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Weights and Measures: British
Hence the legal capacity of the gallon, the present United States standard, was fixed at 231 cubic inches of water. As a result there is a considerable discrepancy between the British Winchester and the so-called American Winchester gallon, the present United States standard. In the meantime, by an act of English Parliament, which went into effect January 1, 1826, the capacity of the British gallon was made such as to contain 10 pounds avoirdupois of distilled water at the temperature of 62° F. or 2774 cubic inches nearly.
This is the so-called Imperial gallon, and since its introduction has been the only legal gallon in Great Britain for either wet or dry measure.
The reason that it is necessary to state these facts in detail is that works of reference in the English language circulate quite generally through all English speaking countries, and it is quite customary to copy reference tables from one to another on the assumption that standard units of weights and measures are invariable. This, however, as has been seen, is not the case. Hence it is necessary in making use of any published recipes or similar information where great accuracy is required, to ascertain whether the British Winchester, the American Winchester, or the British Imperial gallon is referred to. The only standards that are of universal application throughout the civilized world are those of the metric system.
Tables of Liquid Measure. The following is the United States standard of liquid or wine measure: 4 gills..........1 pint (pt.) 287 cu. in. 2 pints.. 4 quarts. 31 gallons...... 1 quart (qt.) 57 cu. in. 2 barrels. 63 gallons. 2 hogsheads.. 1 gallon (gal.) 231 cu. in. 1 barrel (bbl.) 1 hogshead (hhd.) 1 hogshead (hhd.) .1 pipe or butt (pi.) 2 pipes.........1 tun. 282 cu.in......... 1 beer gallon. 36 beer gallons....1 barrel.
The following is a table of the measure of capacity based upon the British Imperial gallon, which is in general use throughout the British Empire:
Measure of Capacity for All Liquids. 5 ounces avoirdupois of water make 1 gill 4 gills 1 pint = 343 cu. in. nearly. 2 pints.......1 quart = 69 cu. in. nearly. 4 quarts 1 gallon cu. in. nearly. ... 31½ gallons... 42 gallons. 63 gallons or 2 bbls. gallons of 2 hogsheads. 2 pipes.... 1 barrel. 1 tierce. 1 hogshead. . 1 pipe or butt. .1 tun.
The British Imperial gallon must contain exactly 10 pounds avoirdupois of pure water at a temperature of 62° F., the barometer being at 30 inches.
It is the standard unit of measure of capacity for liquids and dry goods of every description, and is larger than the old wine measure, ½ larger than the old dry measure, and less than the old ale measure.
The following are terms in wine measure - more frequently used in England than in this country-with comparative capacity in British and American gallons: 18 U. S. gallons. 1 rundlet. 25 Eng. gallons or 42 U. S. gallons.. 2 tierces.. 621 Eng. gollons or 63 U. S. gallons.... 2 hogsheads. 2 pipes.... 74 Eng. gallons......... 4 firkins.. .1 tierce. .1 puncheon. 1 hogshead. 1 pipe. 1 tun. 1 firkin of beer. .1 barrel of beer.
Comparison of Liquid and Dry Measure. The capacity of bins for grain is usually measured in bushels, and the capacity of casks, cisterns, WEIGHTS AND MEASURES and the like, în gallons or barrels. In determining the capacity of cisterns and reservoirs, 31½ gallons are considered a barrel, and 2 barrels or 63 gallons a hogshead. more.
In commerce the size of casks for liquids is variable, barrels being made to contain from 30 to 40 gallons or Casks of large size called tierces, pipes, butts, tuns, etc., do not now hold any fixed quantity. Their capacity is usually marked upon them.
While the standard liquid gallon contains 231 cubic inches in approximate measurements, 7½ gallons are allowed to the cubic foot. As compared with the weight of water, a gallon will hold a little over 8t pounds, which is near enough for practical purposes.
