IMPROVEMENTS IN GLASS LEVELS BOTH AS REGARDS THEIR MANUFACTURE AND FITMENT
Year: 1885

page_text: and Fitment.
I LOTHIAN KERR SCOTT Major in Her Majesty's Royal Engineers of the Junior
United Service Club, Charles Street, Saint James' in the County of Middlesex do
hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN GLASS LEVELS
BOTH AS REGARDS THEIR MANUFACTURE AND FITMENT to be as follows:—
For the successful employment of glass Levels to Military Purposes, it is
necessary that the Levels should be small, sensitive, and durable, that is to say
capable of withstanding rough usage.
For a Level to be sensitive, the glass tube containing the liquid must be at
least 1 inches in length, of an inch in internal diameter, of equal diameter
throughout its length (i.e. cylindrical) and nearly filled with some volatile liquid
such as chloroform.
For a Level to be made of the above length (i.e. small) it is necessary that the
glass tube should be thin, otherwise the ends of the tube forming the level cannot
be hermetically sealed.
Now a thin glass level breaks very easily and consequently for a level to be
strong it must be made of thick glass.
Now comes the difficulty.
1
It is almost impossible to seal the ends of a glass tube 14 inches long, and of
glass of an inch in thickness without distorting the cylindrical shape of the
tube This distortion of the tube ruins the accuracy and sensitiveness of the Level.
In order to get rid of the difficulties experienced in obtaining a strong, small,
and satisfactory Level, I make the Level of thin glass, and to render it strong,
I cover it over with another glass tube of the required strength, either by attaching
the thin, level to the inside of the second tube so as to make them one, or by.
suspending the thin glass level inside the glass tube.
I designate a Level of this description as "Scott's Jacketed Level "So much for
the improvement in "manufacture "-As regards the improvement in " fitment," in
order still further to secure the Level from being broken by the shock of discharge
of the gun, I suspend it (i.e. The "Jacketed Level") with springs in its chamber-
These Levels may be used for any instruments.

page_text: Improvements in Glass Levels, both as regards their Manufacture
and Fitment.
I LOTHIAN KERR SCOTT Major in Her Majesty's Royal Engineers of the Junior
United Service Club Charles Street, Saint James' in the County of Middlesex do
hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN GLASS LEVELS,
BOTH AS REGARDS THEIR MANUFACTURE AND FITMENT and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:―
For the successful employment of glass levels to military purposes it is necessary
that the Levels should be, small, sensitive, and durable (i.e. capable of standing
rough usage).
For a level to be sensitive, the glass tube containing the liquid must be at least
one and a half inches in length, one eighth of an inch in internal diameter, of equal
diameter throughout its length (i.e. cylindrical) and nearly filled with some very
volatile liquid such as chloroform.
For an accurate level to be made of the above length (i.e. small) it is necessary
that the glass of the tube should be thin, otherwise the ends of the tube cannot be
hermetically sealed by the use of the blowpipe.
Now a thin glass level breaks very easily and consequently for a level to be
strong, it must be made of thick glass.
It is next to impossible to seal the ends of a short thick glass tube 1 inches
long and of glass of an inch in thickness without distorting the cylindrical shape
of the tube This distortion ruins the accuracy and sensitiveness of the level.
In order to get rid of the difficulties experienced in making a strong, small,
satisfactory level, I make the level (F) of thin glass (vide accompanying drawing)
⚫ and to protect it from getting broken by a knock, I cover it over with another
glass tube (E) of any required strength-Then (E) is again covered with a metal
tube (D).
•
If the Level, formed of (F, E, D) put together, is intended to withstand any
great, and sudden shock, such as that due to the discharge of a gun, I add springs
to it shewn in (A & B) which are intended, to slip into grooves cut in a metal
chamber shewn in (C), and thus to suspend the Level.
Fig. (A) shews the plan of the glass level inside the glass tube encased in a metal
tube with springs (shewn by two curved lines) attached to its sides.
•
The metal of the tube is cut away at its sides to expose the level to view.
Fig. (B) is the side elevation of (A).
Fig. (C) shews the end elevation of (A) or (B) suspended by its side springs in
grooves cut in the sides of a chamber of any material shewn shaded.
I designate a Level of this description as "Scotts Jacketed Level."

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is,
1. The method of rendering thin glass Levels strong and serviceable by covering
them with glass tubes to form a jacket.
2. That the glass jacket or tube, which protects the thin glass level, renders the
accurate manufacture of the smallest serviceable levels possible.
3. That the suspending of the level by means of springs renders the employment
of glass levels possible without breaking, where they have to bear sudden shocks.
Dated Och D