Automatic Weighing.

Progress, 1 November 1905, Page 17

Automatic Weigh ing.

The average housekeeper when making her weekly purchases of tea, starch, and sugar is rarely troubled as to how these and similar articles are weighed into packages. This, however, is a problem of considerable importance to the merchant, and when tea and other household commodities m bulk can be automatically weighed into separate packages of definite quantities at the rate of 7200 and upwards per day, it is scarcely surprising that machinery is favoured m place of manual labour. An electric weight repeater, not only accomplishes this achievement, but also does the work without waste, leak, or stoppage. The material is directed into a bag or package, and the machine, once set, requires no special knowledge to work efficiently. An mstanttaneous electric cut-off to feed is provided, which is stated to be more certain than the slower means hitherto employed. Another advantage is that it can be used as a meter (with electrical portable register) either to or from mill rolls, bins or ship's hold, and thus used deal with 4000 bushels per hour. It can a^o discharge quantities of 4% bushels direct into bags at the rate of at least 900 per hour.

In May, 1903, five crates of coal, each holding two tons, were sunk in Portsmouth Harbour, and a similar quantity was placed at a coaling point in small heaps, covered with tarpaulins. Six months ago some of the submerged coal was raised and burnt, in conjunction with the same amount of that which had been kept on land. The results showed that the submerged coal had the greater calorific qualities. Further experiments on these lines are now being conducted.