The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1903-09-18
FIXING LENGTH STANDARDS.
dow n Constant Unit of Measurement
Is Fixed and Maintained
In England.

Preparations are being made for de-
posting parliamentary copies of the
imperial standards of length along the
floor of Westminster hall, says the Lon
don Telegraph, of recent date.
The delicate undertaking, which lie
being carried out in its initial stages by
the first commissioner of works, will be
taken over on its completion by the
standards department of the board of
trade as the responsible authority in
such matters. The standards, it is I'M
derstood, will be identical with those
which were placed some years ago in
Trafalgar square. There are, in fact,
four sets, the first ranging from one foot
to an imperial yard, while the second is
pole or perch, the third a chain of 66
feet, and the fourth the standard meas
ure of 100 feet Students of history
scarcely need being reminded that King
but one standard measure-that kept at
Winchester-for all England, and Mag
ma Charta contained similar provision
with regard to weight Strict enforce
ment of the law was found impracticable
for generations, great number of GUS
tomary weights and measures contin-
uing in use, especially in transactions
relating to land, corn and wool. Finally,
however, parliament insisted upon the
observance of general uniformity. Since
1926 an imperial system of weights and
measures has been in vogue throughout
the kingdom and an act passed in 1878
inflicts heavy penalties for using weights
and measures not recognized by the law.
Naturally, the man in the street" re-
quires to know how the standards are
| asoertained and established. Chief
among the earliest standards Of length
were the palm, the foot and the cubit.
There were two leading cubits-the ma
tural cubit of Egypt, Chaldea, Phoenicia
and Greece, and the royal cubit of Men,
where it was divided into IL inches. The
Romans used three-foet ulna, while the
Saxons adopted an ell, or yard of SO
inches, based on the Roman foot. This
measurement remained in England, al
though the lapse of time saw various
notifications in the ell. So matters
progressed until 1850, when copy of an
old yard measure found in the tower of
London was made for select committee
of the house of commons, and in 1924
this copy was legalized by parliament,
| with direction that Gin the event of its
being lost the standard should be recov-
cred by making the length of mean
time seconds pendulum in the latitude
of London in vacuum at sea level equal
| to 39.1-393 inches" Unfortunately, the
standard disappeared at the great fire
which destroyed the houses of parlia-
| ment in 1884, and, as the committee sub
sequently appointed by the astronomer
royal reported against the accuracy OF
the pendulum method, the duty of restor-
ing the lost standard was intrusted to a
royal commission. 1t was not Till 1854
that the task was accomplished. Taking
the best secondary evidence available,
the commissioners produced standard
bar of gun metal, the distance between
| two lines on which, crossing gold studs
| is one yard at 62 degrees Fahrenheit and
| 80 inches barometric pressure. Author
lied copies of this legalized standard are
preserved at the mint, the royal OBJ
servatory at Greenwich, Trafalgar
| square and elsewhere, so that the addi-
ton now being made in Westminster
hall is precaution which experience has
shown to be necessary in matter vitality
affecting the commercial life of the ma
| ton.