Page images
PDF
EPUB

machine which most gas works in England have, where they can take the lid off, put it on the scraper, turn it around and smooth it off again, then it would be all right. As we have not got such a machine here, I, therefore, cannot get similar results from the lid. I would like to say that it was not at all the fault of the maker of the lids.

As to gas stoves. At first we made them ourselves, but afterward we purchased them from manufacturers, who made them better and cheaper than we could.

MR. MCMILLIN-What is the temperature of the gas in the P. & A.

MR. SOMERVILLE—I cannot answer that question. The condenser is so hot that you cannot keep your hand upon it. I think it must be about 120°.

MR. HARBISON-I will say in this connection, that in adding to our works, as I have been doing in the last two or three years, I have not got any hot scrubber; and the exhauster is as near the hydraulic main as I can conveniently place it. It did not work satisfactorily; and recently I have put in a Walker tar extractor, which thus far has done its work admirably. It is placed just ahead of the Standard scrubber. Of course I have not been working it very long, and do not know just what the result will be, but I find it is doing very nicely now. I might say in this connection that in Hartford, where we charge the same price for gas, whether consumed as fuel or for illumination, we have a little over 1,400 stoves in use, and are selling every

one.

I

MR. NETTLETON-I am sorry to hear Mr. Somerville thinks the difficulties with the self-sealing lid are insurmountable. have been working at that matter, and trying to get something satisfactory, for a number of years; but so far my experience has been unsatisfactory. Some years ago I saw a lid in one of the large works in New York that seemed to be perfectly tight. I made a trial of them. They leaked badly, and it was only a few months before they were given up. It turned out that the trouble lay in the difference in size of the mouthpieces-those of New York being 12x20, while mine were 14X25. It is an easy matter to obtain a self-sealing lid which will work well on small

mouthpieces, but a difficult matter on large ones—that is, to have the lids as tight as when they are luted. Perhaps I may say, in this connection, that I have tried three kinds of lids, and am now trying the fourth. On the other hand, I agree with Mr. McMillin that it is very desirable, if possible, to get rid of the labor of luting lids. I think with him, that by putting the hot coke directly into the furnace, when drawn from the retorts, and also by doing away with the luting of the lids, we can decrease the labor of the stoker nearly one-half. Consequently we can, without calling on him for an unreasonable amount of work, increase our yield of gas per man to twice what it was before. There is no reason why we should not increase from the old standard of 12,000 or 15,000 feet to 25,000 or 30,000 feet, and a good many works are doing it.

MR. STARR-I did use self-sealing lids, but finally abandoned them. I found that without a great deal of care I would draw in air through the mouthpieces, and so bring down the general average of the gas to about 12 candles.

the luted lid I had better gas.

When I went back to

MR. FLOYD—I object to any general condemnation of selfsealing lids, and also to the statement that they cannot be made tight for large as well as small retorts. In fact I know that the results obtained from self-sealing lids, in three or four of the larger cities, where very large retorts and large mouthpieces are used, give fully average results. My observation has shown me that the principal difficulty lies in the treatment of the lids. It is necessary that a lid which has been turned out in a machine shop should have different treatment from the ordinary luted lid It should have a mechanic to look after it. It must be made smooth, and the mouthpiece itself must be straight.

MR. RAMSDELL-We have used self-sealing lids, of two different patents, for the past eight or ten years, and have not experienced any of the difficulties mentioned here. One kind of lid fits into the mouthpiece with V shape, and the other is one of the kind that is supposed to clean itself. Once in a while a little hardened matter will accumulate on its surface, but it is

very easily taken off. It can be easily scraped off with the shovel. Even if there was (as has been suggested here) a slight

escape from some part of the lid, it would be a very easy matter to put a little luting on that spot. I think, remembering the cost of maintaining the luting and the labor necessary to keep them, there is no comparison between the two kinds of lids.

MR. HARBISON-I quite agree with the last speaker. If you will only lute the self-sealing lids you will make them tight. On motion of Mr. Thompson, a vote of thanks was tendered to Mr. Somerville.

THE PRESIDENT-We will now hear the report of the Committee on Standard Meter Unions.

