Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-09-15
PRESSURE REPORT
ORDERED BY WOOD
Engineer Testifies He Made
Language Strong to I'm
press Financial Interests.
Continued From First Page

NOontlnued From First Page)
Service Corporation, the Chicago con-
Germ which is said now 20 own the
iocaI company, lay heavily over the
nearing yesterday afternoon. Hours of
crosS-examination by Mr.. Roberts and
Mr.. Wood drew from Woods unwilling
hpS picture OF Col. PIERCE and host
OF ms associates standing in the back
ground, and often stepping right into
the foreground, overruling decisions of
the local organization and debating to
1t policies in direct contravention of
existing regulations. Mr.. Roberts was
successful in hooking up the Chicago
concern directly with the large and
substantial" increase in gas pressures
which occurred last Fall, after the local
conpanyS engineer had warned its
president that the increased preSsures
represented a bad condition" which
was likely to become aggravated
Gas Is sent from point to point solely
by pressure. The farther it is sent. and
the more gas that is sent, the higher
the. initial pressure must be to carry
the load to its destination. Then the
consumers nearest the sending point
suffer whatever i'll consequences result
from high presSureS. At the hearing
yesterday Mr.. Russell claimed that
NAtAAAAA 4SooOlLdbIS 4AIlllIo LIS SdSSO
pressures had no effect whatever on
consumers bills or the efficiency of their
appliances. but when he wrote his
memorandum to the effect that high
pressures caused a bad condition" he
was evidently singing different tune.
Company Knew Of Excess.
This memorandum produced by
Roberts, was dated November ~, 1880.
At that time there was an engineer,
Alfred Hurlburt, employed by the
Chicago Co., getting 500 a day from
the local company for expert advice
and assistance" The company had
known, according to Woods testimony,
from early in the Summer that the
pressures in Its distributor system were
already in excess of the legal limits
6 inches maximum). Yet it went
ahead with strenuous campaign to
put more pressure on the lines by SELL
ing housekeeping furnaces.
Mr. Wood said that each space
heater sold would add the equivalent
of eight or nine normal consumer
leads to the company'S system. BY the
time of Mr.. Russell'S memorandum on
the bad condition" some nine. hundred
space heaters had been sold as re-
suit of the campaign, and Immediately
thereafter the campaign was called off
At different times Mr.. Wood offered
different explanations for calling a
halt. At one time he said that the
system was quite able to take care OF
distributing this extra load. but he
feared If the campaign continued the
manufacturing plant would not be able
to make enough gas to keep all the
customers supplied. But at another
time he said that the halt was called
because 1t was feared the load on the
distributor system would be too great
At that time there was program of
main expansion under way to take care
claimed Mr.. Wood, Il laid miles and
miles of main last year," But shortly
afterward there came a change. Evil
IDENTIFY serious differences of opinion had
occurred between Mr.. Hurlburt and Mr..
Russell, SO serious that Mr.. Wood conSid-
cred it necessary to dictate Inemoran-
dun to the effect that in any further diff
feTenceS Mr. Hurlburt was to have the
last word" and if there was still a
difference, God would settle it per-
sonally by ,aking it up with Col. PIERCE.
This happened January IL, 1881.
At that time or shortly thereafter, the
wings of the local officials were still
further clipped by an order from higher
sitions) must bear the approval of Will
liam H. Wilds and Donald McClurg Mr..
Wood profeSsed ignorance as to who
they are, but they are vice presidents OF
the Central Public Service Corporation,
and xhe new order made dominance of
that concern over the affairs Of the
local company complete. Evidently Mr.
Woods program for more mains was
strapped on account OF the expense. and
decision was reached to do nothing
to reduce pressures, but the Utilities
Commission was to be asked to give its
blessing to the preSsureS then las now
in existence. This is the petition that
is now being considered. In testimony
to be introduced later by the company
it will be claimed that in order to lay
the mains necessary to get the dis
tributor system back to the 6-inch
maximum it will be necessary to spend
100000 and that nobody will get any
benf1t out of this.
Wood Unwilling Witness.
Mr.. Woods revealing testimony was
ELECTED from him by clever cross
examination by Mr.. Roberts. Mr.
Wood was not. a willing witness. He
wanted to appear in the light of taking
the blame personally for anything
wrong his company might have done
ana not trying to shuttle the response
bility on to the owners of the property
He remembered that there was q sec.
ton OF town somewhere where thu
pressure was so high that each house
Tor several blocks was equipped with
an individual governor to protect II
from excessive pressures, but could moi
remember where it was. He remem-
Dered that his company mad been dis.
satisfied with the 6-inch pressure maxi
mum long before he came to Washing
ton, but did not know that they hac
petitioned the commission for an in.
crease and that the commission hat
refused it. He did not remember what
Mr.. Hurlburt had done with the check.
pa!.: him bX the Washington Gas Light