The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-05-17

How Nations Maintain Constant Unit
of Measurement.
London Telegraph.

London Telegraph.
Preparations are being made for deposit
standards of length along the floor of
Westminster Hall. The delicate undertake
ing, which is being carried out in it's ini-
tial stages by the first commissioner of
ton by the standards department of the
Board of Trade as the responsible author
ity in such matters The standards, it is
which were placed some years ago in Traf-
algar square. There are, in fact, four sets,
the first ranging from one foot to an i'm
perial yard, while the second is a pole or
perch. the third a chain of Sixty-six feet
and the fourth the standard measure of
one hundred feet. Students of history
scarcely need being reminded that King
Edward decreed that there should be but
one standard measure-that kept at Win
chester-for all England, and Magma Char
Ia contained a similar provision with re-
gard to weight. Strict enforcement of the
law was found impracticable for genera
tons, great number of customary
weights and measures continuing in use,
especially in transactions relating to land,
corn and wool Finally, however, Parlia-
ment insisted upon the observance of gen.
eral uniformity. Since 1926 an imperial
system of weights and measures has been
In vogue throughout the kingdom, and an
act passed in 1878 infiicts heavy penalties
for using weights and measures not recog-
nized by the law.
Naturally. the imam in the street. re-
certained and established. Chief among
the earliest standards of length were the
palm, the foot and the cubit. There were
two leading cubits-the natural cubit of
Egypt, Chaldea, Phoenicia and Greece. and
the royal cubit of Memphis. The Greek
foot passed into Italy, where it was di-
vided into twelve inches. TIE Romans used
a three-foot ulna, while the Saxons adopted
an ell or yard of thirty-six inches based
on the Roman foot. This measurement re-
manned in England, although the lapse of
time saw various notifications in the eli.
So matters progressed until 176O when a
copy OF an old yard measure, found in the
Tower Of London, was made for a select
committee of the House OF Commons and
in 1884 this copy was iegalized by Parlia-
ment. with direction that sin the event
of its being lost the standard should be re-
covered by making the length of a mean
time seconds pendulum in the latitude of
London. in a vacuum at sea level equal TO
1871 1893 inches" Unfortunately the stand
ard disappeared at the great fire which de-
stroyed the houses of Parliament in 1854
and as the committee subsequently appoint
ed by the astronomer royal reported against
the accuracy of the pendulum method the
duty Of restoring the lost standard was in
trusted TO royal commission. II was not
till 1854 that the task was accomplished
Taking the best secondary evidences avail
able. ,I.e commissioners produced a stand
ard bar of gun metal, the distance between
two lines on which. crossing gold studs. is
one yard at 62 degrees Fahrenheit and
thirty inches barometric pressure Author
lied copies of this legalized standard are
preserved at the mint the royal observa-
tory at Greenwich, Trafalgar Square, and
made in Westminster Hall is precaution
which experience has shown TO be neces-
sary in a matter vitality affecting the COM
mercial life of the nation