AN IMPROVED INSTRUMENT FOR MEASURING DISTANCES ON MAPS, DRAWINGS, AND FOR OTHER MEASURING PURPOSES
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Russell Morris, of Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick, and of Hampstead, in the County of Mid-
dlesex, Engineer, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED INSTRUMENT FOR
MEASURING DISTANCES ON MAPS, DRAWINGS, AND FOR OTHER MEASURING
PURPOSES."
Scaled the 24th June 1873, and dated the 2nd January 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Russell Morris
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,.
on the 2nd January 1873.
I, EDWARD RUSSELL MORRIS, of Birmingham, in the County of War-
wick, and of Hampstead, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED
INSTRUMENT FOR MEASURING DISTANCES ON MAPS, DRAWINGS, AND FOR OTHER
MEASURING PURPOSES," to be as follows:-
:-
This Invention relates to the construction of an improved and simple
instrument for measuring distances on maps, drawings, and other
surfaces.
The instrument is made by preference of a small pocket size, and con-
sists of a circular or other shaped box or casing enclosing a plain

page_text: wheel or pulley, to which a pointer or indicating hand is suitably secured.
This pulley or wheel receives motion from a travelling roller having a
roughened boss or pulley forming part thereof, the motion being com-
municated by means of a thin leather or other band or by a worm and
wheel or friction or toothed wheels or other gearing. The sizes of the
pulleys, &c., are of such relative proportions that the larger one receives
one revolution and consequently gives one revolution to the hand or
pointer to ten inches travel of the roller. But these proportions may
differ, depending mainly upon the measurement, foreign or otherwise, to
which the instrument is to be set.
The face of the casing is provided with a glass front and is readily
removable, and may be secured either by catches, hinges, or other
suitable fastening means. Underneath it is placed a dial (the position
of which is determined by two projections on the face of the casing,
which fit corresponding holes in the dial) divided to suit one or more
scales. upon. which the distance is recorded by the hand.
This dial can
be instantly removed and the one substituted which coincides with the
scales of the maps or drawings, so that the distance the hand indicates
at each revolution is variable, and depends upon the scale of the map
and of the dial in use, which must be similar. Thus when the scale of
the map is two miles to one inch the hand at each ten inches travel of
the roller and at each revolution of the larger pulley records twenty
miles, but when a scale, say of twenty miles to one inch is the one used,
the hand at each revolution records two hundred miles, the same distance
however (ten inches) being travelled over by the roller in both cases.
Any number of scales may be formed on one dial and so prevent the
necessity of the frequent removal thereof, and of the face of the casing
at the changes of scale of the map.
'
When using the instrument the roller and hand are set to zero on the
scale, with the centre of the roller immediately over one end of the line,
roadway, river, or other object on the map, drawing, or surface to be.
measured. The roller is then run along the line following all the bends
as much as possible, and when it lias arrived at the other extremity the
exact distance traced is immediately ascertained by glancing at the
position of the hand or pointer on the dial.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Edward Russell Morris in the Great Seal.
Patent Office on the 2nd July 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
RUSSELL MORRIS, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, and of
Hampstead, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer, send greeting..
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Second day of January, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the
thirty-sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Edward Russell Morris, Her
special licence that I, the said Edward Russell Morris, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Edward
Russell Morris, 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 In-
vention for "AN IMPROVED INSTRUMENT FOR MEASURING DISTANCES ON MAPS,
DRAWINGS, AND FOR OTHER MEASURING PURPOSES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Edward Russell Morris, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their,
or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascer-
tain 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 Edward Russell Morris, 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 in writing, and on reference being had
to the accompanying Drawings, that is to say:-
This Invention relates to the construction of an improved and simple
instrument for measuring distances on maps, drawings, and other sur-
faces, which I call a "chartometer, and which is illustrated on the
accompanying Drawings in Figures 1, 2, and 3, which are respectively
views of the front, interior, and side.

