based upon the reading of one of these
meters, amounted to $50.40, and was collected on January 18, 1883, from
the Ansonia Brass and Copper Company, 17 and 19 Cliff Street. Generally
speaking, customers found that their bills compared fairly with gas
bills for corresponding months where the same amount of light was used,
and they paid promptly and cheerfully, with emphatic encomiums of the
new light. During November, 1883, a little over one year after the
station was started, bills for lighting amounting to over $9000 were
collected.

An interesting story of meter experience in the first few months of
operation of the Pearl Street station is told by one of the "boys" who
was then in position to know the facts; "Mr. J. P. Morgan, whose firm
was one of the first customers, expressed to Mr. Edison some doubt as
to the accuracy of the meter. The latter, firmly convinced of its
correctness, suggested a strict test by having some cards printed and
hung on each fixture at Mr. Morgan's place. On these cards was to be
noted the number of lamps in the fixture, and the time they were turned
on and off each day for a month. At the end of that time the lamp-hours
were to be added together by one of the clerks and figured on a basis of
a definite amount per lamp-hour, and compared with the bill that would
be rendered by the station for the corresponding period. The results
of the first month's test showed an apparent overcharge by the Edison
company. Mr. Morgan was exultant, while Mr. Edison was still confident
and suggested a continuation of the test. Another month's trial showed
somewhat similar results. Mr. Edison was a little disturbed, but
insisted that there was a mistake somewhere. He went down to Drexel,
Morgan & Company's office to investigate, and, after looking around,
asked when the office was cleaned out. He was told it was done at night
by the janitor, who was sent for, and upon being interrogated as to what
light he used, said that he turned on a central fixture containing about
ten lights. It came out that he had made no record of the time these
lights were in use. He was told to do so in future, and another month's
test was made. On comparison with the company's bill, rendered on the
meter-reading, the meter came within a few cents of the amount computed
from the card records, and Mr. Morgan was completely satisfied of the
accuracy of the meter."

It is a strange but not extraordinary commentary on the perversity of