An Improvement in Instruments for Measuring Distances
Year: 1896

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improvement in Instruments for Measuring Distances,
I, JOHN TULLOCH WHISH of 11 Cambridge Park Gardens in the County of
London, Colonel in the Army, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
In my previous Specification No. 4056 of 1883, I described an instrument for
measuring distances having mounted on it a telescope which could be placed on a
pair of Y frames to observe a distant object or could be removed from these and
placed on another pair of Y frames to observe an object in a line at right angles to
the line of the first sight.
These Y frames were made adjustable in height for the purpose of elevating or
depressing the telescope as required. My present invention relates to a construction
of the instrument such as to facilitate its use and to render it capable of giving
inore accurate observations. For this purpose instead of using one telescope to be
shifted from the one support to the other, I make two telescopes in one piece having
their axes crossing each other at right angles, and having as their support at their
junction a segment of a sphere which rests in a cup giving facility for elevating or
depressing either telescope without altering the position or direction of the axis of
the other. From the base plate of the instrument on which the cup is fixed four
forks adjustable in height by screws, project upwards, one pair of the forks engaging
the cylindrical body of each telescope. By raising or lowering one or other of these
forks the telescope which it engages can be elevated or depressed. Also the plate
can be moved round by a tangent screw so as to direct it accurately towards the
object observed. On the junction piece of the two crossing telescopes is mounted
the graduated scale which, as described in my previous specification is observed by
the telescope at right angles to that which observes the distant object.
Instead of employing four forks as above described for varying the inclination of
the two crossing telescopes, I dispense with the pair of forks for the lower telescope,
and instead of the other pair of forks, I employ a pair of eyes in which the upper
telescope is held, the spherical segment then resting in a cup or circular hole formed
on or in the base plate. In this case I pivot the base plate on a support pivotted in
a socket projecting up from the tripod stand, so that the base plate and the upper
telescope which it carries can be inclined as desired and also turned round
horizontally the lower telescope being also capable of being inclined as desired turning
on the axis of the upper telescope, and both telescopes are kept in position and
steadied by the spherical segment seating 1 in the cup or hole of the base plate.
Dated this 12th day of November 1896.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant

page_text: An Improvement in Instruments for Measuring Distances.
I, JOHN TULLOCH WHISH, of 11 Cambridge Park Gardens, in the County of
London, Colonel in the Army, 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 :-
In my previous Specification No. 4056 of 1883, I described an instrument for
measuring distances having mounted on it a telescope which could be placed on a
pair of Y frames to observe a distant object or could be removed from these and
placed on another pair of Y frames to observe an object in a line at right angles to
the line of the first sight.
The Y frames were made adjustable in height for elevating or depressing the
telescope as required.
My present invention relates to a construction of the instrument such as to
facilitate its use and render it capable of more accurate observations, as I shall
describe referring to the accompanying drawings.
Fig. 1 is a plan and Figs. 2 and 3 are side and end views of an instrument
according to my invention.
Instead of using one telescope to be shifted from the one support to the other, I
make two telescopes A and B in one piece, having their axes crossing each other at
right angles and having as their support at their junction a segment S of a sphere
which rests in a cup C giving facility for elevating or depressing the telescope A
without altering the position or direction of the axis of B, which is carried in a pair
of eyes E, on a base or frame F, having in its upper face the cup C to receive the
spherical segment S.
The frame F is pivotted at G on a binding screw so that the telescope B can be
elevated or depressed on this pivot and held in any desired attitude. The joint G is
pivotted on a vertical axis provided with a tangent screw H and binding screw K.
On the junction pieces of the two telescopes the scale L is mounted on a square
pin so that it can be quickly placed and removed as required.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the
of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that
what I claim is :-
An instrument for measuring distances, constructed substantially as described
. with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 10th day of July 1897
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.