page_text: The instrument is made by preference of a small pocket size, and
consists of a circular or other shaped box or casing 1 (made of metal,
parkesine, vulcanite, or other material) enclosing a plain wheel or pulley 2,
to which a pointer or indicating hand 3 is suitably secured. The pulley
or wheel 2 receives motion from a travelling roller, wheel, or disc 4
provided with a roughened boss or pulley 5 by means of a thin band 6,
or by a worm and wheel, or friction or toothed wheels or other suit-
able gearing could be substituted. The sizes of the pulleys 2 and 5 are
of such relative proportions that the larger one 2 receives one revolution
and consequently gives one revolution to the hand or pointer 3 to ten
inches travel of the roller 4; but these proportions may differ, depending
mainly upon the measurement (foreign or otherwise) to which the instru-
ment is to be set.
The face of the casing 1 is provided with a glass front 7, and is readily
removeable, and may be secured either by catches 8, or by hinges or other
suitable fastening means. Underneath it is placed a dial 9 (the position
of which is determined by two projections 10, 11, on the face of the
casing 1 which fit corresponding holes in the said dial) divided to suit
one or more scales (Figures 4 and 5) upon which the distance is recorded
by the hand 3. The dials can be instantly removed, and the one sub-
stituted which coincides with the scale of the map or drawing, so that
the distance the hand 3 indicates at each revolution is variable, and
depends upon the scale of the map and of the dial in use which must
correspond. Thus when the scale of the map is two miles to one inch
the hand 3 at each ten inches travel of the roller 4, and at each revolu-
tion of the larger pulley 2, records twenty miles; but when a scale, say,
of twenty miles to one inch is used, the hand 3 at each revolution records
two hundred miles, the same distance, however (ten inches), being
travelled over by the roller 4 in both cases. Any number of scales may
be formed on one dial, and so prevent the necessity of the frequent
removal thereof, and of the face 7 of the casing 1 at the changes of scale
of the map.
Figures 4 and 5 represent two varieties of the dials; the first exhibits
the scale running round in a spiral direction, which may be carried to a
greater extent than shewn, and so admit of a comparatively long distance
being travelled over by the roller 4 with an easy reading of the distance
represented from the dial.

page_text: The tension of the band 6 is regulated by the side screw adjustment
shewn in Figures 2; this provision allows of its being adjusted at any
time should it require it.
12 represents a lever carrying a press roller 13 which bears against the
band 6, and is regulated by a screw 14, a spring 15 having a constant
tendency to tighten the band. Or I mount the lever 12 on a pivot
placed centrally or otherwise in its length, or I attain the same object by
a variety of other simple means.
By turning the screw 14 so as to press the roller 13 against the band 6
I cause the hand 3 to register less for the same distance travelled by the
roller 4, and by turning the screw 14 the opposite way, so as to withdraw
the roller 13 from the band 6, I cause the hand 3 to register more for
the same distance travelled by the roller 4.
The band 6 I prefer to make of silk coated with india-rubber. To
make the same I place round a mandril turned to a proper diameter silk
coated on one side with india-rubber, cut to such a length that the two
ends of the said material meet exactly without overlapping one another.
I then coat the silk side of the material which is uppermost with a
solution of india-rubber known as naptha solution, or india-rubber
solution. I then place upon this another piece of the same material
laying the silk side downwards, the ends of which meet on the side
opposite to that on which are the ends of the former piece of material.
I then cut off the bands of the required breadth while the mandril is
revolving in a lathe.
When using the instrument the roller 4 and hand 3 are set to zero on
the scale, with the centre of the roller immediately over one end of the
line, roadway, river, or other object on the map, drawing, or surface to
be measured. The roller is then run along the line, following all the
bends as closely as possible, and when it has arrived at the other
extremity the exact distance traced is immediately ascertained by
glancing at the position of the hand or pointer 3 on the dial in use.
Having now described the nature and object of my said Invention for
"An Improved Instrument for Measuring Distances on Maps, Drawings,
and for other Measuring Purposes," together with the manner in which
the same is to be or may be performed or carried into practical effect,
I would remark in conclusion that I claim as my Invention, the
construction and use of the improved instrument or "chartometer" for

page_text: measuring distances on maps, drawings, or other surfaces, together with
its component parts as adapted for their respective uses, substantially as
above described and as illustrated on the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Russell Morris, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of June, in 5
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
three.
EP. RUSSELL MORRIS. (L.S.)