Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

ELECTRIC METER, COUNTRY CLUB

Date

1965

Materials

METAL, GLASS, PAINT

No. Pieces

1

Height

16.1

Length

31

Width

24.1

Description

METER, ELECTRIC. BLACK METAL, OVAL SHAPED METER, SMALL OVAL SHAPED WINDOW AT TOP HAS RED “X10” STICKER ON IT (RED TAPE WITH WHITE RAISED TYPE). BLACK “COUNTRY CLUB” STICKER ON FRONT BELOW WINDOW. PLATE FIXED TO FRONT OF METER BODY READS, “POLYPHASE WATTHOUR METER 611095 PATTENTED 1922 1923 1926 CANADIAN GENERAL ELECTRIC CO. LIMITED”.

Subjects

ELECTRICAL & MAGNETIC T&E

Historical Association

INDUSTRY

SPORTS

History

METERS WERE USED FOR RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL METERING IN THE CITY OF LETHBRIDGE. THIS METER WAS PREVIOUSLY ATTACHED TO A BOARD AND DISPLAYED WITH OTHERS IN A COLLECTION HIGHLIGHTING CITY ELECTRICAL DEPARTMENT HISTORY AT THE METER SHOP UNTIL 2009. ACCORDING TO METER SHOP DONOR GRANT FYFE “THE ROLE OF THE METER SHOP IS TO INSTALL THE METERS, REPAIR THE METERS.” “THESE METERS USED TO BE REPAIRED RIGHT IN THE SHOP. TODAY WE DON’T DO THAT, BUT WE SEND ALL THE METERS OUT FOR RECALIBRATION. UP UNTIL THE YEAR 2000, WE SERVICED ALL THESE METERS. WE STRIPPED THEM DOWN, CLEANED THEM, REPAIRED THEM AND RECALIBRATED THEM. THE GOVERNMENT WOULD COME IN AND CHECK OUR WORK AND SEAL IT.” METERS WITH MECHANIZED REVOLVING PARTS BEGAN BEING REPLACED WITH ENTIRELY DIGITAL MODELS IN THE YEAR 2000. ACCORDING TO AN INTERVIEW WITH RETIRED METER SHOP FORMAN WAYNE SCHELLHORN “WE ARE NO LONGER ABLE TO KEEP THESE METERS BECAUSE THERE IS NO MORE STORAGE ROOM.” FYFE SAID “WE WERE JUST LIKE WATCHMAKERS IN A WAY BECAUSE SOME OF THE JEWELS AND STUFF IN THESE METERS WERE VERY SENSITIVE, AND HAD TO BE CLEANED PROPERLY AND INSTALLED PROPERLY, OTHERWISE THE METER WOULDN’T REVOLVE PROPERLY AND IT WOULD SEIZE UP. IT WAS INTRICATE WORK.” THIS METER IS A MODEL WD 7 AND WAS USED AT THE COUNTRY CLUB AND WAS A TWO ELEMENT SERVICE. SCHELLHORN SAID “THESE HERE IS A 50 AMP SELF-CONTAINED METER. THIS METER COME OUT IN ABOUT, PATENTED IN THE EARLY 1920S. LAST TIME IT WAS SEALED OR USED WAS IN 1965.” ACCORDING TO SCHELLHORN “THIS STYLE OF METER WAS UNIQUE TO THE COUNTRY CLUB BECAUSE IT WAS A THREE PHASE, THREE WIRE, TWO ELEMENT METER. IT WAS FOR THEIR THREE PHASE SERVICE FOR THEIR PUMPS, THE BIG PUMPS THEY HAD THERE FOR PUMPING WATER IN FOR THE GOLF COURSE.” WAYNE FYFE SAID “I PROBABLY PULLED THIS METER OUT OF THE COUNTRY CLUB IN 1971.” FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE SEE PERMANENT FILE.

Catalogue Number

P20100046002

Acquisition Date

2010-09

Collection

Museum

Less detail