Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-09-17
Company's Engineer, After
Testifying on Pressure,
RefuteS His Ability.
QUITS THE STAND
AFTER LAMBERT'S QUERY
Had Made One Report UNFOLDING
5 or G Inches as Against Claim of
Employers for Greater Maximum.

The Washington Gas Light Co. at
hearings before the Public Utilities
Commission on its request for al
lowance Of increased gas pressures in
Washington today disqualified Bert H.
Peck, one of its engineers, as an ex-
pert witness on gas pressures and
withdrew him.
Late yesterday Peck had damaged
the company's case, when, shortly after
he was produced as a witness Peoples
Counsel Richmond B. Keech read into
the record a report made by Peck to
the Public Utilities Commission October
4, 1880, saying that a pressure of four
or five inches was the best for gas
consumers.
At the time that report was written,
Peck was chief engineer of the COM
mission. In March, 1881. he took en-
ployment with the gas company and
his appearance yesterday was as a wit
ness in support of their petition for
preSsures ranging from a 3-inch mini
mum to a 10-inch maximum, to replace
the present limits of to inches.
Shortly before the luncheon recess
IA letters taken from the files of Presi-
dent C. A. @. Wood of the local company
at his home in Chevy Chase, Md, were
introduced in evidence. They show gen.
orally that arrangements for improving
distributor and transmission lines were
approved by officers of the Central Pub
lie Service Corporation of Chicago be-
fore being put into effect. In one case
the approval was by the Executive
Committee of the board of directors of
that concern. The documents were
identified by Mr.. Wood and by Walter
M. Russell, chief engineer of the local
company. 1t is expected that these
letters will form the basis of considera-
bic questioning when the matter of the
ownership of the local company is taken
up next week.
Witness Disqualified.
AS the hearing opened today, with
Peck on the stand, Wilton j. Lambert,
the gas companys lawyer. asked:
Mr.. Peck, are you an expert on gas
pressures?"
mo, sir" replied Mr.. Peck.
That is ALL" said Mr. Lambert.
Then a difference arose as TO lust
who had disqualified Mr.. Peck Mr.
Lambert blamed it on Mr. Keech and
en- William A. Roberts. counsel for the
commission. He said that these two by
their questions yesterday had demon
strated that the witness was not expert.
Keech and Roberts said Lambert had
disqualified him. In all events, Mr.
Peck folded up his papers and left the
stand, being followed there by David
Allen, distribution engineer of the COM
pany.
Mr.. Allen said that in his opinion
maximum pressure of 10 inches and
minimum of inches at the inlet to
consumers meters, generally speaking,
made for efficient operation of the plant.
Produces Pressure Charts.
He described some Of the faults of
the distributor system in existence
when he took employment with the
company last year and said that the
work in correcting these faults had
largely been accomplished. and esti-
mated that it would be entirely COM
plete on October Is.
At one of the earlier days of the
hearing, Mr. Roberts had introduced
chart to show that pressures at four
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