Other Early Stations--The Meter - 6

Other Early Stations--The Meter - 6

  In this connection it should be mentioned that the Association of Edison Illuminating

Companies in the same year adopted resolutions unanimously to the effect that the

Edison meter was accurate, and that its use was not expensive for stations above one

thousand lights; and that the best financial results were invariably secured in a station

selling current by meter. Before the same association, at its meeting in September, 1898,

at Sault Ste. Marie, Mr. C. S. Shepard read a paper on the meter practice of the New York

Edison Company, giving data as to the large number of Edison meters in use and the

transition to other types, of which to-day the company has several on its circuits: "Until

October, 1896, the New York Edison Company metered its current in consumer's

premises exclusively by the old-style chemical meters, of which there were connected on

that date 8109. It was then determined to purchase no more." Mr. Shepard went on to

state that the chemical meters were gradually displaced, and that on September 1, 1898,

there were on the system 5619 mechanical and 4874 chemical. The meter continued in

general service during 1899, and probably up to the close of the century.

Mr. Andrews relates a rather humorous meter story of those early days: "The meter man

at Sunbury was a firm and enthusiastic believer in the correctness of the Edison meter,

having personally verified its reading many times by actual comparison of lamp-hours.

One day, on making out a customer's bill, his confidence received a severe shock, for the

meter reading showed a consumption calling for a charge of over $200, whereas he knew

that the light actually used should not cost more than one-quarter of that amount. He

weighed and reweighed the meter plates, and pursued every line of investigation

imaginable, but all in vain. He felt he was up against it, and that perhaps another kind of a

job would suit him better. Once again he went to the customer's meter to look around,

when a small piece of thick wire on the floor caught his eye. The problem was solved. He

sud- denly remembered that after weighing the plates he went and put them in the

customer's meter; but the wire attached to one of the plates was too long to go in the

meter, and he had cut it off. He picked up the piece of wire, took it to the station, weighed

it carefully, and found that it accounted for about $150 worth of electricity, which was

the amount of the difference."

Edison himself is, however, the best repertory of stories when it comes to the difficulties

of that early period, in connection with metering the current and charging for it. He may

be quoted at length as follows: "When we started the station at Pearl Street, in September,

1882, we were not very commercial. We put many customers on, but did not make out

many bills. We were more interested in the technical condition of the station than in the

commercial part. We had meters in which there were two bottles of liquid. To prevent

these electrolytes from freezing we had in each meter a strip of metal. When it got very

cold the metal would contract and close a circuit, and throw a lamp into circuit inside the

meter. The heat from this lamp would prevent the liquid from freezing, so that the meter

could go on doing its duty. The first cold day after starting the station, people began to

come in from their offices, especially down in Front Street and Water Street, saying the

meter was on fire. We received numerous telephone messages about it. Some had poured

water on it, and others said: `Send a man right up to put it out.'