Abbott Birks Co London Shorts Gas Leak Indicator Meter w Leather Case 5"

Description

A very high quality example of a mid century British scientific Shorts Gas Leak Indicator by Abbott Birks & Co LTD of London England. Includes leather case.

A shorts gas leak indicator is an older term referring to a device used to detect the presence of a gas leak, specifically coal gas, by measuring the atmospheric pressure change caused by the gas, essentially acting like a barometer that indicates the percentage of coal gas in the air; it was commonly used in the early 1900s.

Biggar Gasworks made coal gas from 1839 to 1973. It was one of the first small-town gas works in Scotland to open and was among the last to close. The gas made was used by the town and surrounding district. Coal gas was made by heating coal to very high temperatures.

This ‘Shorts Gas Leak Indicator' was made by Abbott, Birks and Co Ltd in London. It would be used by an engineer to detect gas leaks in the gasworks. The dial indicated the level of methane gas in the air. Too much methane in the air could be highly dangerous. This detector was therefore an important technology that increased health and safety at the gasworks.

Condition

Good Overall - Gentle wear commensurate with use/age

Dimensions

2.75" x 4.75" (Width x Depth x Height)