This is a disc water meter made by the Hersey Manufacturing Company in Boston, Massachusetts. Its copper-lined cast iron bottom was designed to break under pressure, thus preventing damage to the working parts. With a capacity of 20 gallons per minute, it was the smallest of several sizes made. The serial number (829,403) dates from 1920.
Ref: Hersey Manufacturing Company, Hersey Water Meters (1917), pp. 4-7.
Our collection database is a work in progress. We may update this record based on further research and review. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online.
If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions.