We de And I think we should be willing to comply with any inspection-law that your committee would consider fair and just. To others we will charge $3, less 10% $2.70, net. sire and hope your committee will agree with us that Congress should not legislate on price, (other than for the United States.) Any other course disturbs the relations existing between the company and its consumers, and destroys that kind feeling which would otherwise exist. Very respectfully, Hon. J. S MORRILL, B. H BARTOL, President of Gas-Light Company. Chairman of Senate Committee of Public Buildings. WASHINGTON, January 30, 1874. MY DEAR SIR: In looking over the proceedings of the Senate to-night, I noticed you resolution regarding the immense cost of gas to the Government buildings in this DistrictI am prepared to reduce the gas-bills of the Government in this city, all the way from thirtyfive to forty five thousand dollars each year, when they reach one hundred thousand dollars I am prepared at any moment to show my instruments, with facts to confirm what is herein stated. These instruments are in successful operation in the dwellings of Attorney-General Williams, A. B. Mullett, Montgomery Blair, esq.; also in Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York, and Boston. Please do me the kindness to hand this communication to the honorable Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds. With high consideration, your most obedient servant, &c., Hon. J. S. MORRILL, U. S. Senator. Residence, No. 704 Second street, near G, N. W., Washington, D. C. R. R. BROOKS. OFFICE OF THE NATIONAL GAS AND IRON COMPANY, 132 LA SALLE STREET, Chicago, Ill., March 27, 1874. To the COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS, United States Senate, Washington, D. C. : The National Gas and Iron Company respectfully submits the following proposition for manufacturing and supplying the Government buildings in Washington, D. C., and the city of Washington with illuminating gas. I. It will manufacture and supply to the United States for use in said Government buildings, illuminating gas for one dollar ($1) per thousand feet, and to the citizens of Washington for one dollar and ten cents per thousand cubic feet, delivered in the holders. All gasholders, mains, and grounds necessary for buildings, and grounds for laying mains, to be provided by the United States and the city, and service-pipes, by parties using gas, and all generating and manufacturing apparatus by the company. II. The company will provide mains, holders, and all apparatus necessary for supply and distribution, except service-pipes, and supply gas to the United States, for the buildings aforesaid, for one dollar and fifty cents ($1.50) per thousand cubic feet, and to the inhabitants of said city for one dollar and seventy-five cents ($1.75) per thousand cubic feet; the United States and said city to furnish all grounds necessary for the manufacture and laying of mains without charge to the company. III. All gas supplied to be of best quality hydrocarbon, free from sulphur and other impurities, and not less than sixteen-candle power. IV. If the first proposition is accepted, the contract to be for a term of not less than five years, and if the second, not less than ten years from December 1, 1874. V. The company will give satisfactory guarantees for the performance of any contract accepted and made upon these proposals, and will obligate itself to furnish gas under the first proposition as soon as the mains and holders are ready, and under the second, by the first of December, 1874. JOHN H. RICE, Secretary. WASHINGTON, D. C., April 10, 1874. The National Gas and Iron Company respectfully ask to modify its proposition to supply gas to the United States and to the city of Washington, submitted under date of March 27, 1874, to conform substantially to the accompanying bill, (H. R. 2811,) and substituting the words "two dollars" in place of the words "one dollar and seventy-five cents" in line 21, page 3 of said bill, so that said proposition shall fix the maximum to be charged for gas to said city of Washington or the inhabitants thereof at two dollars Hon. JUSTIN S. MORRILL, JOHN H. RICE, Secretary. Chairman Committee Public Buildings and Grounds, United States Senate. NEW YORK, April 6, 1874. DEAR SIR: For the last twenty years I have devoted the most of my time to works for the manufacture of illuminating gas from materials other than coal. From this long practical experience I predict that before many years the use of solid coal in gas-making will be found too troublesome, expensive, and wasteful to compete with gas made from the hydrocarbon vapors of coal or oil combined with the pure hydrogen from steam. In the patents of Whipple & Blunt I consider the true method is found for the rapid production of both gases in the most simple and practical manner. While west a few months since I went to Des Moines to investigate the principle in practical operation, and was much surprised at the rapid production per hour from small bench of three retorts very imperfectly set. I also saw demonstrated the fact that the two gases combined perfectly while passing together under pressure and very rapidly through one pipe, and showing no condensation at a test-burner placed between the retorts and a station-meter. I then tested the quality of the mixed gases at the same point by photometer. I found that a five-foot argand burner under two-inch pressure consumed but 4 cubic feet of the combined gases showing the light of 26 sperm-candles. I found that the one small bench of three retorts was making of this rich gas about six to seven hundred cubic feet per hour, and so continued through the day. As 26-candle gas is too rich to sell to