Company still has gas to sell; Hemingray to connect gas line

COMPANY STILL HAS GAS TO SELL

I. F. Schall, manager of the fuel supply of the plants of the American Sheet Steel company is in this city to arrange to connect the Hemingray Glass company’s plant to the lines of the steel company’s immense gas sup­ply system. The connections will be made in a few days to relieve a short­age from which Hemingray's are now suffering.

The American Sheet Steel company has one of the largest gas pumping stations in the gas belt. It is now forcing over 6,000,000 of cubic feet of gas through its lines daily and has a reserve capacity of several millions of feet more. The Hemingrays will need about 600,000 feet of gas in addition to their present supply. The Midland steel works is controlled by the Ameri­can Sheet Steel company and uses gas from the big system, as does also the local plant of the American Rolling Mill company, using 6,000,000 of cubic feet of gas dally. The managers of the big gas concern say that they probably have a daily capacity of at least 12,000,000 feet of gas.

The company at this time has ten wells that are not now being drawn upon, This morning Mr. Schall telegraphed for several thousand feet of gas pipe to connect these wells with the big pumps. When these connections are made the company then will have their reserve still more increas­ed.

On one or two occasions last summer Mr. Schall announced that his com­pany had gas to sell. This was before the present cold weather and before the local companies supplying private families were suffering from a shortage.

At that time Mr. Schall conferred with the Muncie Natural Gas com­pany and with the managers if other companies in an effort to sell the gas now going to the American Rolling mill’s plant to the companies supplying gas to the residence portions of the city. At that time Mr. Schall and the Munde company were unable to agree upon terms. As a result Mr. Schall contracted with the American Rolling Mill company to supply its Muncie plant with fuel.

The company says that Mr. Schall wanted it to agree to use a certain amount daily the year round. The price was to be 8 cents per thousand feet. The proposition was rejected on the ground that the company only needs an increased supply during the winter months. Mr. Schall did not want to make this kind of a contract.

The Muncie company said it did not want to pay for the extra amount of gas for 12 months when it only needed it for four or five months.

Mr. Schall says that while he believes the gas should be used in the homes of Muncie he was compelled to get the best possible price for the gas that was not needed by the American Sheet Steel company.

The Times received the following communication this afternoon:

Muncie Times:

We would feel obliged to you if you will kindly print the following statement:

The American Sheet Steel Co., Mid­land works, states officially, that it positively will not be in a position to supply natural gas for domestic use. This disposes of all reports and ru­mors to the contrary. They are furn­ishing gas to thse American Rolling Mill Co„ for manufacturing purposes, and are making arrangements to supply the Hemingray glass works. No other arrangements have been made and none is contemplated. The Sheet Steel company is operating their pumping station at half speed and have about ten producing wells that are not yet turned into the main line. Pressure at Midland works has ranged from 25 to 40 pounds during the recent cold spell.

                                                                                        A. BEARD.