Year: 1896

page_text: We, WILHELM LORENZ, workmaster, STEPHAN PFULB, publican and OTTO PFÜLB
workmaster of Rotthausen near Gelsenkirchen in the province of Rhineland, and
kingdom of Prussia do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
Every publican will have experienced how unpleasant it is that he cannot check
how much liquor is withdrawn from his spirit barrels in the cellar on the one hand,
and on the other hand how much is filled into them from the street by means of a
hose from the large barrel of the spirit merchant, especially if his barrel in the cellar
was not quite empty.
He must therefore in the one case depend on the honesty and uprightness of his
employés and in the other on the statement of the spirit merchant, and he may, since
he is entirely without any check, suffer very much loss. On the one hand brandy
which is stolen from him is neither charged nor paid for, while on the other hand the
spirit merchant is perhaps paid for more than he delivered.
This disadvantage is intended to be done away with by the contents indicator now
to be described and represented in the annexed drawings.
In figs. 1 and 2 the drawing shows the apparatus attached to a cask in a front- and
side-view respectively, and in fig. 3 two vertical sections carried at right angles to
each other through a chief part of the apparatus and which permit of the inner
arrangement being seen.
The apparatus consists of a box B of wood, cast-iron or the like, which is attached
to the barrel a in front (in the drawing the box is screwed in with two laps or ears).
On this box B there is arranged a scale, divided correspondingly to the cross-section
of the barrel. This scale contains an index Z moving up and down on the same and
connected with a float S which is hanging in the centre of the barrel and just
floating on the surface of the liquid. This float can be introduced through the bung-
hole or along side of it through a special opening, so that the filling tube which is
introduced through the bung-hole has sufficient room and gives free play to the float
i.e. to the cord or chain K connecting it with the index Z. This chain passes over a
pulley at the top of the box B and a pulley at the top of the barrel near the
bung-hole. These parts may be fitted up open on the barrel, or should, one wish to
protect them against damp or exterior influences they may be surrounded by a gutter
or tube R, as shown in the drawing.
The scale inside the box D has in the middle a longitudinal slit & from the top
downwards, through which passes a neck-shaped piece attached to the slide g and
bearing the index Z in front.
As seen from the front only the index is thus visible on the scale, while behind the
scale the slide g hangs to the cord or chain K, and runs up and down along the guide-
bars ff, but always in such a manner the double-pointed horizontal index is
maintained in a horizontal position.
All parts must work freely so that the index is able at once and accurately to follow
each motion of the float.
The box B is provided in front with a cover D, capable of being locked, in which a

page_text: strip of glass may be inserted so that the contents may be read off without opening
the cover.
Contents Indicator for Spirit Storing Barrels.
We, WILHELM LORENZ, workmaster of Rotthausen, and STEPHAN PPÜLB, tavern-
keeper of Rotthausen, and OTTO PFÖLB gentleman of Rotthausen near Gelsenkirchen
in the province of Rhineland, Germany do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
Every tavern keeper will have experienced how unpleasant it is that he cannot
chec how much liquor is withdrawn from his spirit barrels in the cellar on the one
hand, and on the other hand how much is filled into them from the street by means
of a hose from the large barrel of the spirit merchant, especially if his barrel in the
cellar was not quite empty.
He must therefore in the one case depend on the honesty and uprightness of his
employés and in the other on the statement of the spirit merchant, and he may,
since he is entirely without any check, suffer very much loss. On the one hand
brandy which is stolen from him is neither charged nor paid for, while in the other
hand the spirit merchant is perhaps paid for more than he delivered.
This disadvantage is intended to be done away with by the contents indicator now
to be described and represented in the drawing filed with the provisional specification.
In figs 1 and 2 the drawing shows the apparatus attached to a cask in a front and
side-view respectively, and in fig. 3 two vertical sections carried at right angles to
each other through a chief part of the apparatus and which permit of the inner
arrangement being seen.
The apparatus consists of four parts: a box B, a scale, an index Z and a float S.
The box B of wood cast-iron etc. is attached to the barrel A in the front. (In the
drawing the box is screwed on with two laps or ears.) This box B encloses a scale,
the division of which corresponds to the cross section of the barrel, enlarging
gradually from the top to the middle plane and then vice versâ decreasing gradually
from the middle plane downward. The index Z moves up and down on this scale;
the float S is connected with it and hangs in the centre of the barrel just floating on
the surface of the liquid. This float can be introduced through the bung-hole or
along side of it through a special opening, so that the filling tube which is introduced
through the bung-hole has sufficient room and gives free play to the float i.e. to the
cord or chain K connecting it with the index Z. This chain passes over a pulley r
at the top of the box B, and a pulley at the top of the barrel near the bung-hole.
These parts may be fitted up open on the barrel, or should one wish to protect them
against damp or exterior influences they may be surrounded by a tube R, as shown in
the drawing.
The scale inside the box D has in the middle a longitudinal slit 8 from the top
downwards, through which passes a neck-shaped piece attached to the slide g and
bearing the index Z in front.
As seen from the front only the index is thus visible on the scale, while behind the
scale the slide g hangs to the cord or chain K and runs up and down along the guide-
bars ff in the box according to the up and down motion of the float.
The piece g may be guided either directly or as drawn by means of pulleys on the

page_text: bars ff, but always in such a manner that the double-pointed horizontal index is
maintained in a horizontal position.
All parts must work freely so that the index is able at once and accurately to follow
each motion of the float.
The division of the scale is made for every shape and size of a barrel by means of
a gauge and an apparatus for cubature when the contents-indicator is first fitted up.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we claim is :
Contents indicator for spirit casks thereby distinguished that by means of a float
S dipping into the interior of the cask near the centre and rising or falling with the
surface of the liquid, according to the increase of decrease of the contents, an
index Z is actuated in a box at the head of the barrel, the index moving in the slit 8
above a scale divided according to the vaulting of the cask by graduations increasing
from the middle upwards and downwards.
Deted this 6th day of Anvil 1007
For
WILHELM LORENZ, STEPHAN PFÜLB AND OTTO PFÜLB
BERNH. BROCKHUES