IMPROVEMENTS IN TELESCOPES AND OTHER GLASSES, IN THEIR APPLICATION TO THE MEASUREMENT OF D
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Benjamin Solomons, of Albemarle Street,
Piccadilly, in the County of Middlesex, Optician, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN TELESCOPES AND OTHER GLASSES, IN THEIR
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Benjamin Solomons
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 8th December 1858.
I, BENJAMIN SOLOMONS, of Albemarle Street, Piccadilly, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN TELE-
SCOPES AND OTHER GLASSES, IN THEIR APPLICATION TO THE MEASUREMENT OF
DISTANCE," to be as follows:-
My Invention of improvements in telescopes, opera glasses, and other
instruments for viewing distant objects, consists in so disposing a series
of wires in the field of the instrument which will enable an observer to
judgo the distance of the object viewed, and although not determining
the exact measurement will give an approximation to the correct dis-
tance. The diagram, Fig. 1, annexed shows the field of the telescopo
divided by wires, which I adjust and fix within the, telescope at a certain
distance from the eye glass. On viewing, an object through a glass so

page_text: fitted, it will occupy a certain area in the field, according to the distance
of the observer from the object. Thus supposing the object to be a
ship at sea, and that from the top of the mast to the lowest visible part
of the hull occupies the space marked 1 between the upper and second
lines, this will indicate that the ship is distant 1 mile; if the whole!
height of the object occupies the space enclosed by the second and third
lines marked 2, that will show it to be distant about 2 miles; if in
space 3, 3 miles; if in space 4, 4 miles, and so on.
This same arrangement may be carried out with reference to indi-
cating the distance of objects on land. As this method of determining
the distance depends in some measure on the height of the object, it is
obvious that the same graduation of the wires in the telescope will not
be adapted for determining the distance of every kind of object, and as
the accuracy of this measurement depends on the telescope being
arranged for a given height of object, the distance so ascertained will
not be determined with perfect accuracy, yet with sufficient truth for
many practical purposes.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Benjamin Solomons in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 8th June 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
BENJAMIN SOLOMONS, of Albemarle Street, Piccadilly, in the County of
Middlesex. Optician, send greeting.
Я

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent bearing date the Eighth day of December, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the seven-
teenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Benjamin Solomons, Her special licence
that I, the said Benjamin Solomons, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Benjamin Solomons, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
TELESCOPES AND OTHER GLASSES, IN THEIR APPLICATION TO THE MEASUREMENT
OF DISTANCE," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Benjamin Solomons, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Benjamin Solomons, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the Sheet of Draw-
ings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon
(that is to say):-
My Invention of improvements in telescopes, opera glasses, and other
instruments for viewing distant objects, consists in so disposing a series
of wires in the field of the instrument which will enable an observer to
judge the distance of the object viewed, and although not determining
the exact measurement will give an approximation to the correct
distance.
The field of the telescope is intersected by wires, which I adjust and
fix within the telescope at a certain distance from the eye-glass. On
viewing an object through a glass so fitted, it will occupy a certain area

page_text: in the field, according to the distance of the observer from the object.
Thus, supposing the object to be a ship at sea, and that from the top of
the mast to the lowest visible part of the hull occupies the space
between the upper and second lines, this will indicate that the ship is
distant one mile; if the whole height of the object occupies the space
enclosed by the second and third' lines, that will show it to be distant
about two miles; if in the third space, three miles; if in the fourth
space, four miles, and so on." This same arrangement may be carried
out with reference to indicating the distance of objects on land. Scales
may be arranged for the same instrument that will give the distances of
different objects by means of the same spaces in the field of the instru-
ment; as, for instance, an object ten feet high and contained in the
space between the first and second lines, may be indicated in the scale
as being distant one mile, while another scale will indicate an object
five feet high and occupying the same height in the field to be only
one half a mile distant. The measurement of distance by this telescope
is determined by the angle contained between lines from the cyc- of the
observer to the highest and lowest or other suitable points of the object,
and therefore based on the known height of that object; it is conse-
quently necessary in making scales to the instrument, whereby the
results are ascertained, to assume a standard in relation to the division
of the field of the telescope, that is, supposing the lines before referred
to, to cut through any two of the wires or lines in the telescope, and to
meet the extreme points of the standard at the given distance. In the
case of a man as the object, I take six feet as the standard, and in the
case of a ship, taking it as one hundred feet, the scales herein-after
given (which are calculated for a twelve-inch telescope) will indicate
the respective distances of those objects when occupying the corre
sponding spaces in the field of the instrument. When the height of a
ship's mast is judged to be more or less than one hundred feet, a suit-
able allowance must be made in:diminution of or increase of distance
indicated by the scales. When the height of the object is more than
one hundred feet the distance will be greater than indicated by the
scale, and when less than one hundred feet it will be at less distance
than indicated by the scalc. In the case of a man viewed through the

