The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1901-12-27
ABOUT GAS METERS.
WAY THESE eRRkTlC INSTRUMENTS
90 NOT EXPLODE.

sucb an AccIdcn, IL 30 More Likely
30 Happen "a Them Thnn TO MIX
notti"- or snh DnEs-Wbat Does
| unppcD 'n Cnse al fire.
The proncncss OF the average news
| paper reporter TO attribute cellar con
nagrations 10 the explosion Of gas me
trs represents what appears TO be- an
incradicablc race trait. SO amount Of
contradiction and no accumulation Of
proof that r-h an accident Is an I'm
! possibility seems 10 reach the news
gathcrers. who go on reporting the ex-
! plosIon Of gas meters. doubtless be
! cause the nrcmcn have tradition that
meters are explosive ana give this ex-
Dlanation Of every fire which they can
not otherwise account for.
For the reinsurance Of nervous peo-
| pie IL gives us pleasure 10 say that no
gas meter ever exploded since the
world began. and until they are made
on very different plans and contain
gas Of very different composition from
that now used for Illuminating pur-
poses such an accident Is no more like
ly TO happen 10 them than TO milk bot
ties or salt bags.
The domestic gas meter has n more
or less well deserved reputation for
habltual nbgdacity. though as likely
10 lie against the gas company as for
II: but II hus never done anything to
warrant the suspicion that 1t Is liable
TO go Oh with n bang II Is a lin box
OF little less than one cubic foot
capacity. put together with sOldcred
seams and japanncd.
Into and through II passes the gas,
which enters through the service pipe
connecting the main with the house.
usually OF half an inch diameter. IL
has very little capacity for gas storage.
and rs not strong enough 10 carry gas
under n greater compression than, say.
half pound per square inch. More
than this would bulge It's sides. In
point OF fact the pressure of gas IN
meters Is rarely more than enough TO
balance column of water two or three
inches high.
II gas meter is exposed TO great
heat from external fire. nothing very
serious happens. The soldered seams
will probably melt allowing the gas
TO escape This gas is not explosive.
however. II becomes SO only when
mixed with air In certain definite pro
portions.
Should this admlxture exist I'm n
meter, which is almost impossible. its
shell Is not strong enough to offer any
great resistance, and should an eX-
ploslon occur by reason of fire reach
ing this admiXture of gas and air the
meter would be wrecked, but 1t Is
doubtful OF any other damage would
result. None has been wrecked from
this cause.
If the seams Of the meter are opened
by the melting of the solder or 10y frac-
ture from accident, the gas within 1t
would escape and. If II had the chance,
burn. Outside the meter Ii might have
opportunity To- form the explosive mix
ture with air and do some damage.
What actually happens in the case
OF fires attributed To the explosion of
gas meters is usually this Gas which
has leaked from defective pipes or
worked into the cellar from broken or
defective street mains aCcumulatcs In
pockets formed 10y raftcrs and else
where aud remains there until IL comes
I'm contact with an accidental fire
OF some sort. \ fire starts In the eel
lar aud the temperature gradually rises
until the smoldcriug rubbish bursts in
To flame. This reaches the mixture OF
gas and mir along the ceiling and an
explosion follows
The meter. naturally enough. Is
thrown down aud probably torn from
It's connections. aud the conclusion iS
reached that instead OF being the vic
tim OF the accident. the iuotfCns'vc me-
ter Is the cause of all the tronble and
has INDUCED its inherent propensity TO
set the house atlre after lifting II from
It's foundations.
II is perfectly safe generalization
that the cas- which makes trouble IN
cellars Is wholly outside the meter and
never inside of II. GrindStoncs some
times explode with fatal results I'm saw
factories. but the excellent old iadv
who after reading OF such nm accident
and recalling that there was an old
grindstone In one corrcr OF the cellar
which had been there twenty years,
hired n couple OF tramps TO carry IL 10
the extreme corner OF the garden and
pour water on II for an hour. mean
while giving thanks that u had not
blown herself and family into eternity
"unbeknownst 10 any OF us" was OF
the type OF those who. through fear OF
gas meter explosions, are all their life
time subject To nervous chills.
There Is not gas meter in use under
which u would not be perfectly safe
TO build n bonfire. provided. OF course.
there was not quantity OF gas out.
side OF u which the same fire could
reach New York Times
The Finishing Touches.
A girl who had been very clever at