Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-01-24
Gas Dogs.
Esrnrr, %ha Nv, V1rl-


From the New York Times
1t came out during the recent trial of a gas
inspector in Philadelphia for the offense of kick
ing dog that gas inspectors are furnished with
complete lists of houses in which dogs are kept,
and that In these lists the temper and habits of
each dog are carefully described. Dogs" re-
marked the Philadelphia defendant, '.are the
torment Of an inspectors life." an admission
which will be hailed with Joy by every gas con-
suming householder in the land
The plan of training small dogs to bite all per-
sons apparently bent upon examining gas meters
was originated in this city some years ago by
an enterprising dog fancier. He made 1t his
business to breed and train what he called 'gas
dogs, and was equally successful with rough
haired terriers. bull terriers and spitz dogs
This able person either sold his ''gas dogs" at a
price little above the current market rate or
he rented them to househOlders for fifty cents
DAY. AS gas meters are inspected monthly
it is easy for a householder to hire a gas dog
only two or three days in each month, and vet
to be reasonably sure that the dog will be in
readiness to receive the inspector. ,nhe dog
fancier who invented the plan OF supplying the
public with gas dogs made fortune within three
years, and although he has retired from the
dog field. his business is carried on in almost
every large town by at least one dog fancier
Excellent results have been attained by the
use OF gas dogs. An amlable Christian lady re-
siding in 35th street, in this city, has no less
than forty-three samples Of trousers collected
by her gas dog in the course OF five years.
There are now employed, either permanently or
for three days in each month, fully five thou
sand gas dogs above the region OF Blocker
street. and we shall be safe in assuming that at
least four thousand five hundred gas inspectors
are bitten either in the legs or the trousers
every month.
1t need hardly be said that gas dogs are won
derfully soothing to the householder's mind
There are householders who make it point to
remain at home all day on the day when the gas
inspector Is expected, merely in order to enioy
the yell Of the inspector when the gas dogs
teeth meet in his calf or to listen to the nspec-
tors language as fresh hole is made in his
trousers Paying the gas bill is most I'M
pleasant but absolutely inevitable necessity, and
it is, of course, great consolation to a good
man to know that his gas dog is biting the very
Inspector by the help of whose Vaccinations
with the meter the gas bill is concocted Hun
dreds Of our leading citizens, including clergy
men and professional phanthropists, who own
or employ gas dogs have testified that they can
now pay their gas bills with comparative equa-
nimity, cheered by the recOllectiOns Of the legs
and trousers that the faithful gas dogs have
sampled.
Whether on the whole gas dog is anything
more than pleasure and comfort to a house
holder is question that is not yet satisfactorily
settled. What is the effect of the efforts of the
gas dog upon the size of the gas bill? Let US
assume that-as frequently happens-the gas
dog prevents the inspector from approaching
the meter. Will the inspector in such case
charge for more feet OF gas than he would have
charged could he have seen the meter? At first
glance one would be apt to think that the in
spector would seize the opportunity to revenge
himself on the owner Ofthe gas dog by reckless
ly increasing the size Of the gas bill little re-
Election on the part Of those acquainted with
gas meters will show, however, that this is ex-
tremely improbable. Such Is the diabolical in
genuity with which the gas meter is constructed
that 1t will register more feet of gas
than the imagination OF the ordinary
inspector can conceive. For example, let us
suppose that the gas consumed In any given
house amounts to 500 feet month. An in
spector, harassed by gas dog and prevented
from inspecting the meter, may perhaps charge
the householder with 5000 feet Of gas. II, how
ever, the meter is really good specimen of its
kind. it will be entirely capable of registering
IL, 600 feet of gas month"; quantity far be-
yond the widest flight of reckless and bitten
inspectors imagination 1t Is thus not only
possible but probable that gas bills are not in
creased by debarring inspectors from access to
gas meters.