2. Wantage Rod.-For determining the wantage or ullage in casks, Alexander's improved wantage rod, Fig. 6, is prescribed. Wantage or ullage is the quantity that a vessel lacks of being full. 3. Weighing Beam.-The Fairbanks weighing beam, Fig. 7, has been adopted for use by the internal-revenue service. Accompanying each weighing beam are two poises (one a of 8 pounds and another b of 16 pounds), a set of barrel hooks c, and a counterpoise d to the barrel hooks. This combination is termed a weighing beam complete. 4. Hydrometers.-The standard hydrometers for weighing or determining the proof of distilled spirits are supplied for the use of internal-revenue gaugers by the government. DESCRIPTION AND USE OF INSTRUMENTS 7. Gauging Rod.-The gauging rod, Fig. 8, used in the internal-revenue service, is a nickel-plated square steel bar about 5 feet long, pointed on one end. The four sides of the bar are graduated into inches and tenths of an inch for convenience in taking measurements. The rod has five attachments, each of which is used to find some dimension or quantity of a cask. The slide S is used to find the mean diameter of a cask. This attachment has two graduated surfaces and two open sides, so that the quantities on the graduated surfaces can be read in connection with the graduations on the bar. A setscrew a is provided to lock the slide in any desired position. Ordinarily, when using the mean-diameter slide, it is placed on the rod with the setscrew a toward the head of the rod and the other end of the slide toward the point of the rod. An overslide O with a clip attached is used to find the bung diameter of a cask. The overslide is made sufficiently large to fit over the slide S and can therefore be used in connection with it. A head-slide H is used to determine the diameter of the head of a cask and an attachment consisting of the fixed caliper arm N and the movable caliper arm M is used to determine the height of a cask. The rod is prepared for determining the mean diameter of a cask by first placing the mean-diameter scale S, Fig. 8, on the rod with the screw attachment a toward the head of the rod and with the manufacturer's stamp on the scale in a line with that on the rod (this latter condition must be observed in adjusting all the parts of the combination rod). The head-slide H is then slipped over the point of the rod with the stationary projection P pointing upwards. Having thus prepared the rod, seize it with one hand above the mean-diameter scale, place the other hand on the head-slide, and rest the point of the rod on the inner side of the lower chime of the cask close against the head, then bring the projection of the head-slide against the inner side of the upper chime, holding the rod at an angle of 45°, as shown in Fig. 9. Hold the head-slide firmly in place and raise the FIG. 9 mean-diameter scale to the position shown on the face of the rod immediately above the head-slide, so as to leave sufficient space for the head diameter to be conveniently read. Hold the head-slide firmly in place and gently move the mean-diameter scale downwards until it rests on the head-slide; when the mean-diameter slide is in this position, turn the thumbscrew at the top to secure it in place. The bottom of the mean-diameter scale will then indicate the same reading on the rod as the top of the head-slide. Next remove the head FIG. 10 slide from the rod and insert the rod in the cask at the bung *The rod should always be applied to the stamped head of the cask in case but one head is measured. |