consumers accustomed to the light gas from coal, it will be necessary to add more hydrogen by another retort to reduce the quality of the gas to say 18 candies. This would be better than to shut back on the carbongas retort and thus lose part of its capacity. To add one more hydrogen retort to each bench would still more increase the rapidity, by which large volumes of the gas can be generated. The principle of making pure, rich gas very rapidly and economically is here firmly established, and no improvements seem necessary, except in certain mechanical appliances which I understand are now ordered. I was informed by the superintendent of the Des Moines Gas-Works that he had made calculations of the cost per thousand feet of the new gas, and found that it did not exceed seventy cents per thousand feet delivered in the gasometer. In this calculation General Blunt agreed, and I have no doubt it is a true one. I trust the company owning these patents will push forward this principle of gas-making to which it is entitled, and thereby do a great public good by making consumers satisfied instead of hating gas companies as extortionists and cheats." Yours, respectfully, Hon. ALEXANDER MCDONALD. JOHN BUTLER. DES MOINES GAS COMPANY, GENTLEMEN: General Blunt has requested me to write you a few lines in reference to making hydrogen gas: as Mr. Blunt is going to Chicago to-day, and will see you and can explain more fully the particulars, I will in a few words give you my opinion about hydrogen gas-making: First, that it can be made successfully. Second, made cheaper than by any other process of making gas. One barrel of oil will make 15,000 feet of eighteen-candle gas at a cost of from 70 to 75 cents per thousand feet, which is 40 cents per thousand feet less than we can make it with the coal and oil process. One of the retorts gave out and stopped any further experiment for the present, which is only a mechanical accident, and can be obviated by different construction of furnace. Gas-works put up with this process can be built at a cost of twenty per cent. of cost of coal-works, gas-holder and mains not included. Yours, respectfully, NATIONAL GAS AND IRON COMPANY, Chicago, Ill. G. B. WICKS, Superintendent. The Hudson Gas-Light Company of New York will erect its own works in Washington City and supply either a portion or all of the Government buildings in the city at the rate of two dollars ($2) per thousand cubic feet. P. C. RUST, President Hudson Gas-Light Company. Hon. JUSTIN S. MORRILL, U. S. Senate. OFFICE JERSEY CITY GAS-METER WORKS, We hereby certify that we have tested the illuminating power of the gas made for the county buildings of Hudson County by "The Hudson Gas-Light Company of New York," and find the same to possess twenty-two (22) candle power. This quantity of gas is daily manufactured by said company for said buildings, and is that which is daily used for the same. R. M. POTTS & CO. WREN'S GAS-WORKS, Brooklyn, N. Y., February 5, 1874. DEAR SIR: I see you are moving in the matter of a cheaper and a better gas. The Government now pay $4 per 1,000 feet for a ten or twelve candle power gas, giving only 8, 10, and 12 candle light. Grant us a charter under which we can lay our pipes through the streets and public grounds and erect our works in the city, and we will bind ourselves to furnish an eighty-candle power fixed gas, with burners of different sizes giving a 12, 16, 20, 24 candle light, at the rate of $2 per 1,000 cubic feet, coal-gas standard. The same amount of light now furnished at less than one-half the cost; giving a twelve-candle power light for one penny an hour. I have mailed to you a copy of our circular, which please examine. Per that circular we are ready to make a part of our contract with the Government, and guarantee to do all we therein claim to be able to do. Our gas is so pure and powerful as to be not only permanant but portable; and, if your committee desire, we can take it to Washington compressed into cylinders and illuminate your committee-room, so you can see the quality and quantity of the light. If your committee want evidence upon this subject of gas, they can summon us and we will respond immediately. I inclose a circular of one of our companies who are now laboring at Albany for a charter, from which you can see what we propose to do at home as well as abroad. I am, yours truly, S. FORSTER TAPPAN. PORTSMOUTH, N. H., February 24, 1874. SIR: The subject of illuminating gas for the public buildings and grounds in the District of Columbia having been referred to the committee of which you are chairman, I am induced to write to the committee through you, to make a statement and proposals, which I hope may claim their attention. I would state that my process of generating a purely fixed gas is now in operation in the United States navy-yards, at Portsmouth, N. H., and at Norfolk, Va.; and the satisfaction of the light given is certified to by the commandants of the respective yards, and the civil engineer of the Portsmouth, N. H., yard, in the printed circulars herewith inclosed, as well as other testimonials in relation to its quality and economy. As to the quality and power of the light, I also call your attention to an extract from the report of Professor Joseph Henry, of the Smithsonian Institute, and chairman of the LightHouse Board of the United States, which report was made after a thorough photometrical trial at the depot of the Light-House Board on Staten Island, with the Government's standard photometers, in May, 1873. I recite and call your attention to these facts, as I believe there will be strenuous efforts made to influence the committee to put aside the proposals I intended to make for lighting the Capitol, Treasury