For this purpose a special committee was appointed by the Common Council, consisting of Messrs. Wm. I. King, M. G. Willis, James S. Knox, Wm. E. Bradley and John T. Knight. They entered into negotiations with the officers of the company and finally purchased the works at a cost of twenty thousand dollars. Since their purchase the works have been placed in good repair and the mains have been extended in many parts of the town where they did not before run. There were about nine miles of pipe, but it was claimed by many who had examined the works that the plant was too small to supply the town, and there was much complaint of "no gas" on the part of the consumers, but it was then fashionable to complain against the city even if you were getting what you wanted, and so the matter went on until the "spirit of improvement" struck the town and estimates for a new gas plant were ordered, and before many months passed it was decided that the old works must be abandoned and a new plant constructed on a new site. And so the work of construction commenced and went forward with great rapidity. After the new plant was completed, and had been in running order for some time, the superintendent was asked for an article on the works for this volume, and he remarked that during the latter part of the year 1904 it became obvious that the old gas plant, which had been supplying the city with gas for fifty years, had gone beyond repair, and that for the sake of economy it would be necessary to erect a new plant. With this end in view a plot of ground was selected near the railroad depot and alongside the right-of-way of the railroad, and here the new works were built. Mr. Frederic Egner, an eminent gas engineer, was selected to draw the plans and engineer the construction. Early in May, 1905, ground was broken and work progressed rapidly, and on the 25th of November the first gas was made in the new plant, and by the 28th everything was working smoothly and the old plant was abandoned. The plant is what is known as a coal gas works, using soft coal for manufacturing the gas. The manufacturing end of the plant consists of two benches of inclined retorts, four to the bench, with half depths regenerative furnaces, and has a manufacturing capacity of 100,000 cubic feet of gas each day of twenty-four hours. Our plant is one of the most modern in the country, and no small plant now built surpasses it. Mr. Wm. Fitzpatrick, who had faithfully served the city as superintendent of the old plant for many years, retired upon the completion of the new plant and Mr. B. F. Bullock was made superintendent. Gas is $1.00 per thousand, and Mr. John C. Melville is chairman of the committee. THE ELECTRIC LIGHT PLANT.