The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1931-04-24
q CITY firms
CONTRACT FOR
NATURAL GAS
Kentucky Company Asks
for Right to Lay
Pipe Lines.
CAN BE READY JULY |
Claim Connections viii Be
Made to Provide
Steady Flow.
CAN BE READY JULY /

OSS0&J 'OWs
Petition for permission to enter
Marion county with pipe lines car
rying natural gas from western
Kentucky gas fields to supply In
dienapolis plants and industries lust
outside the city was taken under
Amusement today by county COM
missioners, after a hearing with
officials Of the Kentucky Natural
Gas Company.
Generally speaking in favor of
such a line crossing the county,
commissioners told the gas COM
pany officials they wished to ad-
wise with County Attorney Harvey
Grabill before allowing q franchise.
Commissioners told Sidney S
Miller, attorney for the gas com
pany, to submit his proposal to
Grabill for consideration. Gas
company officials at the hearing
were NJ. D. Curran, Chicago, vice
president, and w. J.. Hinchey,
Owensboro; KY, viee-president and
general manager.
Franchise Not Exclusive
The franchise asked for would be
general and not exclusive, Miller
told commissioners, who said they
were reluctant to act until they
knew what action the city board
of works would take.
Representative of the company
for some time have been comforting
with city officials, including Mayor
Reginald H. Sullivan and works
board members, in regard to per-
mission to enter the city with an
extension Of its pipe lines to supply
the twenty-one industrial concerns
with which it already has contracts
for natural gas.
Although interested principally at
this time. in supplying natural gas
only to approximately fifty indus
trial firms, officials of the company
today said negotiations are under
way for supplying the natural gas
to the Citizens Gas Company to be
mixed with artificial gas now pro
duced by the utility.
Commissioners were informed that
biologists estimate the supply from
the Kentucky field at forty million
feet day for forty years and that
from Texas at twenty million feet
a day for q similar period.
"Ninety-flve per cent of the nat
ural gas that would come into the
county and city would replace oil
and West Virginia and Kentucky
coal IN industries, while it would
replace less than 4 per cent Of gas
now provided by the Citizens Gas
Company" the gas company officials
declared at the hearing.
Can Be Ready July !
Pipe lines Of the company now
extend from twenty EIGHT gas fields
in western Kentucky across the
Ohio river and north of Evansville,
and line from Evansville to Bra
I'll, by way Of Terre Haute, will be
completed by July /, representatives
said.
within ninety days after permits
are granted to lay our lines within
the city we can be serving Indian
apolis industries" D. they asserted.
If permission for line from Ken
lucky entering Indianapolis is
granted, it is claimed connections
will be made with lines extending
from Texas and other fields, to in
sure an uninterrupted supply of gas.
The Kentucky company officials
assert the Kentucky fields are able
to supply the system with all the
gas it can carry for at least forty
years. It's lines now carry natural
gas to seventeen. towns and cities
in Kentucky and southern Indiana
and are being extended in Indiana.
Negotiations Held Up
Negotiations for supplying gas at
wholesale prices to the Citizens Gas
Company to be distributed to pri-
vate consumers are being held up by
the pending appeal of the Citizens
company's certificate holders from
the federal court decision unfolding
the city's right to acquire the COM
pany under the 1905 charter pro-
visions.
Petition for review of the case has
been fled with the United States
supreme court.
In case the city's claim finally
is upheld by the high court, any
contract Of this type would have
to be ratified by the city.
Sullivan said city officials have
taken no definite stand on the COM
pany's plans to lay mains in the
city to furnish local industries, but
are considering the matter from
every angle.
Below Artificial Rates
Industries which the kentucky
company officials report have signed
contracts to use the natural gas,
providing the right to lay mains
into the city is granted, include
Kingan & Company, Link Belt
Company, j. D. Adams Manufac-
turing Company, Langsenkamp-
Wheeler Brass Works, Universal
Brass Works, Acme Works, Inc,
American Bearing Corporation, IN
diana REFINING Company, Schwit--
Zer-Cumn11ns Company, Indianap-
oils Castings Company, Klieber-
Dawson Machine Company, Ameri-
can Valve 81 Enameling Corp,
Meier Electric and Machine Com
pany, lockwood Manufacturing
Company, indianapolis Metal Heat
Treating Company, Prest-O-Lite
Company, MISUNDERSTANDING Tank
Company, G. & G. Foundry, E. c.
Atkins and Company, Advance
Paint Company, McQuay-Morris
Company.
The company proposes to spend
approximately S25o,O00 in building
lines within the city limits here.
The Kentucky company's natural
gas can be furnished these com
panies at approximately one-half
the cost Of artificial gas, on the basis
Of the same number Of heat units
in each 1000 feet. according to M.
D. Curran, executive vice-president
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