New Britain herald., 1916-02-29
A HUMAN RULE.
Remember Measurements of Your
 Own Body and Save Trouble.
(Ncw York American.)

WlSH huc" lIIS oA that opening" said one man to an- other, but I have no rule with me. I guess I'll have to come back this afternoon and measure it."
 The opening was a rectangular hole in the ground that had been cement ed to the top and which needed cover.
 "Why don't you measure it now" said the other man, and save Nour- self the extra trip?"
 "Why, as I tell you" was the reply, 'I have no rule with me. I might pace it off. but you can't tell that way to within few inches and the meas urement must be accurate"
 "Wel, don't let a little thing like that bother you. I have no rule, either but I'll give you the dim ension or each side within half an inch. any way. Will that be near enough?"
 It would and so the man measured
 My shoe is exactly 111- inches long. he said. Make mem oran- dum or what l do and we can verify inc measurements when we get to rule"
 Placing his heel to a line drawn from the angle of the corner and put ting the heel of one foot to the toe of the other, he measured off ten shoe lengths and make mark at the fore most toe. Then he stretched his right hand in span, thumb at the toe mark, ana scratched another mark at the tip of his middle finger. TO this latter mark he placed the side of his thumb and noted that the opposite side of this digit just touched the parallel mark, indicating the end Of the side he was measuring.
 "Now,' he said, "you have ten times II IA inches, which is 112 1-2 inches l span exactly inches, mak- ing 121 1-2 inches, and my thumb is just an inch wide at the first knuckle, making 122 1-2 inches, and that is the length of the opening. Now for the width.''
 Following the same process, he measured eight shoe lengths and marked the distance. Then he laid his hand down flat, the heel of the palm touching the mark he had just made, called off 1-2 inches for the other to note down, marked that and placed his hand again, palm down, but this time measuring with it's width at the knuckles. The side of his hand came exactly to the end of the mar rower of the two sides
 Put down 4 inches more" he said. That is eight shoe lengths, or 90 inches, plus 1-2 inches, plus inches. The opening is therefore 70 feet 1-2 inches by feet 1-2 inches, and you'll be perfectly sure in going ahead on those measurem ents."
 Testing the result when they ar rived where they had access to two- foot rule it was found to be correct within a neighth of an inch, which was near enough.
 Long ago. volunteered the unique measurer, more as a matter of curi- ositN than anything else, I suppose I made measurements of several men- bers of my body and remem bered them. Here is the schedule It has helped me out many a time:
 Length of first joint of forcfinger. 1 inch
 Length of first joint of thumb b, 1-2 inches.
 Width of palm at knucl1les, pressed fiat. 3 1-2 inches.
 Across palm from second thumb knucllle inches.
 "Around palm at knuckles, 1-2 inches.
 Length of middle finger from third or palm knuckles to tip, inches
 From heel of palm to tip of middle finger, 1-2 inches.
 Span from tip of thumb to tip of middle finger, 9 inches.
 Length of forearm from tip of el- bow to tip of middle finger. arm bent to form right angle, 19 inches.
 From heel to top Of knee, leg bent to form a right angle, 23 3-4 inches.
 Length of shoe, heel to tip, II inches.
 Height, , feet 1-2 inches.
 Tip to tip of fingers with arms outstretched, } feet 8 1-2 inches.
 Extreme reach, standing on heels, one arm extended upward, to tip mid , ale finger. feet.
 With your own measureme ents in mind" he continued, you can not only measure short spaces, but you can quickly construct a ten-foot pole, or one of any length, for that mat ter, and measure a plot of ground, a building. a floor. the walls of a room or alm ost anything else, even if you haven't a rule with you. Of course it wouldn't do for surveying or any other process that requires absolute accuracy, but for the general work it isn't at all bad