The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-06-24

that the company took the saloon for It's pay
and the man who monkeyed with the motel
went back 70 carrying the bod.
truth In any Of these stories. They are
more absurd than the widest tale Ia a yellow
journal. But. IL il simply wonderful how many
Why iSSpi 1 say aesa tha. ' Il Would be an excellent thing
for both companies and consumers II every
body VINO burned gas could read the meter,
would soon disappear and consumers would
cease to complain without legitimate cause.
The companies couldn't very well start schools
Of Instruction but d sr tssd oirSa Sogio e Hissy
much gas you have burned. seventy-fve per
rent. Of all the meters N use Are OF 'h1 s snes
meters have four dials, three IN = row ana 3nss
surmounting them, The dial at Tie top Is called
the two-foot hand. Pay no attention 70 y
The other dlals are marked 100000, o0O ana
now Z You viii fix In your mind the fact that
yolve from right to left the 10000 hand travels
from left to right. you will have mastered about
the only puzzlinR thing about meter, reading
meter !" stands between 5 and 8 on the dial. That
revolution has been @ads, The 1000 band
IS between ! and 3 oD That i Tb mgT g %, dse k koS
add them together and YOU will find mat the
correct index OF YOUR meter = p ~ AiwSss
take The figure on the dial which The hang mas
passed. not the one II IL approaching. When
the record reaches $500 the next turn OF tne
recording mschlnery will bring y around 70
%. 900 that is. the 100 coo hand will be fairly
upon the ngure 8 and the hands on the other
dials will be at 0 or slightly passed It., When
100, 600 feet have been recorded that Is when
the 100. 900 hand has made q complete revolu-
to- 40. eAs all ANgAr AnAtn IN avoid nAFTN.
i hH"s sSpsr sSSds I as Suss FOR lnstsScs. ihs
100 700 hand Is between 10 and ! the 1900 hand
between . and Q and the Loo, hand between
ally II reads i02 500, but the company drops the
first figures because they are useless. Oi
course, the very large meters. such as are used
additional dials and the figures are carried
up TO 900, 900 or more, because In many cases
more than 100, 900 feet are burned in a month.
is a pa mie, oa s iSeS.stS p %poneRss wh DC 'a are placed
IN, the lower part. In the upper part, which
contains the recording machinery. there are
two valves which open and close automatically
30 that when one Of these pouches Is flllng the
other is einptying itself through the outlet OF
the meter. In this way the flow Is always kept
steady; As these pouches I'LL they are ex-
of the recording machinery that moves the
hands. The cubic %contsnts Of each. pouch at
Its greatest expansion " the basis OF measure
They buy them from manufacturers or their
agents. generally the latter. and when they
receive them they are Theoretically sealed SO
that even the employees OF the companies can
not get al the works unless they pull the meters
all apart. T., ,,o..
machines that each meter has to go through
four or five tests at least before II Is put into
use. In the first place there are two tests AT
the factory. Then there is the State Inspect
or's test or the test by the Department OF Pub
the agent or distributor has his own little test,
because /, is 10 his interest to have all machines
leaving his hands IN perfect coalition. fln9lly.
the gas company itself tests tho meter and II
IL passes through all these ord 'als Saiely II IN
ready for business.
The method Of testing a meter is as simple
as II Is reliable. The machine used Is a smnll
gasomcter, a miniature gas tank. holding, say.
ten feet. OF course it, cubic contents have
been calculated with extreme accuracy. The
sSiSia1. som rs Gael ike a T ,hsrm a sssle s %hics E
indicates the number Of feet passing out OF the
tank A hose In stretched. from the outlet. or
the tank 10 the inlet OF the meter, Another
rack Of burners. When the tank il filed the
gas IL turned into the meter and asses out
through the burners. which are lighted. II
the meter Is correct the two-foot hand will
record exactly IA much as the scale on tho
gasometer indicates, II fast or slow the fact
will be- reyesled by comparing the two.
Now the law says a meter Is correct WHICH
way, that Is. II may be ? per cent, fast or slow,
But no gas company In this city, at least, would
send out a meter that wasn't right 10 a dot, and
no manufacture or distributor would knowingly
sell such a machine. The principal thing that
makes meters such accurate recorders IL that
tn, movement OF the machinery Is positive
that +, II Is all straight gearing with no springs,
But whea. They do no wrong the tendency Ii all
toward slowness-that l.. recording less gas
thar passes through them. This fact has been
demonstrated repeatedly BY. both public and
private tests. Years ago there was I, great
howl In one Of the big cities about the inaccu-
racy and general cnsscdness Of meters. II was
charged on all hands that the gas company
was practising extortion through the agency Of
the swiltrst set OF meters the world ever
saw Finally the COMPANY consented TO have
a u 81 made under the direct ion OF the authorities
OF the city. The result showed that 20 per cent.
~ all the meters In use there were slow, 8 per
cent. werr fast and the balance were correct.
OF course, the gas company reTlacdd. all the
slow meters with machines that recorded cor
rectly aud once more virtue was It's wi reward.
Meters are made In many sizes, from the
modest three-light. which hides itself away In the
coal hole Of your happy little home. 70 the mon
made there. All are made IN the same way ex-
cept the station meter. which Is sealed by
water. The latest thing-although no longer q
novalty-is the slot rn-ter, into which you pay
your money before TIC gas Is delivered Drop
In n quarter and the gas Is turned on. When n
quarters worth Is burned the meter shuts of
the Tow and no more gas can pass through IL
until another quarter is Fed into the slot"