IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR GAUGING THE DEPTH OF WATER OR OTHER LIQUID
Year: 1885

page_text: I, JOHN HOOKER of Avenue Cottages, Station Road, Beccles, in the County of
Suffolk Printer do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS FOR GAUGING THE DEPTH OF WATER OR OTHER LIQUID" and in
what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
The object of the invention is mainly to provide anglers with a means of readily
and quickly finding the depth of water they are about to fish in.
The method usually adopted by anglers is to attach a lead plummet to the end
of their line and to repeatedly cast it into the water and keep on altering the
position of a float upon the line until the float is seen to be fixed at the right
spot.
.
The continual splashing caused by this operation is considered by all good
anglers deterimental to good sport as the fish are thereby frightened away from
the spot.
By the use of gauging apparatus constructed according to my invention the
depth can be ascertained exactly at one cast and the proper position for affixing
the float thereby at once determined.
The apparatus can also be used for ascertaining the depth of water in wells or
for ascertaining the depth of any liquid.
I employ a plummet fixed on the end of a line and pass the line through a float
and through a clip carried by the float the clip being so formed that when the
plummet is thrown into the water and the float is upheld by its buoyancy the clip
opens and allows the line to pass through freely so long as there is any downward
pull of the plummet upon the line but when the line is drawn in the opposite
direction the clip at once closes and grasps the line so that the float is raised with
it out of the water.
The float may be in the form of a cylinder or egg shape or of other suitable
form-through it I form a central vertical hole and also a slot radiating from the
hole so that the float can readily be placed on to or taken off the line. The clip
may be either at the top or bottom end of the float preferably I place it at the
bottom. The clip may also be made in various ways but I prefer to make it of a
small lever or eccentric turning on a pin and kept pressed. by a weight up to a
fixed pin between which and the lever or eccentric the line is led.
°

page_text: The drawings annexed show examples of apparatus constructed according to my
invention.
Figure 1 is a plan view and Figure 2 a side elevation of apparatus constructed in
the manner I prefer.
A is a cylindrical float of cork or other suitable substance coated with a
waterproof paint. B is a hole formed longitudinally through the centre of the
cylinder. C is a radial slot extending from the hole to one side of the cylinder.
1 D are wire eyes or guards at each end of the cylinder to retain the line in the
hole B and prevent it from passing outwards away from it through the radial
slot C.
E is a metal plate secured to the bottom of the float; F is a fixed pin carried
by this plate and having turning upon it a lever G'one arm of which carries
a weight G' and the other is kept pressed by this weight against the side of a
pin H.
The line as shown by the dotted line in Figure 2 is made to pass down through
the hole in the cylinder and between the lever G and pin H. It is kept in place
by the wire eyes D. I is a small metal weight secured in the float to counter-
balance the weight of the lever G so that the float may stand upright in the water-
or this counterbalance weight might form part of the metal plate E.
It will be seen that any downward pull on the line would turn the end of the
lever G downwards away from the pin H so that the line would be released from
all nip but any upward pull would tend to turn the end of the lever G upwards
and so cause it to nip the line between itself and the pin H.
Figures 3 and 4 shew the apparatus with the nipping mechanism at the top
instead of at the bottom of the float.
In this case a weight J should be fixed to the bottom of the float to keep it in
the required position.
In apparatus of large size the weight G¹ might be made as a float to rest on the
water so that when the apparatus is dropped on to the surface of the water the nip
may open and allow the line to pass downwards without any obstruction this will
permit of a heavier weight being used than would otherwise be practicable.
Another modified form of the apparatus is shewn at Figures 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10.
Figure 5 is a side elevation of the apparatus when closed so that it may be
inserted into a box or case. Figure 6 a side elevation of the apparatus when partly
open. Figure 7 a side elevation shewing the parts in the positions they assume
when thrown on to the water and whilst the line is being drawn downwards by the
plummet. Figure 8 shows the parts in the positions they assume when the
plummet rests on the bottom. Figure 9 a vertical section of the float which carries
the nipping mechanism and Figure 10 a cross section of the float.
In this modification of the apparatus the cylindrical float A carries a nipping
apparatus which is closed by the action of two weights C which are also floats.
The nipping apparatus is formed of a wire loop E secured to the bottom of the
float and a bent plate of metal F which can be drawn upwards towards the wire E
and made to nip the line where it passes between them. The plate F is carried by
a wire stem G which passes upwards through the centre of the float A and is at
the top formed with an eye G₁ into which can be inserted the ends of the shorter
arms of two levers H the opposite arms of which carry the weights C. The axes
of the levers are carried by the upper ends of two spring arms I which at their
lower ends are secured to the sides of the float A
The arms I are made of spring plates so as to permit of the ends of the levers H
being inserted into the eye G¹ when the apparatus is required to be brought into
use or can be withdrawn from this eye when the apparatus is to be folded up to be
put into its box or case.
D are wire guards at top and bottom of the float to keep the line from escaping
through the radial slot B as in the forms of the apparatus shown at Figures 1, 2, 3
and 4 but which yet allow of the float being placed on to or taken off a line very
quickly

page_text: From Figure 7 it will be seen that when the apparatus is thrown on to the
water and the line is being dragged downwards by the plummet the float A is
drawn down somewhat and the clip thereby opened so that the line passes down
freely but so soon as the plummet touches the bottom the float A rises as shown by
Figure 8 and causes the line to be nipped and held by the nipping mechanism.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1. The construction of apparatus for gauging the depth of water or other liquid
of a float carrying nipping mechanism through which a weighted line is led and
which allows the line to be drawn downwards through the float but nips and holds
onto the line if the line be drawn in the opposite direction.
2. The combination of nipping mechanism acting in the manner described with
a float formed with a hole through it and with a radial slot passing from such hole
to allow of the float being readily placed on to or taken off a line.
3. The construction of apparatus for gauging the depth of water or other liquid
substantially as herein before described and illustrated in the drawings annexed.
Dated this 16th day af Tul„ 100K
CARPMAEL & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.