5^G EXPEUIMENTS ON WHALE-OIL. [apI'. K" VIL 



struction is given to the bung-stave, there is always a liability 

 to considerable error. I liaAe often seen in the same cask, 

 when gauged by two persons equally expert in the art, a dif- 

 ference of 10 gallons in its calculated contents ; and even the 

 same cask, brought twice within an hour before the same per- 

 son, and he a " sworn gauger,"" has been estimated with a dif- 

 ference in the second trial of 7 or 8 gallons in its capacity. This 

 being the case, the propriety of selling oil by weight has been 

 generally acknowledged ; yet the usual allowance of 71 lb. to 

 the gallon being found to fall short of the gallon by gauge, all 

 buyers prefer gauge to weight. With a view of determining 

 the exact equivalent by weight of a gallon of 231 cubic inches, 

 the following experiments were made. 



1. A light pear-shaped glass vessel, having a narrow neck 

 and grovmd-stopper, weighed, when empty, 583.7 grains ; 

 when filled to the stopper with ice- water, temperature 60°, the 

 weight was 1596.4 grains ; hence the difference 1012.7 grains, 

 was the contents of the vessel in water. 



2. The same vessel filled with refined whale-oil, tempera- 

 ture 53°, Aveighed 1523.4 grains; from which deducting 

 583.7 the weight of the glass, we have 939.7 for the weight 

 of the contained oil. 



Hence, as 1012.7, the contents of the vessel in water, is to 

 1.000 the specific gravity of the water, so is 939.7, the contents 

 of the vessel in oil, to 0.9279 the specific gravity of the oil. 



Now, a grain of pure water, temperature 60° (according to 

 the experiments of Sir G. S. Evelyn, corrected by IVIr Flet- 

 cher in the 4th volume of the Philosophical Journal) weighs 

 252.506 grains troy. And according to the best experiments, 

 the pound avoirdupois is equal to 7004.5 grains troy. So 

 tliat 252.506 multiplied by 231, the number of cubic inches 

 in a wine gallon, gives 58328.886, the weight of a gallon of 

 water temperature 60° in grains troy. This divided by 

 7004.5, gives a quotient of 8.32734, or the weight of the 

 gallon of water in pounds avoirdupois. 



