Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1900-05-08
NOT As SIMPLE As II LOOKED.
YEARS OF EXPERIMENT AND STUDY
THAT WE'RE REQUIRED BEFORE THE
YARDsTICK WAS COMPLETED.

"People who handle the yardstick
have but little idea Of the years Of
study and experiments that were neces-
cary to secure the standard yard meas
ure," observed an official OF the coast
survey TO Q Star reporter. "BIrd, q
famous scientist, made the first standard
yard Ia l760, but the English govern
ment did not legalize It until 1924. Ten
years afterward, when the house Of par
Lament In London was destroyed by
Ore, the standard yard was lost and
England was again without 4 standard
yard of length. Sheepsbank next made
. standard yard measure, which the
English government adopted, aud, so
that 1t could not be again destroyed by
fire, four authorized copies were made
Of It.
zone of these was deposited In the
royal mint, another In the royal socle-
ty, another in the observatory at Green
wich and the fourth was imbedded In
the walls Of the new house OF parliament.
The standard yard measures which were
owned by the government are copies OF
the original, one Of which is owned by
the coast survey. The United States
naval observatory has one also. The
delicacy Of It's construction may be
gathered from the fact that q change OF
temperature Of one-hundredth Of de-
gree Fahrenheit has been found to pro-
duce sensible effect on the length OF
the bar.
1.-THE copies Of the standard are made
Of bronze, for the reason that bronze Is
less affected by the temperature than
any distinct or single metal. Standard
inch measures are to be found 10 many
places. They are so nicely made that
they indicate one-ten-thousandth part
OF an inch. There Is machine In exist
ence which measures mlllionth part OF
an inch.
1.-THE change OF temperature caused
by simply touching any part OF 1t by
the hand sensibly affects II. The stand
ard yard measures are never used rs a
matter of fact, but they are kept simply
because they are the standard, because
for all practical purposes the standard
inch can be and Ia used.
Though there are no serious conse-
quences arising from It, and never can
be, q mere comparison OF the various
yardsticks and foot rules In general use
will show that but few OF them agree,
the difference between them varying all
the way from one thirty-sec0nd OF an
inch to the foot down TO one hundredth
Of an inch.
1.-THE cost Of the construction OF the
original standard yard measure involved
the labor of Bird and his assistants for
nearly six years. Sheepsbank was
eleven years In producing the accurate
copies which he made from Birds orig
iual measurements. Some years ago
during congressional Investigation OF
the coast survey, 1t came out that the
standard measure owned by the treas
ury department and kept at the coast
survey at times, was used as stick to
keep the window sash up.
| 'That was most outrageous cal
umny, as was the charge that went with
Il, that the standard gallon measure was
used now and then to send for beer for
some OF the employees ofjthe office. The
coast survey owns set Of standard
measures, but they have never been used
as GROWERS. l assure you, and never will
be, as the man who made the charges
Observation-Disclosures Star.