94 CONSTRUCTION AND MANAGEMENT OF SMALL GASWORKS. 



example of the necessity for preserving an easy front under 

 irritating circumstances. The manager who can establish 

 a character for truthfulness, fairness and competence in the 

 district is more than half way towards a full dividend for 

 the shareholders. 



Another permanent duty is to keep the system of mains 

 clear and free from condensed water, by periodically pump- 

 ing the drip boxes provided for the purpose. A frequent 

 defect in a small district is the insufficiency of drip boxes. 

 There is a plug or two at certain localities, which are 

 removed when necessary, and the liquid allowed to flow out. 

 This is a very unsatisfactory arrangement, and a proper 

 drip box should be inserted at the earliest opportunity. If 

 a run of pipe has sagged or got out of level in places, and 

 allows water to accumulate, it should be re-set and levelled. 

 The manager should be provided with an accurate list, 

 showing the location of every drip box, including not only 

 those on the mains in the highway, but any bottle or 

 service syphons on consumers' premises. Wherever the 

 location, the object of the drip box is to provide means 

 for extracting the condensed water without interference 

 with the supply of gas, and it should not be neglected 

 until there is a stoppage or a short supply. Under normal 

 circumstances, and with all in proper order, this is not a 

 very arduous duty. If the mains are soundly and skilfully 

 laid at a proper depth, two or three times in a year should 

 be quite often enough for the round with the syphon 

 pump. In any case, the date, and the quantity of fluid 

 taken out, should be noted, as it affords useful information. 

 One hears sometimes of a drip box that requires to be 

 cleared once a week, in a neighbourhood where the main 

 is waterlogged. This may be accepted as evidence that 

 the main is leaky, probably at a joint, because where water 