MR. GOODWIN-In behalf of the Committee I make the following report:

Gentlemen:-Your Committee, appointed at the last meeting of the American Gas Light Association (held in New York), to consider the question of Standard Meter Unions, and to report to the Association at its next meeting, would state that they held several meetings and carefully considered the question submitted for their consideration. Your Committee find that the subject has required more than ordinary consideration and care, owing to the differences that have been found to exist between the sizes of unions of the several manufacturers, and their desire to prevent any difficulty in the adoption of such standard as might be presented for the Association's consideration. They would report that, to prevent any serious expense or difficulty to the various gas companies in making any changes, that they have agreed upon the following sizes for adoption, viz., 3, 5 and 10 lights, and that this Association be requested to submit the same to its sister Associations for their approval and adoption, and that, should the Association desire that the changes be made in all sizes, the Committeee be and is hereby authorized to continue its labors and report fully at the next meeting.

The following are the sizes as recommended :

Size. Standard Thread. Diameter.

3 lights.

[blocks in formation]

18
12

[merged small][ocr errors]

63 in.
in.

[merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small]

Tail of Swivel.
44 in.
4 in.
in.

Nose of Swivel.

42

#2 in.

64

If in. I

Respectfully submitted,

W. W. GOODWIN, Secretary.

in.

in.

W. H. Down, Chairman.

MR. WHITE—I move that the report of the Committee be accepted, and that the Committee remain in charge of this matter in order to complete their labors by reporting standard unions for meters of other sizes.

MR. MCMILLIN-I second that motion.

MR. HARBISON-Before the vote is taken I would like to ask the Chairman of the Committee to kindly state, for the benefit and information of the members of the Association, in what respect, if any, the proposed schedule differs from those now in use, in order that we may understand the report more fully. I do not know that half a dozen men in the room can tell how near the dimensions given for these three sizes agree with those now in use. I, therefore, ask him to state what changes have been made. I am entirely in favor of adopting the report as to the sizes recommended, but I would like to have the Chairman state, for my own advantage as well as that of other members of the Association, what changes have been made from the unions now in use, in the standard adopted.

MR. DOWN-I will state, in answer to Mr. Harbison, that in measuring the different screws we found quite a difference in their diameters, in the number of threads to the inch, and also in the shape and depth of the thread. We endeavored to reconcile these differences by adopting a standard which should come nearest to the unions most generally in use, and in that way save as much expense as possible to the gas companies, and make the change more easily effected. The threads will be of a standard size and of the same shape. The changes can be made gradually and without anybody feeling the expense. Should these sizes be adopted, and gas companies state what sizes they want, so that the meter-makers will know exactly what to give them, there will be no trouble. I think the greatest change which will be necessary is about 3-64 of an inch. That would be, more particularly, on 3-light meters. We found some threads were 18, 181⁄2, 19 and, in one instance, 20. In adopting the thread at 18 for 3-lights the change can be made more readily than in any other way, and thus bring about a standard size. Some of the makers will have to go up a trifle, while others will have to come down a trifle, in order to make them more readily interchangeable.

MR. HARBISON-I desire to express my gratification at the unanimity of feeling that exists in this matter between the manufacturers of meters. This committee was composed of gentlemen who represented various meter manufacturers and interests in the country; and it is personally gratifying to me—having been somewhat active in the formation of this committee, and the introduction of this matter-to know they have fallen in so heartily with the wishes of the members of this Association, and of the other Associations of the country. Their action will enable us to have a uniform standard meter coupling, so that whether we do business in the West or in the East, whether we buy from one manufacturer or another, the meters we buy will fit our unions, and we will not have as much trouble as there has been in some cities in the attempt to have a meter made by one manufacturer fit a coupling made by another. I think the gentlemen engaged in this industry deserve our sincere thanks for their efforts, and for so readily acting in conformity to the wishes of the Association. Their interests are ours and ours are theirs. I like to see this friendly feeling existing among them, and to know that they have come up so promptly in response to the wishes of the Association in respect to adopting standard unions, and have agreed among themselves to make such changes as are necessary, and to go to such expense as is required, and to so manage their business as to best suit the wishes of their customers. I hope the report of the Committee will be accepted and adopted, and that the committee by another year will have completed their labors, and given uniform standards with reference to all sizes.

MR. GOODWIN-While there seems to be a very considerable difference in sizes, as you hear them mentioned, still, when you come to deal with the figures that we are dealing with there is not so much difference as there would seem to be. For instance, four of the manufacturers make the diameter of the thread 83, and two of them ; and the recommendation is that the standard thread shall be 83. So you see that there is not so much difference after all. What the committee propose to do, if we are continued, is to get up a set of steel standards, at our own expense, to present to the Association, and these will thereafter be known as the standards of all meter manufacturers.

« PreviousContinue »