as to size of breeze, I will say that the screen which we put our coke through is the ordinary 12-tine tanner's fork. I cannot tell how close these tines are together, but the coke is very small. There are no pieces in it that are over three-eighths of an inch. The breeze used in these tests was really the refuse from our coke yard.

In regard to the smoke from tar, I will say that we have absolutely no trouble. We seldom see any smoke at the chimney top. The tar burns at the burner with a clear white flame, and without smoke.

As to the flow of tar: we simply have a small tank on top of the boiler, as we did in the old retort practice, and let the tar run down by gravity. The water-gas tar runs very nicely, and requires very little care.

The coal-gas tar is thicker, and gives a little more trouble, but we very seldom have any stoppages due to it. The firemen like it very much because it relieves them of a great Ideal of work.

MR. C. H. NETTLETON :-I move a vote of thanks to Mr. Prichard for his valuable paper.

Carried.

THE PRESIDENT:-Next in order is the Short Topic by Mr. Walton Forstall entitled "A Comparison of Standards for Cast Iron Pipe and Specials."

A COMPARISON OF STANDARDS FOR CAST IRON

PIPE AND SPECIALS.

What follows is written in reply to the letter of the Secretary of this Association under date of February 27, 1901, asking whether the standards of the Association adopted in 1898 were approved of and would be used, and if not, what suggestions could be made looking to the improvement of these standards.

GENERAL DIFFERENCES.-The writer proposes here to discuss the differences between the standards of the Association and those now in use by the United Gas Improvement Company.

For simplicity we will hereafter call the former the "A" standards and the latter the "B" standards. Should any one desire to have his pipe and specials made by the "A" system, the only data, as far

as the writer knows, to which he could refer the manufacturer, are contained on pages 77 to 91 inclusive, of Volume 15, of the Association Proceedings. The "B" system is shown in a handbook of 73 pages printed in 1900 by the United Gas Improvement Company, entitled "Specifications for Cast Iron Pipe and Special Castings." Now if the idea of the Association in presenting its standards was that they should be used as far as they went, and for specials not shown, the members should design for themselves or take what the manufacturers offered, then the criticisms which follow do not hold. But, if it was thought that in the pages of the Proceedings mentioned above, would be found all the specials required for gas work, then the writer believes it is easy to show incompleteness in the "A" standards, and this he will proceed to do in discussing the various classes of specials. For convenience of reference, the specials will be taken up in the order in which they are found in the Proceedings.

BELL AND SPIGOT DETAILS.-The cuts show very clearly, on full scale, the differences in bells and spigots of the two systems; the hatched sections, representing the "A" standards and the plain sections the "B" standards. As will be seen at once the "B" system provides for three larger sizes than that of the “ A,” and certainly any changes made by the Association should provide for standards up to 48"; the sizes added to the present ones being 36", 42" and 48". The 40" shown is peculiar to Phila delphia, pipe of that size having been laid by the Bureau of Gas, but the writer considers it an odd size and not to be recommended for use.

The first impression obtained from looking at the cuts, is that for sizes from 3" to 8" inclusive, the "B" sections are much heavier than the "A". The extra thickness of the pipe just back of the bell is in accordance with good foundry practice, and lessens the liability of "checking" at this point. The whole idea has been to provide so much metal at the bells that the chances of cracked bells due to caulking or any other strain, would be reduced to a minimum, and with our present practice of using heavy pipe, as for instance, 30 pounds to the foot for 6", it would seem but consistent to be sure of the strength of the bell. This is especially true in regard to the 3" and 4" sizes, although it is to be hoped that practically no 3" is ever put underground, except for repair work.