page_text: glass, the height will be more uniform than that of a ship, and a more
correct result obtained, although in the case of a ship' a practised eye
will be able to determine the height, or how much of its height, to
include as equal to the standard of the scale of the instrument.
Fig. 1 of the annexed Sheet of Drawings represents a telescope,
part of which is in section, to show the position of and 'mode! of intro-
ducing the wires.
a is a stop or ring piece fitted: to slide within the
eye piece b, of the telescope; across the opening c, c, of this annular
frame a, the wires d, e, f, g, h, & i, are stretched, and secured by a
little cement, in the manner well understood in fixing the cross wires in
telescopes for surveying purposes. These wires are extremely fine, but
when viewed by looking through the glass are prominent objects, and
appear as so many parallel lines intersecting the field of the instrument;
they are held in a horizontal position when the glass is used for the
purposes of measurement. The stop or ring picco a, is adjusted in the
position shown in Fig. 1, with the wires in the focus of tho instrument;
it is represented separately in front view at Fig. 2, and in sido. view
at Fig. 3. Fig. 4 represents the field of the instrument in which
the spaces and wires appear magnified. The position of the wires
and the spaces between can be adjusted most accurately by viewing
a standard object through the telescope at the different distances
required.
.
To ascertain the distance of a ship at sea, if the height of the object,
that is, from the visible bottom of the hull to the top of the mast of the
ship, be contained in the space marked 1 between the lines d and e,
the vessel 'so viewed is distant about sixteen hundred and fifty yards;
should, however, such height only occupy the space 2 between lines 'e
and f, the distance of the vessel will be about three thousand three
hundred yards; if contained in space 3, between the lines f & 9,
the
distance will be nearly five thousand yards; if in space 4, the distance
is about six thousand six hundred yards; and if in space 5, the distance
will be about eight thousand three hundred yards; should, however, but
half the space 5 be occupied by the given height, the ship is double
that distance, or nearly thirty-three thousand: yards, or about eighteen
miles. To ascertain-the distance of a foot or horse soldier or of any

page_text: other person, if the height from the peak of the helmet to the sole of
the foot in the foot soldier, or from the pommel of the saddle to the foot
of the horse in the horse soldier, occupy the space 1, the distance will
be one hundred yards; if the same height is contained in space 2, the
distance is about two hundred yards; if contained in space 3, the dis-
tance is about three hundred yards; if in space 4, the distance will be
four hundred yards; and if in space (5), the distance will be about five
hundred and ten yards; should but half of the space 5 be occupied,
then the annexed distance must be doubled, or about one thousand and
twenty yards; if but one fourth of the height of space 5 is occupied,
the distance is then about fifteen hundred and forty yards, or nearly one
mile. The distance of any person can be ascertained in the same way,
allowing the height from the top of the head to the sole of the foot.
The same arrangements can be made with reference to opera glasses
and other similar glasses.
Having described the nature of my Invention and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I would have it understood that
what I claim is, the graduating spaces in the field of a telescope or
other similar glass by means of wires or other intersecting lines, dis-
posed as described in connection with suitable scales, for the purpose of
indicating the distance of objects as herein-before set forth.
In witness whereof, I, Benjamin Solomons, have hereunto set
hand and seal, this Eighth day of June, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
my
Witness,
W. CLARK,
Patent Agent,
53, Chancery Lane,
BENJ SOLOMONS. (L.B.)
London.