The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-12-05

The Unique Innovation Agree
able to Producer, Consumer
and Burglar.
Street Lamps Will Be Loaded for the
Night and Hurn Till
Mconrise.,
OAKLAND OFFICE SAN Francisco CALI, !
908 Broadway. Dec. 4.

9o8 Broadway, Dec. 4.
San Leandro is to have the most unique
gas plant on he Pacific Coast. It is
clever adaptation OF the measurement of
light by the principles that govern the
nickel-ln- the-slot machine. 1t is SAFE
guard alike to producer and consumer,
and will of necessity be of great service to
the prowling burglar.
Within few weeks all consumers of gas
in that little town will be supplied with
very interesting meters, the delicate ma
chinery of which is just now being COM
pleted in Fourth-street brass foundry.
The body of the machine is an ordinary
gas meter but on top is combination OF
cogs, springs, wheels and little devices
very ingeniously fitted together, and
which are guaranteed to measurs perfectly
the consumption of gas. The most pecu
liar feature about the new system is little
slot into which the consumer places his
coin in proportion to the amount of gas
he wishes to use.
If householder only has few cents to
spare at time, and wishes to illuminate
his house with gas, he can put nickel in
the slot and it will liberate so many feet
of Illuminating power. By very careful
measured system, none of the gas is
wasted although it may not all be used
at one time. While the gas is burning,
the pressure of the vapor through the pipe
works a spiral rod, and when the mark
on the rod equal to The value of the coin
reaches a certain place, the supply is
turned off, and unless the slot is patron
lied again the house or hall will be in
darkness.
Another adjustment prevents any sud-
den going out of the light. 1t is so ar
ranged that twenty minutes before the
value of the coin is burned up. the light
commences to flicker, perform all kind OF
contortions and gradually grows dim, thus
giving the consumer the option of putting
another nickel in the slot or OF lighting a
candle.
These meters will be supplied TO houses
and public halls and also, it is said, to the
municipality. In this latter case it will
become the duty of the Town Treasurer
every evening before leaving his office to
place enough money in the slot to guaran-
tee the town from darkness during the
night. He will also have to work out
some very careful problems in proportion,
as the amount of cents placed in the slot
must correspond accurately TO the len 9Th
of hours before the moon will rise, or
there will be serious waste of gas. "This
system will work no injury to anybody, -
said the inventor to-day, as he was
II any body does not like the amount of
gas they get for two bits they need not
put any more money into it. In public
halls and stores where there is posi-
bility of many people using she proprie-
tors gas and swelling his bill unknown TO
him this new system will prove great
advantage, for unless such trespassers
patronize the slot part of the machine
they will get no light.
A complication is likely to arise in re-
gard TO the town lighting. and it is not yet
decided whether meter shall be attached
to each lamppost and the Town Marsh al
be sent around each evening at sundow n
to put the necessary nickels in each ma
chine. If such plan be followed there is
no doubt that the meters will become very
attractive TO the small boys and a constant
discrepancy would be found between the
amount of gas used and the niekels found
in the receiver. There can be n doubt
| that after a machine had been in use some
months it would possess marked magne-
ism for burglar, and new branch of
crime will undoubtedly come into vogue
in San Leandro within the next few
months. 1t Will probably be safer TO crack
half dozen nickel-in-t he-slot gas-measur-
ing machines than to tackle one safe, and
the returns will probably be greater. San
Leandro's Town Marshal is considering
the advisability of issuing notice that he
wiz not be responsible for gas-mete in