National Republican., 1883-02-08
AN ACT REGULATING GAS worries.


| Be IL endctedby The senate and house Of repre-
sentatires Of the United States of Amerioa in
congress assembled, That from and after
the thirtieth day of June, eighteen hun
dred and seventy-four, the illuminating power
of the gas furnished by any gasight COM
pany, person, or persons in the District of
Columbia, shall be equal to sixteen candles by
the Bunsen photometer using the English
! parliamentary standard Argand burner, hav-
ing fifteen holes and q seven-inch chimney,
consuming five cubic feet of gas per hour and
such gas shall not contain more than twenty
grains of sulphur in any form in one hundred
cubic feet, nor more than five grains of am
monia in any form in one hundred cubic feet.
When the illuminating gas supplied by any
company, person, or persons in the District Of
Columbia, shall at any one time be of less illu
minating power or of less purity than accord
| ing to the standard just heretofore given, IL
shall be so reported by the inspector of gas
and meters to the company, person, or persons
supplying the same, who shall he subject to
penalty of one hundred dollars, to be rccov-
cred before the proper tribunal and paid into
| the treasury of the District of Columbia afore-
said, for each aud every day during which
such violation shall continue: Provided, hOU-
crer, That If it shall appear that such devia-
| not have been prevented by ordinary caro- and
| prudence, but was occasoned by some un-
| avoidable cause, then the said penalty shall
| not be enforced.
SEC. 9. That suitable and impartial person,
| competent as chemist, who is not a stock
holder or employe in any gas works, shall be
appointed by the President of the United
States, by and with tho advice and consent of
the senate, to be designated and known as in
| spector of gas and meters, whose compcnsa-
tion shall be n salary of two thousand dollars
| per annum, and whose duties shall be TO test
and determine tho illuminating power and
| purity of the gas furnished by any company,
person, or persons in the District of Columbia;
and to test, prove, and seal all meters that
may be hereafter used by them and that n
suitable person, who shall be gasftter by
trade, shall be appointed by the president, as
aforesaid, on the recommendation of the in
| spector of gas and meters, as an assistant in
spector, at n salary of one thousand dollars
per annum, who shall assist in the duties
specified under the direction of the inspector
| of gas and meters.
SEC. 3. That laboratory shall be provided
and fitted up by the Washington Gaslight
company, subject to the approval of the in
spector, in the central part of the city of
| Washington, at distance as near as may be,
of two thousand feet from any gas works, and
furnished with suitable apparatus for the
| transaction of the business of the inspector
| and assistant inspector, for which it is in
tended, and tho laboratory shall be kept open
| on all business days between the hours of
| eight o'clock in the forenoon and five o'clock
| in the afternoon Provided, That the cost of
| fitting up said laboratory shall be paid for by
each gas company in the District of Columbia
in proportion TO their sale of gas for the year
eighteen hundred and cghty-three.
SEC a. That the company, person, or
persons furnishing the gas may, if they see
iit, on each occasion of the testing of the gas
by the inspector, or assistant inspector, be
represented by some officer, but such officer
shall not interfere in the testing.
SEC. 5. That daily inspections, Sundays
| excepted, shall be made in conformity to the
intent of this act between the hours of 3 and
| IL o'clock in the afternoon, and record shall
be kept of each inspection, giving the il
Eliminating power and purity, which shall be
open to the public, and % copy of the daily
inspection shall be furnished the following
day to the company, person, or persons fur
nishing the gas, Saturdays inspection to be
furnished on Monday, and full report for
the month to be furnished, upon request, to
any daily paper printed in the city of Wash
ington on the day of their publication, next
after the twenty-fourth day of each month,
to include each days test from the date Of
previous publication, and giving. the average
illuminating power for the month
SEC. 6. That all bills for gas furnished by
any company, person, or persons shall state
the average illuminating power for the
month and If the same shall fall below six
teen candles, as in this act prescribed, then
the amount of the bill shall be reduced pro
rata.
SEc.7 That in testing meters, the inspector
or assistant inspector shall ascertain whether
the meter is of proper construction, and re-
quires only the pressure of u column of water
indicated by the water gauge commonly
used for such tests, of one.fourth of an inch
high to work it, and whether it works regu-
larly and correctly, and registers exactly tho
amount of gas passing through it, first at the
rate the meter is marked to supply; secondly,
at one-third its rate; thirdly, Mt twice its
rate The standard foot shall be one cubic
foot, containing sixty-two and three hundred
and twenty-one one-thousandths pounds,
avordupois weight, of distilled water at the
temperature of siXty-two degrees Fahrenheit,
and with n barometrical pressure of thirty
inches; and meters registering within 2 per
ccntum either way of the exact number of
such feet passing through them at the first
named rate, and within per centum at the
second and third rates, and no others shall
be deemed accurate and be stamped by the
inspector, The inspector shall keep Mt the
laboratory correct record of all meters in
spected by him, with their proof at the time
of inspection, which record shall be open Mt all
times to the public for any reasonable oxami-
, nation by any company, person, or persons
, having any interest therein.
SEC. 8. That any gasmeters now in use
shall be proved and tested on the written re-
quest of the consumer of gas on whose prem
, ises it may be, and in his presence, if he re-
, quires, upon the payment in advance to the
inspector or assistant inspector of fifty cents
for each and every meter inspector, proved,
and sealed and if any such meter on being
/ tested, shall be found to register inaccurately
to the injury of the consumer to an extent
exceeding two per centum, the fee of fifty
cents shall be returned to the person applying
for said inspection aud be paid to the inspector
i by the company, person, or persons supplying
the gas and every such meter shall be con.
!, sidered correct, and sealed accordingly, which
shall register quantities varying from the true
D standard measure of gas Of not more than two
!. per centum, and q record shall be kept of the
7 same and of all fees so collected. And all
= meters hereafter used by any gas company
Z person, or persons shall be first inspected
4 proved, and sealed ut the laboratory provided
for by this act; and for such inspection, proving
i and sealing the company, in the first instance
and thereafter the company, person, or per
0 sons applying to have tho meter inspected
t shall pay fifty cents for each meter, a record
r Of which shall be kept and of thetees so col
) lected; and all fees shall be applied to the
Y payment of the expenses for maintaining and
Q keeping in good order aud repair the labora
!, tory and apparatus.
d SEC 0. That each company, person, or per
y sons manufacturing illuminating gas in the
d District of Columbia shall, when required in
: writing by the inspector of gas and meters