IMPROVEMENTS IN METHOD OF MOUNTING AND OPERATING GLOBES
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Ellen Eliza Fitz, of Saint John, New Brunswick,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN METHOD OF MOUNTING AND
OPERATING GLOBES."
Sealed the 9th March 1875, and dated the 18th January 1875.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Ellen Eliza Fitz at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with her Petition and
Declaration, on the 18th January 1875, pursuant to the 9th
Section of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ELLEN
ELIZA FITZ, of Saint John, New Brunswick, send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
METHOD OF MOUNTING AND OPERATING GLOBES," and have petitioned Her
most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria to grant unto me, my exe-
cutors, administrators, and assigns, Her Royal Letters Patent for the
same, and have mado solemn Declaration that I am the first and true
Inventor thereof.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Ellen Eliza Fitz, do hereby declaro
the nature of the said Invention to be as follows:-
The purpose of my Invention is to provide an instrument or apparatus
for use in schools, families, etc., to illustrate and explain the manner in
which the earth, in accordance with its diurnal and annual motions
presents its surface to the sun's rays, my especial object being to ascer-
tain the various durations of day, night, and twilight throughout the
year at any given terrestial positions or localities; and also in treating of
day to ascertain the points of the rising, setting, and culmination of the
sun, and the various courses the latter pursues in its relation to different
horizons.
The Drawings accompanying this Specification represent in Figure 1
a perspective view of an instrument or apparatus embodying my im-
provements, Figure 2 being a vertical section of the same taken through
the supporting post or axis of revolution of the globe.
In carrying out the objects I have in view I provide a flat tablet or
base plate A of suitable size and material, usually of wood, and upon
the top of this tablet I add or create for convenience of manufacture a
lesser plate or extension B. Upon the plate B I erect a perpendicular
post C, which constitutes an axis or point of revolution to a horizontal :
disc or cylinder D, which is disposed upon the top of the plate B and
practically centrally thereof, the said disc turning freely upon its pivot O,
and being preferably provided with knobs a, a, which stud its periphery,
by which its revolution may be facilitated. Upon the upper surface or
planc of the disc B, and to one side of the center of the same I erect a 2
post or rod E, which slopes inward toward and beyond the center of such
disc at an angle of 23°, or at such an angle that a prolongation of the
pivot or axis of the disc shall intersect the center of the globe with the
plane of the disc, such rod constituting the axis about which the globe G
revolves, and being formed with a shoulder 6 to maintain such globe 8
at some altitudo above the disc B, the diameter of the rod immediately
outside of the globe being as small as is practicable in order to obscure
the south pole of the globe as little as possible.
H, I, in the accompanying Drawings represent two arched standards,
which span the globe and are erected upon the plato B, with their feet 8
upon opposite sides of the latter, and these standards approach the south
pole of said globe upon cach sido as nearly as may bc, and allow spaco

page_text: for the passage of the post E as it rotates past them. The standards H, I,
serve to separate the two hemispheres which denote day and night upon
the earth's surface, the former (H) representing the circle of illumi-
nation upon the earth's surface, and the latter the circle which divides
the section of the earth's surface within total night from that in twilight,
the former phase being shown to the right of the standard I, and that in
twilight between the two standards. As the standards H, I, cannot.
owing to the passage of the post E completely encircle the globe, the
circle of illumination is necessarily incomplete or broken for a short
distance upon cither side of the south pole, but this defect is unim-
portant. As the globe is to be manipulated at certain times without the
aid of these standards, I prefer that at such times they should be
removed from close contact with said globe, and to this end I dispose
them upon a frame J, which slides horizontally upon the plate B, and
by means of which they may be moved into action in the position
shown in the Drawings, or removed a short distance therefrom when not
needed.
Upon the upper surface of the disc D and immediately about its
periphery. I inscribe a scale of divisions, which divides the said disc into
twelve equal intervals, these divisions representing the imaginary plane
of the ecliptic or orbit of the earth about the sun, the names of the signs
of the ecliptic being added as represented in the Drawing. These twelvo
divisions are in turn each subdivided into ten equal divisions, which
embrace or represent three days cach, the first day of the month within each
sign being indicated by an additional mark which extends nearer the axis
of the disc than the other, as the signs of the ecliptic do not reckon from
the first day of the calendar month, but from the first day of the month
upon which the equinoxes and solstices occur. The degree of any sign
in which the sun may be situated upon any given date may also be
reckoned by means of the subdivisions of the scale upon the disc D, for
instance, when the pointer c, to be herein-after explained, points to the
first mark within Scorpio the sun has entered the fourth degree of said
sign, to the second mark of Scorpio the seventh degree, and so on, as
the beginning of a sign, as before stated, takes date from the first
instead of the twenty-first in reckoning degrees in lieu of days upon the

