Capital
in Year.
PROPOSED EXTENSIONS
WOULD RUN NEAR CITY
Product of West Virginia Fields
Easily Available to Wash
ington Consumers.
BY EDWARD c. STONE.

BY EDWARD G. STONE.
The possibility of natural gas being
brought to Washington and distributed
TO customers through the mains of the
Washington Gas Light Co. is growing
by leaps and bounds. Natural gas Is
being piped closer and closer to the Ma
Gonal Capital every year, unusually
rapid progress having been made dur
ing the past IL months.
Pipe lines are already IN existence
along the boundary line between Mary
land and Pennsylvania, which means
that they are less than 100 miles from
Washington. The present lines run
orally eastward through the southern
part of Pennsylvania into the concen-
trated industrial area of that State,
distance of 285 miles.
These enlightening facts are brought
ont in the annual report of the Column
bla Gas & Electric Corporation, just
issued, for the year ending December 81,
1929. The pipe lines referred to were
formerly used for the transportation of
oil and were acquired by this company
during the latter part of last year.
They can be used for the transmission
Of gas, and that Is the company's in
tention.
Proximity to Washington.
Probably the nearest point to Wash
3ngton along the aforementioned pipe
line is Littlestown, Pa, only q few
miles from Westminster, Md. It also
passes through Greencastle, Pa, just
short distance from Hagerstown, Md.
The line runs along the Maryland boun-
dairy eastward to the Delaware line and
terminates close to Wilmington.
Only few weeks ago it was reported
from New York that another big utility
proposed to run natural gas from the
West Virginia and Kentucky fields east
ward to Norfolk, Va. Such a transmits
sion line, the report stated, would prob
ably go near or into Richmond, so that
the carrying out Of that project would
bring natural gas only a little more
than 100 miles from Washington on
the south.
The same mains can be used for the
transmission of natural gas as are used
9or artificial gas Natural gas is a much
drier gas and special moisture has to
be placed in the artificial gas mains.
Otherwise it absorbs the tar and other
substances in the pipe joints and causes
considerable losses by leakage. In other
places the original lines have been sup
piled with all the moisture needed and
distribution carried on most success
fully.
How much cheaper natural gas
would be to Washington consumers is
not known. The reduction in cost to
consumers, however, would be the only
reason for bringing it here, as the ar
ttflcial production Is declared to be
fully as satisfactory. But it is an era
Of tremendous expansion among all the
big utility companies, the stocks are
among the leaders on the New York
Stock Exchange, and as the network Of
pipe lines spreads, gas engineers insist
that Washington, Baltimore and sur
rounding areas win not be forgotten.
Trading On ID. C. Exchange.
Twenty shares of stock of the Mer-
chants Bank g. Trust Co. sold at 1875
on the Washington Stock Exchange
yesterday, against the last previous sale
1t I31. The stock closed 125 bid and
40 esked. Forty shares of Merchants
Transfer g. Storage changed hands at
112, three points above the last sale at
100. Chevy Chase Dairy preferred came
out at 102 and 20 shares Of Lanston
Monotype wound up the week at 116.
Bonds were neglected.
President Harper EntertainS.
President Robert N. Harper of the
District National Bank entertained the
o6acers, directors and employees of the
bank at q dinner at the Mayflower
Hotel q few evenings ago. Col. Harper
has come TO make this an annual Gus
tom and this years banquet was per-
haps the best one yet held. Practically
every employe Of the bank was present,
the party occupying the Chinese room
The head of the bank made some timely
remarks, and some of the other officers
were also heard from to excellent ad-
vantage.
National City Scores Mergers.
The disadvantages of wholesale rail-
road consolidation outweigh the advan-
tages, according to the National City
Co. In q brochure received in Wash
mgton the company contends that the
chief reason for consolidation has
passed since the transportation act was
passed in 1920, and it suggests that uni
fcations be authorized only where the
railroads and the public would be bene-
fted. Similar views have been ex-
pressed recently by several big rail
systems.
Bell System Holds Record.
The annual report of the American
total assets of S2,477, 023, ISL. places II
second only TO the United States Stee
Corporation, which had assets of So.
1857. $40 on September 80, 1929
Standard Oil of New Jersey, says the
New York Times, ranks third. with
Sl,572 267.6l0 on December 81, 1928.
Considering the Bell system as &
whole, however. it represents the larges
corporate structure in the world, with
assets of S4.22S, 43o088 at the end o.
last year. Since the report was issued
however, the parent company has SOLE
$3.50 600 900 of bonds and received $40,'
0Oo. 900 through conversion of deben.
lures. placing the systems assets a.
more than S4418 O00, 900 at present