The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1913-09-30
RAILROAD SCALES
OF UNITED STATES
TO BE TRIED OUT
Complete Team OF The Philadelphia Athletics American League Pm Winners
Who Will Open Worlds Series With The Giants Polo Grounds On October
Bridgeport To Get Early Visit
From Governments Well
Equipped Testing Car.

gtratton, chief of the United States
bureau of standards, Endorsed the
plans for the series of countrywide
tests of railroad scales to be conduct
I'd by men of his office in accordance
With the act of Congress passed during
he closing days of the last admins
ration.
L. A. Fischer, chief of the division
IF weights and measures of the bureau
Of standards, who will be in direct
charge of the men conducting the
work has just received notice from
the manufacturers of the new railroad
test car that both the equipment and
test weights have been installed and
that delivery will be made to the bu-
reau within the course of the next
ten days or two weeks. Using this
equipment, the government experts
will make the first official test of rail-
way scales under the new law at
Bridgeport, Conn, on the property of
the New York, New Haven and Hart
ford railroad. The car will then pro-
ceed to Vermont to make an examfna--
ton 0f railroad scales in that state,
at the request of the state commits
sioner of weights and measures. La
ter the test car equipment will be sent
from state to state for the examination
of railroad scales.
This governmen investig cation look
ing into the accuracy of railroad scales
over WHICH nearly HsVUUsOOUyOVO LUIS
of products of the country's factories,
farms and mines are shipped each
year, is the beginning of, perhaps, the
most extensive series of weight tests
ever made by the United States or by
any other government. The freight
revenues of all the railroads of the
country reporting to the interstate
commerce commission are approx
mate1y $4,000 100000.
The Significance of the series of gov
eminent tests of railroad scales may
be quickly seen when it is understood
that even if the scales of the country
will average only L per cent. in error
there is a loss of $2O,0OO,0OO a year
either to railroads or to the shippers.
Official Investigations of miscellaneous
scales and measures in all parts of the
country have shown that many scales
are much more than 1 per cent. in
error. In fact, in a bureau of stand
ards test made several years ago it
was found that 45 per cent. of 10000
scales and measures tested by the gov
eminent were per cent. or more in
error, often against the interests OF
the consumer. Both the shippers Of
the country and the railroads will wei
come the series of weight tests which
Uncle Sam is just about to begin, be-
cause neither the shippers nor the
railroads can afford to lose money be-
cause of faulty scales when such tre-
mendous sums as are involved in the
country's freight revenues are at
stake
The new test car is made after the
special design of L. A. Fischer, the
government weights and measures ex-
pert and is made after a plan different
from any other which has ever been
constructed in any country. Other
test cars have used the entire weight
of the car as test weight. This
plan has been unsatisfactory, howev-
er, because cars frequently must be
placed in the shop for repairs and the
weight is constantly changed by alter
atoms which have to be made because
possible changes in weight from this
cause Mr.. Fischer has planned a sys-
tenn of putting the test weights inside
of regulation freight car especially
equipped with cranes to handle the
weights carefully. A six-whee1ed
truck, weighing 1000 pounds will be
carried In the car. This truck will
be taken out each time there is a
test of scales and will receive weight
up to 100000 pounds. In the car
proper there are carried eight weights
OF 10000 pounds each, four of $500
pounds and 10000 pounds of fifty
pound weights.
The new test car is of steel under
frame construction with wood super
structure, and was built at the Amer
can Car and Foundry Company's
shops at Berwick, Pa. The lifting
cranes and other equipment were in
stalled at Glenbrook, Conn, by A. H
Emery. The weights, which were
made at Wilmington, Del, have al
ready been tested and adjusted by ex-
perts of the bureau of standards. Con-
gress appropriated. $4,000 for the
purchase Of the car, which has cost
approximately $4,000, equipped. Part
of the of
viii be used in paying for the salaries
OF the crew of three experts who will
travel with the car to make the tests
This investigation of railroad scales
which will be made by the govern
ment with its now test car, will per-
basis for any law for better weight
regulations which Congress may enact
at the next regular session. The gem
erel inaccuracy of railroad scales is
astounding, according to information
which has been brought together nv
Representative Frank B. Willis of
Ohio, who has already introduced a
bill in the present Congress providing
for the government regulation of
freight weighing systems. Represen-
tative Willis has received facts and
figures from many coal dealers of the
country who urge the need of more
accurate scales in the Weighing of
freight. One coal company of Phila-
delphia in a careful checking up of
100 cars of anthracite coal with an
fnvoiced weight of 2,753 tons found
that IS cars contained short weight
OF $4,000 pounds, and that 22 cars
contained over weight of only 1858
pounds. Fifty-three tons was the av-
erage loss for the 100 cars, or more
than one-half a ton per car. On the
same basis the company calculated it's
net loss on 1,S32,O0O tons purchased
in fourteen years, was more than H.
200 tons, which at the average cost of
So per ton would show a net loss of
more than $4,000.
| EhlENcY EYTENnEn