Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1914-09-01
SCALE TESTING CAR
An Outfit of the u. S. Government
Visits Wausau Friday and Saturday.
State Inspector Here.

Something over year ago the
Bureau of Standards of the Depart
ment of Commerce, Washington, ID.
c., commenced an entirely new plan
to increase the efficiency OF its scale
testing department which had up to
that time progressed very little.
The Inauguration of the new method
was caused by the numerous COM
plants throughout the country that
reached he>capitol.
AS the testing of scales is some
thing new, that is within several
years, it took great deal of time
and labor for the federal bureau to
devise a way in which efficient test
ing could be accomplished. OF course,
practically the same work could be
done throughout the United States
and SO to transport the equipment
necessary, steel car was procured
and in it were installed weights
which would make it possible to test
immense scales of capacity up to 100,
600 lbs. But not only the large scales
can be tested by this car but also the
smallest, even to a fraction of a
pound. The Stevens Point Journal
writes as follows regarding the equip
ment:
"a gasoline power plant with ten
kilowatt electric generator and ac-
cessories and numerous engineering
instruments for making special tests
of scales were added. The outfit,
the first and the only one of its kind
in the world, was then put into ser
yice'and practical results have proved
it to be vastly superior to anything
similar ever conceived. IL has done
great work in the east and requests
for its services have come from every
state in the union.'
Every state in the union is making
rapid progress in the standardizing of
weights and measures but because of
the lack of necessary equipment, and
because OF insufficient appropriations
they are greatly Handicapped in going
further. G. A. Briggs who has charge
of the special car which was here says
that while they were only able to
stay two days they should have
been in this city at least a month. A
small car slightly resembling hand
Car was used to make the tests. The
ten thousand pound weights were
placed on this and then the car was
moved onto the various parts of the
track scales on the Northwestern and
and st. Paul railways. The scales were
tested with various weights on the
car, ranging from fifty thousand to a
hundred thousand pounds. The st.
Paul track scale near the Wilson
Mercantile Co., was found tc be fairly
accurate but the one on the North
western road was quite bit off. 1t
is very important that these weights
be correct, as there is an average of
from thirty to thirty-tive carloads of
produce weighed on the two, daily.
Another trouble found on the st. Paul
scale was that it was too small to
weigh an entire car, instead half a
Car at time is weighed. This is not
advantageous. The car carries 10000
lbs. of weights with itand tested both
scales in town with that total. f..
p. Downing, state Inspector, who
is accompanying the car through
the state, states that there are
somewhere in the neighbour
hood of $50 and 400 large scales that
really need testing in the state but
because of the fact that this is the
only car of it's kind in existence at
present, Wisconsin cannot have it
very long. Millions of dollars worth
of produce is weighed on these nu-
merous scales SO that one can readily
see why they should record accurately.
The testing Car came from Mime
apolis and st. Paul. 1t had been
making six weeks inspection in
Minnesota, doing a great deal of good
in correcting the scales there. 1t
is thought, that, because of the good
work being done by Wisconsin sealers
of weights and measures, the federal
government granted our application
first, even though others had request
ed the use of the equipment previous
ly. Besides Messrs. Downing and
Briggs there were the two assistants,
f. p. Fell and d. r. Miller. Mr.
Miller Joined the others here Friday,
he having just arrived from Washing
ton. New men are being broken in
continually, so that when an appro-
priation is made, which will be soon,
and new cars are equipped, there will
be sufficient and well trained men to
I'LL the places. From Wausau the
outfit went to Amigo where it will
remain day or so, continuing to
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