page_text: in carrying it backward, while in order to pass the signs upon the
disc D forward the said disc must be rotated from tho left to the right,
and vice versa.
In order to represent the passage of the sun through the signs of the
ecliptic or of the earth through the months of the year I employ a
pointer composed of a pointed rod or pin c which projects horizontally
inward into close proximity to the disc from a vertical post d erected upon
the plate B, and operates in connection with the scale of divisions upon
the disc D, while in order to represent the direction of the sun from the
earth, or the situation of the sun with regard to the earth's surface, I
employ a second pointed pin e likewise projecting inward from the top
of the post d, and coincident with the path of movement of the globe or
midway of the hemisphere of the latter, which denotes the illuminated
half of the earth's surface, the pin or needle e also serving to show the
latitude illuminated vertically.
It will be observed that as the disc D revolves the rod E (which servės
as an axis to the globe) describes a path of the form of a cone, while the
globe itself occupies a given position in space, which theoretically and
literally is not a correct representation of the annual motion of the earth,
as the latter body is constantly moving forward in its orbit around the sun
with its axis fixed in one direction, but this difference of motion between
the true one of the earth and that of the globe intending to represent it
is attendant with no difference in the movement of their surfaces, the
former before the sun, and the latter before an object representing such
sun, as shown by the index pointer c, which, as before stated, is
coincident with the center of the globe G. My present instrument does
practically exhibit the difference of motion in the surfaces of the earth
before the sun, as I am enabled by confining my apparatus to the
purposes herein-before premised to construct it with much greater
simplicity than would be possible did I intend it as a planaterium, an
instrument which mine is in no sense expected to supplant.
In order to obtain an adjustable device for readily defining and
illustrating any required horizon, I employ a ring K of thin metal
which closely fits the greatest diameter of the globe G, and is divided
upon its outer face into a scale of divisions of any desired number of
degrees; while spanning this ring centrally thereof and at right angles

page_text: to its plane I employ a semicircular band L, also of thin metal, which is
similarly provided with a graduated scale upon its outer surface, this
semicircular band being intended to represent a semi-meridian at any
point upon the globe with which a central perforation 9 of the said.
band may coincide.
i
As the standards H, I, and the horizon ring K are not to be brought
into use at one and the same time the latter should be removed and laid
carefully to one side while the standards are in use, and when the ring
is in use the standards by means of the sliding frame J are to be
removed from immediate proximity to the globe. By this means I
avoid injury to either the standards or ring, which might otherwise
ensue on rotating the globe with the latter affixed to it.
By means of the standards H, I, which, as before stated, separate the
two hemispheres representing day and night, we can illustrate the
seasons, ascertain clock time, define. twilight in its various phases,
compute length of day and night, etc.
The diurnal course of the sun is ascertained by the ring K as the
passage of the pointer or needle o above it denotes the horizon of the
given place, and by so adapting the band L to the globe that it
corresponds with the meridian of this given place, and its perforation or
peep hole coincident with such place, the course of the sun with
respect to the horizon is obtained.
My present instrument, as before briefly stated, has two motions, one.
a revolution of disc D.about the pivot O, which is intended to
represent the passage of the sun through the signs of the ecliptic, and.
therefore of the earth through the months of the year; and the second.
a revolution of the globe G about the rod E which is to represent the.
passage of the carth's surface through day, twilight, and night.
The half of the globe G. nearest or adjacent to the solarium or needle ẹ
O denotes the hemisphere of the earth's surface which is in day, and the
opposite half that which is in night.. When the globe is to be revolved
-into a given time of year it is to be moved bodily by and with the disc D,
which latter is rotated upon its axis C; when the globo-is-to-be-revolved
for the purpose of describing the-daily-course_of_the_sun_it is to be
5 rotated upon its axis E, the disc D remaining stationary.
i
+

