Improvements in and connected with Rain Gauges.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 31st Oct., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 29th July, 1891-Accepted, 12th Sept., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Rain Gauges.
I, GEORGE BRUCE TOMES, of 12, Grove Road, Eastbourne, in the County of
Sussex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to apparatus for automatically registering the amount of
rain which falls during a given period or any part of such period and the rate at
which it falls.
The improved apparatus comprises a rain-catcher of suitable area and a'receiving
vessel of suitable dimensions into which the rain as it falls is led by a tube. This
receiving vessel contains a float having a vertical rod working in suitable guides
attached thereto and carrying a pen, pencil or style in a suitable holder.
Adjacent to the style or the like is a diagram-paper carrying drum which drum
is moved round say once in every twenty four hours by a clock; the diagrain-paper
in this case being divided into hours vertically and fractions of an inch horizontally.
The style is pressed against the diagram paper by a small bent lever pinned at
the centre and having attached to one arm a weight while the other arm engages
with a ring on the style and presses it forward.
As the rain falls into the rain-catcher and' from thence flows into the receiving
vessel containing the float, the said float raises the style and marks the diagram-
paper. If no rain is falling the mark will be perfectly horizontal.
The receiving vessel is provided with a small cock at the bottoni so that the
water may be drawn off to set the style to zero again.
The area of the rain-catcher can be so proportioned to the area of the vessel
containing the float that the diagram can be drawn to any scale that may be desired ;
for instance a tenth of an inch on the diagrain may represent an inch of rainfall or
an inch on the diagrain may represent a tenth of an inch of rainfall.
Dated the 31st day of October 1890.
G. F. REDFERN & Co:,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.
+
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
· Improvements in and connected with Rain Gauges.
1, GEORGE BRUCE TOMES; of 12, Grove Road, Eastbourne, in the County of
Sussex, Civil Engineer, 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 :-
My invention relates to apparatus for automatically registering the amount of
rain which falls during a given period or any part of such period and the rate at
which it falls.
The improved apparatus comprises a rain-catcher of suitable area and a receiving
This
vessel of suitable dimension into which the rain, as it falls, is led by a tube.
receiving vessel contains a float having a vertical rod working in suitable guides
attached thereto and carrying a pen, pencil or 'style in a suitable holder.
Adjacent to the style or the like is a diagram paper carried on a drum which
drum is moved round, say once in every twenty four hours, by a clock; the diagram
paper in this case being divided into hours vertically and fractions of an inch
horizontally

page_text: The style is pressed against the diagram paper by a small bent lever pinned at
the centre and having attached to one arm a weight while the other arm engages
with a ring on the style and presses it forward.
Having thus generally described the object, nature and effects of the invention,
I will now proceed to describe it with reference to the annexed sheet of drawings
which illustrate an arrangement and construction of parts according to this inven-
⚫tion. In the various figures the same parts are designated by the same letters and
they correspond with those used in the following explanation.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is an elevation, partly in section, of an apparatus comprising the
improvements according to my invention.
Figure 2 is a plan of the apparatus shewn in Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a detail of the marking device.
With reference to the drawings, a designates the rain-catcher vessel and the
receiving vessel. is a pipe connecting the vessel a with the vessel and acting
as a duct to convey the rain-water, as it falls, from the vessel a to the vessel b.
d is the floater contained in the vessel band provided with a rod e which carries
the holder y working in guides. The holder g is provided with a marker / which
may be a pen, pencil or style. i designates the drum on which is carried the
diagram paper . k is a clock which moves the drum i round once in twenty four.
hours by means of the gear kl.
The diagram paper is divided with lines, the vertical lines corresponding to
hours and the horizontal lines corresponding to fractions of an inch.
The marker is kept pressed against the diagram paper by a small bent lever m
fulcrumed at the centre m', one end of the lever being provided with a weight n
and the other end engaging with a ring p on the marker and thereby keeping it
pressed forward against the diagram paper i.
In operation, a sheet of ruled paper is placed on the drum i which is caused by
the clockwork k to traverse at right angles to the marker hat a known velocity, for
example, once round in twenty four hours. As the rain falls into the rain-catcher
vessel a it flows through the pipe into the vessel and raises the floater d and
thereby the marker h. As the marker rises it marks the diagram paper with a
diagonal line corresponding in inclination to the amount of rain falling. If no rain
is falling the line marked will be perfectly horizontal,
A rain gauge constructed and operating as above described measures and records
graphically the nature as well as the volume of rain-fall in the twenty four hours
The volume of rain fall per
which may be read off at any and every past irstant.
unit of time is represented by the line marked on the diagram paper.
The receiving vessel is provided with a small cocks at the bottom so that the
water may be drawn off to set the stile to zero again.
The area of the rain-catcher vessel a can be so proporticned to the area of the
vessel b containing the float that the diagram can be drawn to any scale that may
be desired; for instance, a tenth of an inch on the diagram may represent an inch
of rainfall or an inch on the diagram may represent a tenth of an inch of rainfall.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed 1 declare that what I
claim is :-
1. An apparatus for measuring and registering rain-fall, constructed and operating
substantially as described, that is to say, an apparatus comprising a vessel for
catching and holding the rain, a floater actuated by the rise of the rain-water and a
marking and registering mechanism actuated by the floater and a clockwork o
equivalent motor.
2. In apparatus for measuring and recording rain-fall, the combination of a rai
catcher or funnel, a vessel adapted to receive and hold the water, a floater therein

page_text: a marker connected to the floater, a drum or barrel for holding a diagram sheet
and adapted to be marked by the marker, and a clock motor for actuating the drum
or barrel.
3. In apparatus for measuring and registering rain-fall, a rain water receiving
vessel provided with a floater actuated by the rise of water in the vessel, a marker
actuated by the movement of the floater and a diagram paper caused to traverse at
right angles to the marker at a known velocity; substantially as herein set forth.
Dated this 28th day of July 1891.
CHEESBROUGH & ROYSTON,
15, Water Street, Liverpool, Applicant's Patent Agents.