Improvements in Artificial Horizons.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Apr., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 18th Jan., 1897-Accepted, 6th Mar., 1897
Improvements in Artificial Horizons.
EDWARD BEECHER, of 17 Avondale Terrace, Corporation Road, Cardiff, in
the County of Glamorgan, Optician, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in artificial horizons which forms an
attachment to the ordinary mariners' soxtant & is for the purpose of taking
altitudes of celestial objects.
The invention consists of as follows;-In the first place I fix or apply a cross
wire to the existing telescope of the sextant, or an additional telescope with a cross
wire may be employed & to the telescope ring of the sextant I attach my artificial
horizon by means of a clamp spring which is secured by means of a screw, thus
the artificial horizon may be attached & detached, but I prefer to have it always
fixed on to the sextant & ready for use at any time.
To this clamp spring I attach an arm which projects in line with the telescope
& at its end a lever is hung at or about its centre, and at the end of the lever
nearest to the telescope, I fix a small rod or piston which passes down into a
small box or oil chamber fixed to the beforementioned arm. At the end of this
pin or piston & in the oil chamher, I attach a disc or cross piece, which is for the
purpose of steadying the lever when the instrument is being used & the oil chamber
filled with oil about three parts full. The disc being in the oil, it steadies &
Somewhat counteracts the rocking motion of the lever. To the other end of this
lever I place a bow shaped piece of metal or other material with a cross wire,
which is in a line with the cross wire in the telescope, when the line of sight is
horizontal. The instrument thus far described is for the purpose of taking
altitudes without the sea horizon, in foggy weather or in the night-time & on
looking through the telescope, the cross wires in both telescope & bow piece must
be in a line with each other, which forms the horizontal line, thua when the object
is brought down to touch the cross wires, the altitude is completed & is read off from
the arc of the sextant. When the sextant is required for taking the sea horizon,
the cross wires are not necessary, thus the one in the telescope is removed, or a
plain telescope used in its stead, & the cross wire in the bow piece on end of lever
is swung out of line of sight, it being pivotted on the end of the lever for this
purpose.
When the instrument is not in use, the oil is kept in its chamber by means of
the end of the lever, with pin & disc attached, being pressed down on to the top
of the chamber & which is secured by a finger-piece or button, the latter being
pivotted to the projecting arm, but when the instrument is required to be used,
the lever is released by the beforementioned fingor piece & which hangs suspended
at the end of the arm it being steadied by the action of the disc in the oil chamber
as before described.
The artificial horizon is designed to fit in the ordinary sextant box or case
when attached or fixed to the sextant & thus the detaching of the instrument
from the sextant is not necessary.
Dated this 20th day of Anil 1906

page_text: Improvements in Artificial Horizons.
EDWARD BEECHER, of 17 Avondale Terrace, Corporation Road Cardiff, in the
County of Glamorgan, Optician, 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, the accompanying drawings forming
part of the specification and to be read therewith, the reference letters referring
to the same throughont :-
This invention relates to improvements in artificial horizons, which forms an
attachment to the ordinary mariners' sextant, & which is used in conjunction there-
with, and is for the purpose of taking altitudes of celestial objects.
Fig. 1. is an elevation of an ordinary sextant, with my artificial horizon attached
thereto.
Fig. 2 is a full size elevation of my artificial horizon & Fig. 3 is a plan of the
Bame.
A is a telescope fitted with a cross wire which takes the place of the ordinary
telescope of the sextant & which is screwed into the telescope ring B of the sextant
in the ordinary way. Around the telescope ring B, I place a clamp spring C,
which is secured tightly by means of a screw D, & to the clamp spring C I fix my
artificial horizon, & by this method of attaching it to the sextant, the artificial
horizon may be attached & detached at will, but I prefer to have it always fixed
on to the sextant & ready for use at any time.
To the clamp spring C, I attach an arm E, which projects in line with the
telescope & at its end a lever F is hung at or about its centre, capable of rocking
on a pivot G. To the end of the lever nearest the telescope, I fix a small
rod H, which passes down into an oil chamber I fixed to the before-mentioned
arm E, & to the end of the pin or rod H & in the oil chamber I, I attach a disc
or cross piece J. This disc J is for the purpose of steadying the rocking motion
of the lever F, when the instrument is being used, the oil chamber 1 being filled
with oil about 3 parts full, the diso J working vertically in the oil & being attached
to the lever F, it has the effect of almost keeping the lever quite steady. To
the other end of the lever F, I place a bow shaped picco K, which is fitted also
with a cross wire L. This bow piece K is pivotted to the end of the lover F, so
that it is capable of being swung out of line of sight when not required.
Fig. 4. is a detail of the spring clamp C & which is secured to the telescope
ring of the sextant by the screw D, my artificial horizou being fixed to the clamp
at N.
Fig. 5. is a section of the oil chamber 1, J being the disc, connected to the
lever F, by the rod H.
Fig. 6 is a detail of the bow piece K, fitted with a cross wire L.
The instrument as herein described is for the purpose of taking altitudes, without
the sea horizou, in foggy weather or in the night time, & on looking through the
telescope A, the cross wires in both telescopo & bow piece K, must be brought in
a line with each other, which forms the horizontal line.
The object is then brought down by means of the sextant in the usual way to
touch the cross wires & immediately this is done, the altitude is completed & is
then read off from the arc of the sextant.
When the sextant is required for taking the sea horizon, my instrument is not
required, thus it may be detached from the sextant, but as I have stated that
I prefer having my artificial horizou always attached to the sextant, I have
designed my instrument, so as not to interfere with the movements of the sextant.

page_text: In the first place, I remove the telescope with cross wire, & use a plain one in its
stead, the bow piece K with cross wire L, is swung out of line of sight in the
manner as shown in dotted lines Fig. 6, the lever F being kopt from rocking, by.
pressing the end with disc attached on to the top of the oil chamber I & securing
it by means of a finger piece or button M, pivotted to the arm E & in this way,.
the oil is kept in the oil chamber & prevented from escaping when the instrument
is not in use.
When the artificial horizon is required to be used, the lever F is released by the
finger piece M, & which hangs suspended at the end of the arm E, as before
described.
Having now particularly described & ascertained the nature of my said inven--
tion, & in what manner the same is to be performed, 1 declare that what 1.
claim is
1. An artificial horizon as herein shown & described, aud for the purpose set.
forth.
2. The method of attaching my artificial horizon to the sextant, as herein shown.
& described & for the purpose set forth.
3. The vertical action of the diso in the oil chamber, as herein described & for
the purpose set forth.
4. The application of a bow shaped piece or its equivalent, with cross wire,.
capable of being swung in & out of line of sight, as herein shown & described, and.
for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 16th day of January 1897.