The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-01-10
Congress and The
Metric System
Washington Letter in the Sun.

IN MOTHER attempt is to be made at
IAN this session of congress to adopt
Iu\ the metric system for the United
UA States At the last session Repre-
sentative Hurley, of New York,
introduced in the House of Representa-
tives a bill with this purpose in view.
but it failed to receive favorable con-
sideration. In Germany, Italy. Spain,
france, Austria, Hungary, Portugal, Bel
GUM. Switzerland, Norway and Sweden,
Servia, Peru and Venezuela the metric
system Is by law obligatory; in Great
Britain and ireland, in Turkey and the
United States it is permissive, while Den
mark. Japan and Russia are non-metric.
The latest advices received by the Coast
Survey indicate that Great Britain Is In
a fair way to adopt the system, for 1t
mas been found that in some of the coun-
tries where the metric system is compul-
sorry England has lost many contracts
for the reason that the transference of
| figures from one system to another has
| frequently resulted in inaccuracy.
o.
The history of the attempts to secure
uniformity of weights and measures in
| this country is interesting. Washington
spoke in his first message to congress of
| the great necessity for uniformity in the
currency and weights and measures, and
| the matter was referred to jefferson.
then secretary of state, who submitted
| report to congress on the subject While
| this report was under consideration the
National Assembly of France took steps
| in reference to adopting the metric sys-
| TEN, and this fact induced the committee
| to postpone any alteration in the meas
ures then in use. Washington renewed
| his recommendation to the second con-
gress. and committee reported in favor
| of one of Jefferson's plans. NoIning re-
| suited, and the matter was not taken up
| again until after the war Of 1872. when,
| n lfn NtFft1
mendation from President Madison. bill
was introduced. But, as before. no legis-
| lation resulted, and so the measures law
full in Great Britain during our colonial
| period still remained in customary use in
| this country.
| Although congress has not been eager
| TO make one system compulsory 1t has
| shown itself not unwilling to encourage
| uniformity, for in June, 1886 an act was
| passed which provided that copies of all
| the standards of weights and measures
| should be prepared at Washington and
| full set delivered to the governor of each
state in the Union. Up TO that time,
| brass yards and ellis furnished by the
| county and state governments, and of
| very doubtful accuracy, or no accuracy
| at all, were fastened TO the steps of the
| court houses in state and county seats,
| and by these the merchants in towns
| tested the correctness of their length
| measures. Though standard measures
| were made at the Geodetc Survey and
| sent to the states. according to the pro-
| visions of the act of 1896, they We're not
| used. The law was repealed subsequently.
| and the standard which had remained in
| use by the executive department of the
| government became practically the stand
| ard of the whole country. The primary
| units were the original yard and the
| original pound. But much confusion eX-
| rpPnrU
| original measures with those of Great
| Britain. The yard adopted was the dis
| tance between two lines drawn upon the
| Troughton scales in 1873 But so delicate
| are the adjustments required that the
| length of this American yard has from
| time to time had different relations to
| the British yard. These differences have
| been due TO the temperatures at the
| times the comparison were made, two de-
| grees Fahrenheit making an appreciabe
| difference-from the scientific standpoint
in the length of the two yard meas
| ures.
| The United States government contri-
| butes annually something more than ST.
| 900 to the support of the International
| Bureau of Weights and Measures near
| Paris. France. This bureau has had for
| its object the preparation of a new in
ternatonal standard meter and new
| international standard kilogramme, copies
| Of which have been made and distributed
| among the contributing governments In
| January, 1890 two standards, made at the
| bureau and sent to Washington, were
| brought to the cabinet room at the White
| House, and there the seals on the pack
| ages We're broken by the president of
| the United States, the secretary of the
| treasury. and a number of scientific men.
| They were then formally adopted, and a
certificate from BENJAMIN Harrison was
| written to the effect that they were orig
| inals or prototypes of the original metre
| and kilogramme at Paris. They were
| sent to the Sealer of Weights and Meas
| ures at the Geodetic and Coast Survey,
| where they are now kept. At the survey
| the klogramme has been placed in a
| large glass case the doors of which have
| been sealed by the superintendent OF the
| survey, and no one is allowed to open
them. The prototype Of the metre in ord
| mary use Is also very carefully kept and
handled, although 1t is not under seal.
| 1t is a heavy bar OF an alloy of platinum
| and iridium, and cost $500. Ii is not
fiat as most measures are, and cross
section of II would look not unlike two
fat-topped letter VS. one inverted on
| the other The line of measurement Is
at the top of one OF the VS.. The object
| OF this is to have the surface from which
| the measurement is taken as near as pos
sible TO what is known as the neutral
axis of the bar This destroys the possi-
| Dlllly OI HcTtdSt OF ulHlinutlOH III lenBln
| by the infinitely small arc which might
be formed in handling the bar. There are
two FURNISHED spots upon which the linn
it's of the metre can be very family dis
tinguished, The lines are finer many times
than hairs breadth.
| o
There Is a most wonderful scale by
which weights are adjusted for mer-
| chants 1t Is kept under lock and key In
| a fireproof room I'm the basement of the
old Butler house adjoining the main build
ing of the Geodetic Survey. 1t is one
| of the most accurate scales in the world.
| so delicate are the adjustments required
! that the temperature of the body of the