In comparison with dry measure, the United States standard bushel contains 2150.4 cubic inches, the liquid gallon 231 cubic inches, and the dry gallon (the former British Winchester standard- bushel) 263.8 cubic inches. Hence 6 dry gallons equal nearly 7 liquid gallons. The British Imperial gallon contains 277.274 cubic inches or 10 pounds of distilled water, temperature 62° F., barometer 30 inches. The beer gallon contains 282 cubic inches, but it is not now in Hence the following rules to find the capacity of bins, cisterns, etc.
To find the number of bushels, divide the volume in cubic inches by 2150.4. To find the number of gallons, divide the volume in cubic inches by 231. use.
Apothecaries' Fluid Measure.-In addition to the above is the apothecaries' fluid measure, used in compounding medicines which are in fluid form as follows: 60 drops (gtt.) or minims (m)=1 fluid dram (f 3) 8 fluid drams -1 fluid ounce(f3) 16 fluid ounces 1 pint .........(f O) 8 pints - 1 gallon....Cong.
Cong.1-08-f3128-f31024=61440.
Scale: 8, 16, 8, 60. (1) Cong., from the Latin congius, means gallon. (2) O, from the Latin octarius, means. (3) The minim is about equal to a drop of water.
Comparison of the Measures of Capacity. The following is a comparison of measures of capacity: in. 1 gal. or 4 qt. wine measure contains 231 cu. pk. or 4 qt. dry measure con tains 2684 cu. in. 1 gal. or 4 qt. beer measure con tains 282 cu.in. gal. or 4 qt. beer measure contains 282 cu.in- The gallon containing 231 cubic inches is the standard unit of wine measure. The British gallon calleo the Imperial gallon contains 277.274 cubic inches.
Measurement of Tanks, Casks, and Cisterns. To find the capacity of cylindrical tanks of any size in United States gallons, multiply the square of the diameter in inches by the length in inches and that product by .0034; the result will be the contents or capacity in wine gallons and decimals of a gallon. For beer gallons, multiply by .0028 instead of .0034. To ascertain the diameter, measure at the bung and also at the head; add together and divide the same by 2 for the mean diameter. To ascertain the actual contents if the cask is only partially filled, multiply the height of the liquid in inches instead of the height of the cask.
To ascertain the contents of a square cistern or watering trough, multiply together the length, width, and depth in inches and divide by 231, the number of cubic inches in a gallon. This will give the contents in gallons.
To ascertain the contents of a cir cular cistern, multiply the square of the diameter in feet by the depth in feet, and that product by 54. The result will be the contents in gallons. MEASURES OF WEIGHT Origin of Standards. The use of weights depends upon the principle of balance. Hence they were probably not introduced until some time after measures of length, surface, and capacity. The first English statute on the subject founded measures of weight upon a given quantity of wheat corns. The language of the ancient statute is interesting and suggestive. "An English penny, called a sterling, round and without any clipping, shall weigh 32 wheat corns in the midst of the ear, and 20 pence do make an ounce, and 12 ounces 1 pound, and 8 pounds do make a gallon of wine, and 8 gallons of wine do make a London bushel, which is the eighth part of a quarter."
The pound weight provided by this statute known as the tower pound, or the easterling or sterling pound (whence our word sterling as applied to silverware and otherwise), continued in use until about the time of Columbus, when the pound troy was substituted in its place. By a later statute a brass 1-pound weight was established as the imperial standard troy pound. It was declared to contain 12 ounces of 20 pennyweights, each pennyweight containing 24 grains, so that 5,760 such grains shall be a troy pound, and 7,000 such grains a pound avoirdupois. It was further provided that 1 cubic inch of water weighed by brass weights in air, at a temperature of 62° F., and 30 inches barometic pressure, is the equivalent of 252.458 grains. This standard became quite generally adopted in the United States, and in 1836 the Secretary of the Treasury caused a uniform set of weights to be delivered to the governor of each State for local use. Thus a pound is practically the same in all parts of the Englishspeaking world. There is still, however, great confusion in comparisons between weight and capacity measures, and the legislation of different States and countries in defining the number of pounds in a bushel of various grains, fruits, and vegetables, differs widely.