Department, President's House and grounds, the Navy, War, and State buildings now being erected, as a myth, or as proposals which cannot be effectually carried out; but which I positively assert can and will be, if the opportunity is afforded. I will be pleased to appear at any time before your honorable committee, to prove the feasibility of my propositions. The proposals I would make are as follows: To erect for the use of the Capitol and grounds, a gas-machine by which the Government can have its own gas made; also, one for the combined use of the Treasury, President's House and grounds, the Navy, War, and State Departments, which works the Government can own; or, which I will erect and run at my own expense, guaranteeing that the light shall be better and cheaper than the city gas now used. The Government is now paying $3 per 1,000 feet, net, for gas. If the Government use my process it will save 40 per cent. from $3; or, I will build the works and make the gas at my own expense, and sell it to the Government for $2.25 per thousand feet, taking the pres ent bills paid for coal-gas as standard. Thus, if the Treasury Department consume, as they now show, 7,000,000 feet of coal-gas per annum, I will call the amount consumed 7,000,000 feet, at $2.25 per thousand feet, instead of $3 net per thousand feet, as now paid, thus sav ing the Government 25 per cent. over the net amount now paid, or 40 per cent, over the gross amount now paid; in either case amounting to $2.25 per thousand feet for the light as compared with coal-gas. With the acceptance of this proposition, I should want a contract for ten years or for five years, with privilege of renewal for five years, I guaranteeing the light to be more satisfactory than the coal-gas now used. If the Government desire to have me erect the works for them, to be run by its own ap pointees, I will guarantee that the same light they now receive will not cost them over $1.75 per thousand feet, whereas they now pay $3 for the same. A gas-machine for the Capitol would require, if the holders and retorts were all housed, a building 85 feet square, which, with all the apparatus, gasometers and retorts in working order, would cost $35,000, and for the Treasury, Navy, War, and State Departments, and the President's House and grounds, $25,000, the Government furnishing the ground on which to erect them. These works, unlike coal-gas, are no nuisance, and the building can be made ornamental, thus obviating objections to placing them anywhere in the public grounds or on vacant lots near them. By using two machines, the expense of extending long lines of main pipe is obviated. The gas-works above mentioned for the Capitol would be equivalent to coal-gas works of 160,000 feet capacity per day, and for the Treasury and other buildings to a coal-gas capacity of 100,000 feet per day, and yet to cover the gasometers and all the generators only 85 feet square of room is required, thus putting the whole work under roof and protecting it from being trifled with. The gas is made of paraffine, which is a distillation from cannel coal, or the distilled residuum of petroleum, after all volatile substances, such as naphtha and kerosene, have been taken off, and is the only illuminating property of coal-gas, the difference being when gas is made from the distilled oil it is free from the impurities made in generating it from coal. From oil it is a super-carburetted hydrogen gas, while from coal it is only carburetted hydrogen. In making gas from coal there passes off with the carbon, from the retorts, hydrogen, sulphur, ammonia, carbonic oxide or acid, which substances must pass through lime or iron purification to free it from these impurities; and if the purification is not thorough, as is most often the case, poor gas is the consequence; while, from oil, the impurities have been taken out in the process of distillation, and the gas needs no purification except washing with pure cold water. It is a fact beyond cavil that one foot of oil-gas has the illuminating power of 4 feet of coal-gas. You will thus perceive by my statement, which I am ready to sustain by guarantees and by actual facts now in operating proof, that if the Government own the works and run them, that, two years' present gas-bills, (which, for the Capitol and buildings mentioned, amounts to about $70,000 a year,) they can have the light and own the works for all time; and, if the other proposal should be deemed the most desirable, (that is, to own the works and furnish the gas,) it will save the Government 25 per cent. on the net cost of the gas now consumed. These proposals, if accepted, will not require any change to be made in the present piping of the buildings proposed to be lighted. The only change would be in the burners, which would have to be smaller than those now used, which could be done at an expense of $8 per 100. The connection with the city gas can, if necessary, be made at any time in fifteen minutes; but such a reconnection has never been required in other works erected by me. The works will be so constructed that an accident to a gasometer or holder would not affect the supply of the gas. If either of these proposals should be deemed of sufficient importance to claim the attention of your honorable committee, I will be most happy to communicate with them more fully, or appear before them for further explanation. Allow me, gentlemen, to call your serious attention to the printed matter herewith submitted, and ask for it your favorable consideration. I have the honor to be, most respectfully, your obedient servant, Address, Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Hon. J. S. MORRILL, JOSEPH C. TIFFANY. Chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds. |