The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1914-11-11
B ,.... Made Of Railway Scales is Of
Great Inportanee 70 Ship
pers All Over the
Country.
MAKE SCALES UNIFORM
car Used BY offIeials l. interesting
Can TEST Any Kind Of scales.
Small or
Large.

Tho government onicialss from the
bureau OF standards who arrived here
Yesterday to test the C.. B. G G. track
scales. expected to leave either tonight
o. tomorrow morning for Missouri.
They were met here this afternoon by
officials OF the Missouri state bureau
81 standards and a route through Mis-
scuri was planned. The Iowa ofiicials
who accompanied the government
men on their trip through this state,
left them hero today.
The work Of these men IS largely ex-
sentimental in nature, or can be classed
as research work. The bureau from
which they work is, but little over
year old. The car which they use
IL one year old. They are making
their first trip through the country
and besides Testing railroad scales are
gathering data that is expected to
prove Of much benefit to manufac-
turers Of railroad track scales.
Lawrence r. Boyer, who has charge
Of the work. explained to reporter
from The Gate City the Importance OF
this work they are doing. There has
never been any accurate or uniform
manner in which railroad scales have
heen tested In the past, and accord
ingly they have been found to vary
greatly in different parts OF the coun.
try In shipping many commodities
the only way in which the shipment
Is measured or weighed is on the rail.
road track scales. When valuable
commodities As wheat or flax seed Is
weighed by this method, someone is
sure to get cheated unless the scales
are accurate. The railroad may get
too much or too little for hauling the
commodity, or the shipper may get
too much or too little from the buyer.
il only one car load Of goods was con-
silered this variance would be an in
significant matter, but when many
hundreds Of carloads are considered,
the variance reaches enormous pro-
portions.
In testing scales tolerance" of
two pounds in every 1000 is allowed.
or, in other words. In weighing 100000
pounds the scales are allowed an In
accuracy OF 100 pounds. !.
The scales are tested in several
ways. A FIAT car Is placed on the
scales and this car Is then loaded with
10000 pounds Of weights. The scales
are then tested to see II they weigh
this amount accurately. Then 10000
pounds in weights are placed on the
fat car and the scales tested for this
amount. Other tests are also made.
The car. specially equipped. which
the government men use In making
their tests, is interesting. The front
end OF the car contains an engine
room equipped with So horse power
gasoline engine and an electric dyna'
mo. Under the roof Of the car is .
small travelling crane, equipped with
several small electric motors. In the
car 10 stored a number OF weights. Six
ef them weigh 10000 pounds each.
Others weigh $500, and on down to
so pounds. The rear end Of the car
is removed when q. scale Is being test
ed. The fiat car Is placed on the track
next to this end and the weights lifted
from the car by the travelling crane
and placed on the nat car. The car Is
model Of emciency and by its use
scales can be accurately tested much
more quickly than WAS formerly the
case. Another car OF exactly the same
type is being constructed by the gov
eminent.
Facilities for testing every known