True American. [volume] (Steubenville [Ohio]) 1855-1861, 1858-03-31
G0uN9 ynuml96 9hmmrSa an
Z RAGAN, Editor and Proprietor.

ly operative, and their remedy is out Of
reach Of the gas works, which cannot
control either the seasons or the owners
of tall stores and factories. An effectual
remedy for the latter case is, however, in
the control oflhe gas consumer, who can
keep down his bills by diminishing the
pressure in his own fittings. Many per-
sons do this by partially turning off the
stopcock at the meter, and others accom-.
plish it more efectually and permanently
by haying the stopcock in the street
turned partially off, which is done by
workman from the gas Office, whenever
requested by the customer.
The latter mode is preferable, as it is
not subject to change by the meter in
spector, whose operations require him to
turn the stop at the meter, who cannot
always restore il to the desired position,
though his instructions are to do so as
nearly as practicable.
The effect of lighting up a lofty
building is to check greatly the flow of
gas into adjacent houses of less elevation
in the same manner as a hydrant lei run
in the yard Of house will stop the sup
ply Of water to the bath room, in an upper
story. The tendency of gas being to
aow out of the highest opening as that
of water is to issue at the lowest. The
isolated cases are of two kinds, one in
which there is sudden increase in a
particular bill, and the other showing a
gradual and continued increase during
many months or even years.
The former sometimes arises from an
additional number of burners. whose ex-
istence is forgotten sometimes from an
unknown use of light by member of the
family; sometimes from an undiscovered
leakage in the fitting, and occasionally
from an error i'll taking the state Of the
meter at that or the previous quarter =
The latter cases are easily disposed of by
correction of the bill as soon as thf
error is discovered. but they are Of rare
occurrence-lhe average being less than
one in thousand.
The cases of gradual and continued
increase of the bills generally arise from
the gradual enlargement of the burners,
either designedly, or by the chemical ant
mechanical action of the burning gas
The increased consumption of gas thus
produced is not usually accompanied by
a corresponding increase of light, and tht
small additional light obtained is general
ly UNDECIDED, probably on the same ply
sical principle that makes persons uncou
scious Of the increased craving for ant
use ofarIifcial indulgences.
The proper remedies in these cases i
, the removal Of the old burners, and th'
substitution of new ones of proper size
! In doing this, it will be most prudent tt
obtain them from some established ga
> filter, and not from lineran,s, who haun
the houses Of citizens, to delude them b,
specious promises of great saving from
buying their burners and their advice. :
l., In dealing with these people the ci,izel
: is almost sure Of being deceived, withou
. chance of remedy.
The general regularity Of the recor
of the meters in this city, in cases wher
! the circumstances under which they wer
used are unchanged, becomes very evi
dent on examining the Office registry @
: : the bills for successive years. Tw
series of those records for different loca
: tiles, not affected by the vicinity Of larg
) factories, showing the following results
" Twenty bills, taken indiscrimina,ely
Of houses in the Thirteenth Ward, i
v. March 1857, amounted 10 $242,l5, an
in March 1858, 1929 SO the differenc
1882, being five per cent. less this yes
!" than last. Twenty bills taken in lik
= manner in the Eighth and Ninth Ward
. amounted, in March 1857, to 39S,7I
> and in March 1858. 10 9s,O7; tn
,, difference being 6s cents, or less tina
;, y one,ffth Of one per cent.