Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1871-12-19

how YOU come at the quantity 70 charge
to "a consumer; do you guess at it, aver
age it, or what2
Mr.. Secretary-We have innumerable
disputes upon this, as upon all other sub
jects. There is not one consumer in a
hundred who does not believe that the
whole system of measurements a cheat;
and as our consumers are composed Of
the best people of the town, desire to
explain the system as fully as possible,
that they may understand that the gas
they burn is as fairly measured to them
as any article they purchase. To begin:
we set meter for every consumer, which
meter has been perfected by the best
mechanics in the world, and APP
proved by scientific men both here
and abroad. The principle Of the
dry meter 1.-THE one most generally in
use) is nearly precisely that OF a
slide-valve steam engine without a cut
of. If you were to propel an engine
by gas, instead of steam, you will under
stand that at every complete. revolution
Of the engine, gas equal TO q quantity
sufficient to fill the cylinder tsoice would
pass out of the exhaust-pipe 10 the
burners To be supplied. Now, then,
when we know the exact dimensions of
the cylinder--say we make it to hold
exactly one cubic foot-there will be no
trouble in knowing how much gas has
passed. To ascertain the number of
revolutions, we attach system Of cog
wheels, one Of which marks every single
revolution, another every ten revolutions
and so on to hundreds, thousands, and
even up to millions. Now, this gas en-
CINE flor we will call it that in place of
meter) will not move unless there is an
outlet for the gas, any more than a steam
engine can without an inlet and outlet
for steam, nor will it move without gas
any more than a steam engine will
without steam-in abort, motor
must be present. If there is no
leak in the fittings and no gas con
sumed in the house the meter will
stand as idle as a steam engine without
a boiler; but the instant you open a
burner the engine commences TO move
slowly in its work; open another burner
and the speed is increased, and 30 on
until You get it to operating rapidly.
We have no part nor hand in the manu-
facture or construction OF these instrn-
ments; never see the inside of one I'M
less il is accidentally destroyed. We
purchase from the best standard makers,
receive them under guaranty, and have
vet to find one that registered improperly
If it registered at all. In case q party
is dissatisfied with the bill declared tobe
due by the meter, we bring the instru-
mept home and subject tito a test under
the proper. This latter is a miniature
gas holder, into which we allow guam
tity of gas to flow from the street main.
On one side of the upright frame which
supports the holder as it rises, is grad
uated scale and a pointer, whereby you
may know exactly how much gas is let
in, say Eve or ten cubic feet. A tube
from the proven is then attached to the
inlet of the meter to be tested,
and burner to the outlet. The
gas is lighted and the operation OF prov
inc is begun. When the five or ten feet
Of gas has been discharged from the
proven. and we find that the meter has
marked that amount, we pronounce It
correct. otherwise not This, you see, is
as simple as measuring corn. may say
that no mechanical contrivance is or can
be mathematically correct, lAmeriean
gold coin contains theoretically nine
hundred parts of gold and one hundred
parts of alloy. but is considered correct
In practice if it contains two parts more
or less Of gold or Of alloy)i hence an al
lowance Of three per cent. more or less
is permitted, but we scarcely ever ma
them running that far astray. In sey,,
eral of the Eastern States and in all
European countries there are inspectors
appointed by the authorities to test all
meters against which complaints are
lodged. From the records kept by those
officers it has been ascertained that wnen
meters are defective nine out OF ten reg
lister against the company. f5
WHAT THE COURTS SAY.
may mention as GROWING vindca-
ton of the meter a suit which was tried
within the past fortnight in our neighbor-
ing city Of Louisville. A gentleman
somewhat acquainted with mathematics
and natural science enormously inform
ed the proprietor cf the Opera House that
registered great deal more
gas than passed through, and that 1t
could be so demonstrated TO a jury |
an action was commenced to
recover back the sum Improperly col |
lected; jury was impaneled and the !
trial begun. The gentleman made his
appearance and testified with great con,
fdence pulled a meter TO pieces and
made his figures, from which it appeared
that but forty-nine and half per cent.
Of the gas passed that was registered.
This was excellent for the plaintiff, but
the defendan. had a lawyer present and
an engineer at his back; and with one
single question the case was won. For
it seemed that the witness had forgotten
that the cylinder was filed twiee Tor
each revolution-once from the near
center TO the far center and again from
the far center to the near center, and
that twice forty-nine and half per cent
made ninety-nine per cent However,
the company did not rest its case there,
but brought into court the identical me-
iers which had been challenged and put
hem under the proven in presence OF
he iury. and both we're found 70 be cor
rect. Inc QeIcuudut AVVA JNbh ANAf
Tor costs, and that before a jury.
THE ExANISER,
We send careful, experienced and in
.elligent men 10 take the statements Of
meters. and / believe they perform their
iuties with as much accuracy as do any
other clerks in the city. We never
. guess at statement or average Il,
except IN cases where parties refuso &C.
cess TO the meter. You should know
that an error in statement this month
will be corrected the next. For instance,
/ set you a meter with all the hands at
zero. During the mouth you consume
( We hundred feet of gas, but the meter
aker puts Il down at six hundred feet,
md gou pay the bill; the next month
,ou consume Eve hundred feet again,
which makes one thousand feet from the
and the meter-takeT this time
-eoords It correctly at one Thousand
'eet. Nov the amount paid for the six
,uadred feet is deducted from the total
mount registered, which leaves four
lundred feet II parties viii carefully |
Iee that the subtractions in their bills
re made correctly, they need have no