Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-03-23
TESTS As TO QUALITY OF GAS
EVIDENCE ON COMPANIES BE-
HALF ADMITTED BY COURT.
Objection of Assistant Corporation
Counsel Stevens Overruled-Use
Of Defective Coal.

Inc gas companies attorneys won q
victory today in the trial in which the
District seeks to recover penalties for fur
nishing gas claimed by the District to be
below the standard required by law, when
Assistant Corporation Counsel Stevens en-
deavored to have evidence excluded as to
the tests made in the Georgetown works,
and after hearing an argument Justice
Clabaugh decided to admit 1t. According
to statements made in the progress of
the trial. the law requires that the candle
power of gas be measured by an instru-
ment known as Bunsen photometer.
George L. Middleton. general manager and
secretary of the Georgetown Gas Com
pany, under examination by r.. Ross Perry,
was telling of tests made several times
day at the Georgetown works. lie men,
toned measuring processes conducted
with the aid of what is known as the
Lowe jet and Jones jet
Assistant Corporation Counsel Stevens
objected. cutting Mr.. Middleton short in
the middle Of sentence, and said that
Bunsen photOmeter.
Thereupon Mr.. Perry explained at length
that he considered that it made no diff
ference what instruments were used to
measure the cand epOwer of the gas. as
long as the gas was all right or as long
as 1t could be shown that the manufac-
turers were endeavoring to get the re-
quired candlepower He said by way of
illustration that the standard yard of lin
ear measurement is kept in the Tower Of
London. and that the law required all
yardsticks to be of that Tower of Lon
don standard. but that anything sold by
linear measurement could be measured by
a French meter if the dealer wanted to.
Stevens Objection Overruled.
The court overuled Mr.. Stevens objec-
ton.
Mr.. Middleton further explained that
tests were made during the period under
consideration. the summer of 1907, when
the gas is claimed to have fallen below
the 22-candlepower required that daily
comparisons were made between the tests
of the gas company and the photometer
tests OF the United States gas inspector
and that corrections were always made,
so that as nearly as possible the Lowe jet
and the Jones jet measured the same as
the Bunsen photometer.
Mr.. Perry directed some of his ques-
tions to the coal used. Mr.. Middleton
said they used the best obtainable. and
that the gas was purified in two large
purifying boxes. He also told Of trouble
and delay In getting coal, due partially
to a coal strike some time prior to the
the trouble with gas In 1907 was una
voidable and due to the coal situation.
Defective Coal Kept on Hand.
In cross-examination Mr.. Stevens
brought out the fact that the George
town Gas Company had procured de-
fective coal while the coal trouble was
tying up the market. and had kept tina,
coal on hand for at least year after
ward. He emphasized this fact by sew
Prior to Mr.. Middleton's testimony
there was a continuation of the cross
examination of Thomas Holden of the
Washington Gas Light Company. who has
charge of the eastern station of the COM
pany. He went into details Of the manu-
facture of gas, giving quantities of gas
manufactured and testing. He said he
had known that gas coal was running
bad" but understood the company was
| buying the best In the market.
Measurement Of Light.
Dr. Edward G. Love, chief gas eXami-
ner Of New York city. was placed on the
stand this afternoon. as an expert for
the defense. He said that gas CANDLE
power in gas Is generally used by light
METER" He showed a diagram of the
simpler forms of photometers and light
meters" and explained their operation to
the jury.
Much of his testimony was to the effect
that In all photometer tests of gas light
there Is the uncertainty caused by the
human element.
Where the readings have to depend on
eyesight he said that person with poor
eyeSight would make errors in the result
Then he said that a difference of one can
dlepower could occur extremely easily
because Of errors by the person operating
the photometer.
He said that in 1896. when the gas stat
ute was framed requiring a certain style
of Bunsen photometer to be used for
measurement of gas candlepower, there
was no such thing as Bunsen photo
meter. as chemists now understand the
instrument. He also said that Mr.. Run
yon's tests were not made with a Bunsen
photometer. as there was an important
detail missing from the instrument.