Evening star., 1932-03-13
BY JOHN CLACETT PROCTOR.

quently hear, it seems to be natural
impulse with some people to speak
harshly of public service corporation,
q not stopping to think, of course, that
there is not city in the United States
that does not owe its expansion and develop
ment to one or more Of these bodies, particu-
larry those organizations formed for furnish
ing transportation. light. heat and water.
Some people do not live long enough in any
particular town to see it grow, and some are
not old enough to look back on the days when
their native city had few conveniences, and
when, occasionally one had to walk few
miles in stormy weather when the street cars
did not run to his section of the city; or per-
haps had to arouse the grocer late at night
from his quiet slumber. just because some one
had earlier failed to get the little oil can filled
with kerosene, that daddy next morning might
see to eat his breakfast.
Things have not always been as comfortable
in Washington as We find them today, q fact
the writer is old enough to offer In his per
sonal testimony, for, in 1887, when he moved
into the Meridian section, where you now see
all those fine embassies, the nearest street
car was reached at its barn, then at Four
teenth street and Florida avenue, and there
were gas mains in that section for years
later, and no Potomac water sewerage.
You could not press button then and flash
on the electric light; set the thermostat at
night and awaken IN the morning when 1t
was freezing outside and find 1t nice and cozy
within; turn on your gas light or cook meals
on the gas stove; nor could you go to the
phone and call twenty-cent taxi or take
bus or street car at your door. Indeed, this
: is not the same city some of us knew half
century and more ago. We are living entirely
under different conditions. in a new era, in
new and better Washington.
ICE was not manufactured here until 1881.
] Before that date, all ice for domestic pur-
poses was shipped in, and If you desired to
get piece to soothe the fevered brow or cool
the parched mouth Of some i'll person, the
drug store-especially at night ttme-was the
only place to 60 for what we now deem an
indispensable article. Today we make our own
ice-through the medium Of gas or electricity
and we can have 1t Summer and Winter
lust as we WISH Surely there are none Of us
who would like to give up these conveniences
for the inconvenience Of a former day; but
do We really appreciate them?
Some OF these corporations are OF o more
or less recent date. The street car, for In
stance was first run In the District of Colum-
bia in 1852: experimental electric lights were
first tried out here In the Capital In 1879, and
the telephone was Of the same period.
Far the older of these is the Washington
Gas Light Company, which was incorporated
July g. 1848, with a capital of $4,000, and
has continued to render efficient service from
that time until the present day.
Perhaps 1t takes time to convince the people
Of the value OF some new invention-they
seem rather TO cling to the old ideas. As the
writer once heard an elderly woman say, she
did not put screens In her windows because
she did not like screened air.
Just who invented Illuminating gas, when It
was first used, or its scientific properties are
matters the writer will not discuss: however
gas was introduced into this city as early as
130+or forty-foyE years before the present
company was formed To substantiate this, we
find in the National Intelligencer Of May 81,
1916, the statement made: In the year 1904,
Mr. Benjamin HENRY made experiments in
Washington City and illuminated the chambers
and passages Of a house in Pennsylvania ave-
nue. and the lamp In front Of the house with
gas" d..
Again the Intelligencer Of January, 1917, tells
us that the ballroom OF Davis Hotel-site of
the Metropolitan-wiH be brilliantly ulumi-
mated with gas lights, presumably at that time
A early as 1916 effort was made here to
\ form company for the making of car
buretted hydrogen gas, for illuminating pur-
poses, but apparently the people did not en-
courage the proposition, perhaps feeling as
they did In Philadelphia, that would be
injurious to the business Of the candle makers
and oil dealers. However, by 1912, the people
Of Washington felt that the Washington Gas
Light Company should be granted O charter
by Congress, and 30 Joined In . memorial to
that effect. but this company, or one bearing
the same name, had 10 wait, as we know for
when we are told the majority Of stock was
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