Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

CURRENT METER

Date Range From

1950

Date Range To

1990

Materials

METAL (STAINLESS STEEL?)

No. Pieces

2

Height

11.0

Length

40.4

Width

11.0

Description

METER IS MADE OF POLISHED METAL (STAINLESS STEEL). AT THE FRONT END, THERE ARE 6 CONICAL CUPS WHICH ROTATE ON A WHEEL. AT THE OTHER END, STABILIZING FINS ARE FOUND EACH OF THE 4 PLANES AT A RIGHT ANGLE TO THE OTHER. ON THE TOP VERTICAL PLANE, THE NUMBER "530 263" IS STAMPED. THERE IS A KNOB ATTACHED TO THE END WITH THE WHEEL MECHANISM. ON THIS KNOB IS WRITTEN "W & L.E GURLEY TROY N.Y., U.S.A. 530283".

Subjects

MECHANICAL T&E

Historical Association

AGRICULTURE

History

USED BY THE ST. MARY RIVER IRRIGATION DISTRICT. MEASURED FLOW RATE OF WATER. IN 2008, UNIVERSITY STUDENT AND GALT PROGRAM STAFF MEMBER DYLAN JOHNSON PARTICIPATED IN A UOFL APPLIED STUDIES PROGRAM, CONDUCTING RESEARCH WORK ON ST. MARY’S IRRIGATION DISTRICT (SMRID) OBJECTS DONATED TO THE GALT IN 2001. THE OBJECTS WERE ACQUIRED AS PART OF A GALT IRRIGATION EXHIBIT (STREAMS IN THE DESERT) IN 2000 AND WERE SEVERELY UNDER DOCUMENTED. JOHNSON CONSULTED WITH FORMER AND PRESENT ST. MARY’S IRRIGATION DISTRICT STAFF MEMBERS AS PART OF HIS RESEARCH. THE INFORMATION BELOW IS EXTRACTED FROM INTERVIEW(S) CONDUCTED BY JOHNSON. TO DETERMINE WHICH INTERVIEWS ARE RELEVANT TO THIS ARTIFACT, PLEASE REFER TO THE ARTIFACTS’ PERMANENT FILE (20010036001-11) AND THE RESEARCH PAPER’S REFERENCES. FLOW RATE METERS, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS A CURRENT METERS, WERE USED FROM THE 1930S UNTIL THE 1990S AND COULD BE HOOKED UP TO EITHER THE WADING ROD OR THE WINCH-CABLE. THE WATER METER ACTED LIKE A WATER WHEEL WHICH WAS TURNED BY THE WATER FLOW. IT PROVIDED A MECHANICAL MEANS OF MEASURE THE WATER VELOCITY, SENDING AN ELECTRIC AUDIBLE SIGNAL TO EITHER THE WINCH-CABLE OR THE WADING ROD. THE SIGNAL WAS HEARD AS A SERIES OF BEEPS BY THE OPERATOR, WHO WORE HEADPHONES. THE METER’S ARMS WERE PUSHED IN A CYCLICAL MOTION BY THE CURRENT, MOVING A TINY WIRE INSIDE THE CENTER CASE (METAL CYLINDER IN THE CENTER OF WATER WHEEL) WHICH, COMPLETED A CIRCUIT PERIODICALLY (HOWEVER FAST THE WATER MOVED WAS HOW OFTEN THIS CIRCUIT WOULD BE COMPLETED) SENDING AN ELECTRICAL PULSE TO A PART OF THE WINCH AND CABLE SYSTEM WHICH WOULD EMIT A BEEP (THE ONE MENTIONED BEING RECORDED BY THE WADING ROD AND WINCH CABLE). THERE WERE MANY ISSUES WITH THIS PIECE OF EQUIPMENT BUT THE MOST OBVIOUS WAS THE CONSTRAINTS OF WATER DEPTH REQUIRED IN ORDER FOR IT TO WORK. ADDITIONALLY, THE METER HAD TO BE SENT IN EVERY YEAR TO A MAINTENANCE TECHNICIAN FOR CALIBRATION OR TO CONFIRM THAT NOTHING HAD CHANGED SINCE THE LAST INSPECTION. THOUGH IT WAS FAIRLY ACCURATE, THE METER WAS RATHER TIME CONSUMING TO OPERATE.

Catalogue Number

P20010036012

Acquisition Date

2001-10

Collection

Museum

Less detail