19th-century handwritten manuscript detailing allegations of mismanagement, fraud, and corruption against a gas company manager identified as Mr. Milne.
Written across four distinct pages/sections in iron gall ink and pencil notes, this detailed report or grievance letter highlights serious operational irregularities involving gas retorts shipped via rail from Hull, gas meter purchasing schemes, free asphalt work for neighbors, and unmetered coal/gas usage at Louth.
Historical & Subject Highlights:
Locations Mentioned: Hull, Louth, York, and railway transit lines.
Gas Infrastructure & Tech Details: Mentions gas retorts sent via rail from Hull (with several broken), gas holders, gas meters, gas burners, and coal weighing practices.
Misconduct Allegations:
Retort Shipments & Losses: Retorts sent from Hull arrived broken; accuses Mr. Milne of paying carriage without reporting the loss or holding the Railway liable.
Freight Diversion: Sending meters paid to York instead of Hull, causing unnecessary freight costs to the Gas Company.
Full Transcription(Note: Original spelling and punctuation preserved. Pencil draft notes and ink versions are transcribed as written across the pages.)
[Page 1 - Ink Script]
First
24 Retorts per Rail from Hull, two or three broken.
Mr. Milne paid carriage but never mentioned the loss the Gas C^o^ [Company] would sustain this part of the lot being broken although the Railway C^o^ was liable.
[Page 1 - Pencil Draft / Variant Text]
Coal for Gas Manager\'s private use. Is this weighed out, if not it ought to be,
The Station Masters on the Line have their coals all weighed out to them, and here at Louth although we make our own gas we have to make a monthly statement of gas consumed by so many burners and if the said burners are considered larger than necessary...
[Page 2 - Ink Script]
A neighbour of M^r Milne’s once told my wife that M^r Milne was kind enough to asphalte her garden walks free of charge simply because they were neighbours.
In advertising for Tenders for the erection of a Fence round the New Gas Holder, and in stating the work was well done when the Gentlemen composing the Committee could see that it was sadly deficient in both substance and quality.
In allowing his uncle to send the Meters paid to York instead of paid to Hull thus causing an extra expense to the Gas C^o^.
In buying Meters of his Uncle because he does something handsome for the Manager when they may be bought for less money at another House...
[Page 3 - Ink Script]
In allowing workmen to idle away half their time to the serious injury of the interests of the Gas Company.
[Page 4 - Ink Script (Alternative / Additional Page)]
Coal for House consumption, what account is kept of these, are they weighed at all. The coals for at private are always weighed out to our Station Masters, or some of them would pay their debts with Coal, and as for gas we always have to make a monthly return stating the n^o of feet consumed and the n^o of burners, where they are situated and whether we could not manage with data-path-to-node=\"11\">
