National Republican., 1883-02-10
AN Acr nreu1ArrNa cas- woR1ks.

AN ACT REGULATING GAS WORKS.
Be 10 endctedby the senate and house Of repre-
Sentdtiues of the United Stdtes of America 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 gaslight 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 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 tho 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, it
shall be so reported by the inspector of gas
and meters to the company, person, or persons
supplying the same, who shall be subject TO
| a penalty of one hundred dollars, to be recov-
cred before the proper tribunal and paid into
the treasury of the District of Columbia nfore-
said, for each and every day during which
such violation shall continue: Prorided, hon.
| erer, That if it shall appear that such devia-
| tion from the abOve-named standards could
not have been prevented by ordinary care and
| prudence, but was oCcasiOned by somo un-
| avoidable cause, then the said penalty shall
not be enforced.
SEC. 9. Thata suitable and impartial person,
competent as chemist, who is not n stock
| holder or employo in any gas works, shall be
appointed by the President of the United
States, by and with the advice and consent of
| the senate to be designated and known rs in
| spcctor of gas and meters, whose compensa-
tion shall be salary of two thousand dollars
per annum, and whose duties shall be to test
and determine the 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 a
suitable person, who shall be u gasfittcr by
| trade, shall be appointed by tho president, as
aforesaid, on the recommendation of the in
| spcctor of gas and meters, as an assistant in
| spcCtor, at n salary of one thousand dollars
per annum, who shall assist in tho 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 q distance as near rs 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 the 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 PrOUided, 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 oighty-three.
/ A hat Nl,a
persons furnishing the gas may, if they see
| it on each occasion of the testing of the gus
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 a record shall
be kept of each inspection, giving the il
Illuminating power and purity, which shall be
open to the public, and n 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 1Or tne month.
SEC. g. 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.
SEc7. 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 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 the
amount of gas passing through it, first, at the
| rate the meter is marked to supply; secondly,
at one-third its rate thirdly, at 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 per
centum either way of tho 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 at the
| laboratory correct record of all meters in
spected by him, with their proof at the time
times to the public for any reasonable exami-
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 and be paid to the inspector
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
standard measure of gas of not more than two
per centum, and record shall be kept of the
same and of all fees so collected. And all
meters hereafter used by any gas company,
person, or persons shall be first inspected
proved and sealed at the laboratory provided
for by thsact; and for such inspection, proving
and sealing the company, in the first instance
and thereafter the company, person, or per-
sons applying to have the meter inspected
shall pay fifty cents for each meter, n record
of which shall be kept and of the fees so col
lected; and all fees shall be applied to the
payment of the expenses for maintaining and
keeping in good order and repair the labora-
tory and apparatus.
SEC. 0. That each company, person, or per-
sons manufacturing illuminating gas in the
District of Columbia SHALL when required in
writing by the inspectOr of gas and meters