page_text: It requires one diurnal revolution of the carth to completo a vertical
illumination, to which allusion has previously been made in this Specifi-
cation, and whenever a circle upon the earth's surface is said to be thus
illuminated vertically it should be borne in mind that but one position
within this circle is illuminated at any one instant.
As an instance of the value and practibility of my system in this
respect revolve the disc D a number of times, and it will be observed that
the frigid zones continually pass to their full extent into one or the
other of the hemispheres upon either side of the center of illumination,
and a vertical sun (which in my instrument is represented by the ]
needle e) continually travels to and fro of the torrid zone, each move-
ment necessitating one half a revolution of the disc to complete it, or
occupying six months of time. Thus the operator or student cannot fail
to see that the five zones are natural divisions of the earth's surface, and
not the artificial and arbitrary ones of the geographer, and he is enabled 1
to readily distinguish the prevailing climates of such earth's surface.
When it is not convenient to count the intervals upon a southern
parallel they may be counted upon the corresponding northern parallel
upon the opposite side of the circle of illumination, day upon the latter
being of the same length as night upon the former, and vice versa.
2
As the axis or rod E upon which the globe rests and rotates occupies
a space of a few degrees about the south pole, the horizon ring K cannot
under the construction shown in the accompanying Drawings be adjusted
to represent the horizon of any situation upon the equator, or upon any
parallel to either side of it within the distance thus occupied by the 2
rod E; but the horizon of any situation upon the equator may be
represented by the meridian that is 90° distant, while there will be but a
slight variation in the course of the sun in the zone comprised within a
few degrees upon either side of the equator. This objection however
may be remedied wholly or in part by creating a notch in the ring K to 3
receive the base of the rod E and permit the edge of the ring to coincide
with the center of the globe.
For the full details of the working of my system reference must of
course be had to the manual which I have prepared to accompany
it, and it would manifestly be too prolix and unnecessary to make ou

page_text: .
to instance several examples of such working; for instance, see the fol-
lowing problem and its solution:-Required to trace the course of the
sun at Spitzbergen upon the 21st day of June, it being known that upon
the 21st day of June the sun describes its whole diurnal course above
the horizon at Spitzbergen, ascending from its lowest position or 12°
above the northern point of the horizon to 35° above the southern point
thereof, and again descending to its lowest position. Having adjusted
the horizon ring herein-before named to the situation of Spitzbergen,
which is done by adapting the peep hole # to the locality of said place,
with the band I in the direction of the meridian of said place, and
brought the globe into position for June 21st, I ascertain by rotating
the said globe through one revolution upon its axis, that the sun
describes its whole diurnal course above the represented horizon upon
the given data, and therefore I start with the pointer opposite the
band L upon the side which describes the shortest distance to the ring,
this distance being 12°, and denoting the nearest approach of the sun to
the horizon of Spitzbergen during the 24 hours of June 21st. The globe
being now rotated toward the right the pointer gradually ascends to 85°
upon the semi-meridian of Spitzbergen, and then again descends to its
lowest position, thereby giving the required course of the sun to be
performed in a similar manner.
Again; upon the subject of twilight, I give the following brief example,
and would preface it by the remark that for the sake of convenience in
the practice upon the globo when considering this subject of twilight I
prefer to call the lesser standard I the "twilight circle":-Required to
ascertain the beginning, duration, and ending of twilight at Stockholm
upon June 21st, it being known that parallels have a twilight continuing
through the night when their unilluminated arc is contained wholly within
the section of twilight, I first revolve the globe into position for June
21st, as before stated, and then backward in the year until the parallel of
Stockholm has its point most remote from the sun within the " 'twilight
circle," at which time the index o is opposite April 26th. I now revolve
the globe forward in the year until the parallel of Stockholm again rests
its point most remote from the sun within the "twilight circle," when I
find the index opposite August 24th. A-season-of-twilight-continuing
through-tho-night-therefore begins at Stockholm on the 26th day of
April, and terminates on the 24th day of August, thus lasting an entire
period of four months,
ハ

page_text: I claim, the method of mounting and operating globes herein named
for purposes stated, as a principle or in detail, or any changes or modifi-
cations of such principle.
In witness whereof, I, the said Ellen Eliza Fitz, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of December 1874.