IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ASTRONOMICAL AND OTHER CLOCKS, CHRONOMETERS, AND WATCHES
Year: 1847

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
SWEETMAN EIFFE, of 48, Lombard Street, 'send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Gracious Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Seventh day of December, in the eleventh year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said James Sweetman Eiffe, my exors, admors, and assigns, Her especial
license, full power and sole privilege and authority, that I, the said James
Sweetman Eiffe, my exors, admors, and assigns, or such other as I, the said
James Sweetman Eiffe, my exors, admors, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during the
term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, 'use,
exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-
Tweed, my Invention of "" IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ASTRONOMICAL
AND OTHER CLOCKS, CHRONOMETERS, AND WATCHES;" in which said Letters Patent
is contained a proviso that I, the said James Sweetnian Eiffe, shall cause a
particular description of the nature of my said Inventions, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be enrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court
of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference
being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
James Sweetman Eiffe, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Inventions
and improvements, and the 'manner in which the same is to be performed
and carried out, are fully described and ascertained in and by the following
descriptions thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed,
and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to say :-
My Inventions and improvements relate to the construction of that part of
the mechanism of chronometers, watches, and other timekeepers, called and
known by the name of the balance, by which its compensating power is
rendered more perfect. My Inventions are directed to its greater accuracy,
and to evils which, though certainly slight, cause an unsteadiness in the rate
of the machine. Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 shew the Inventions. Figure 1
is a plan of the old ordinary balance, the compensating properties of which are
in the rim or periphery A; it is composed of two metals of unequal expanding
powers, and has a plain passive steel bar for diameter support, as shown by
Figure 2 and 3. I construct the arms out of the radial line at any angle of
inclination, to assist the old rim of compensating power, or they may be
applied to a balance with a rim constructed of one substance only, and
possessing no compensating properties in itself, as represented in Figure 3.
I do not confine myself to the construction of my compensating arms of the
rectilineal shape or direction, as represented in the annexed Drawings, as they
may be constructed of curvilineal or of any other figure or direction of
executive power, or lateral abutment of compensating power seeking the same
object. The rim A of the balance, whether constructed of two metals, and.
having compensating power, or of one metal only, having no compensating
power, is cut and divided in the usual manner; but I guard, protect, and
preserve the true position of the arms by thin plates, so made as to allow
compensating motion, but no more. And that to save shocks, without which
these invented straight arms might not be able to sustain themselves, these.
plates are pointed out at E; E. F, F, are the weights as above mentioned.
Figures 4 and 5 represent arms describing. the chord and segmental plan ;.
their action is geometrical, and of similar purpose to the oblique arms before
named. D, D, are those arms. D', D', shew the before-named diameter bar
in ordinary. D, D, carry weights F. and F; upon the upper surface of the
large weights are the adjusting plates H, H, movable upon screws attached.
to these weights. Figure 6 represents a balance constructed with com-
pensating radial arms, acting either as auxiliaries to the usual compensating,
rim or periphery, or as the sole compensating power. This balance is made
in the following manner, namely, radial arms D, D; carrying the rim or
·

page_text: . periphery. A, A, cut. in the usual..manner,, and with ordinary weights B,. D.
Mortices or slots, cut quite through, are visible; pieces of brass D, D, are seen
inlet as it were into. these mortices or slots; they are attached through tho
ordinary melting process. The strips of brass do not entirely fill the mortices.
5 The portions, of the steel arms. to which they are not attached are cut
transversely through about the middle of their length; and pins or screws,
. covered by protecting caps a, a, are inserted within the cuts for the purpose of
resisting force, as also for steadying and supporting the whole plan.
Secondly, to that portion of astronomical clocks, and other timekeepers
o called the pendulum. That which is known as Graham's mecurial pendulum
.is deficient in compensating ability. Figure 7 represents that pendulum, but
.embodies my improvement. Graham's pendulum, now so long in use, has a
.receptacle of perfectly cylindrical form, and was made so without any specific
object apart from being a mere vessel for the mercury. In it the. changes of
5 position of the. mercury, which, is the compensating medium, is of uniform
progress. The. equal. rising and falling of the mercury have prevented the
obtainment of a most. desirable object, a uniformity of going in all tem-
peratures; to arrive at this, and to. render the, vibrations of the mecurial
pendulum more regular, I have invented a receptacle of conical or of. varying
form; the motion of the body of mercury in this receptacle compared with
the cylindrical is manifest. All clocks equally adjusted in the extremes of
temperature. gain, in middle, temperatures, like the old balance of marine
chronometers; for the purpose desired, the figure is obvious. This my
Invention of the cone or. varying receptacle will overcome the difficulty. The
error may not seem to exist in some clocks, but such conclusion should be
called a blunder; those clocks are. not possessed of pendulums with isochronal
suspending springs. Moreover. under every circumstane. a moderate cone
must be preferable. to the cylinder, which is a mere vessel. And I do not
confine. myself to any angle or curve.
Figures, 8 and 9 present an apparatus for. ordinary clocks. This my
Invention is very useful for. observations. This improvement will direct
the attention and ensure the hearing as well as the observation itself; it
will not disturb the ordinary time-measuring mechanism, and in it, great
confidence can be placed. The anchor angles, of the. pallets have annexed at
A, A, strips or levers of metal. B, B, which operate, as follows:-Upon the
ends of the levers C, C, fixed upon the axis D, D, having motion by pivots in
the brass frame plates E, E, are attached arms of steel C³, C',, coming in
contact with the pieces B, B, upon the anchor angles. These pieces C', C', are
so attached that, during the outward movement of the anchor angles,.. the

page_text: pieces B, B, attached thereon will pass without disturbing the hammers on that
side, by reason of very delicate springs called passing springs, the hammers as
seen at C, C. By this Invention loud beats are produced simultaneously with
the faint beat given by the teeth of the ordinary escape wheel on the pallets;
ly withdrawing the vertical bolt on the top of the case, the apparatus becomes:
instantly detached, without any friction or disturbing result. .
i
Figure 10 shows how the levers B, B, may bo fixed upon the axis of
the pallets; its action is the same. Friction rollers can be used to this form
easily. The silk threads L, L, attached to the levers.C; C, are preferred. The
spring His pressed downwards by the bolt or finger piece M.
Figures 11 and 12 show a remontoir spring. By this means any evil
proceeding from the necessary shake in wheels and pinions is counteracted.
This modo is highly useful in my mode of constructing astronomical clocks,
since I have overcome the difficulty of driving two pinions by the barrel great
wheel almost simultaneously, and producing centre seconds, an old desi-
deratum. The remontoir keeps the bearing of the driven leaf always with the
action sido in contact. The motion from the barrel always keep the spring
wound up. The Figure shews an elevation, with the dial face of the clock in
section. A, the minute hand, or other hand; it requires help in this case.
B, the dial face. C, the axis. D points to a circular plate, through which
points the axis C. E, E, E, are three studs in the plate D; against these
points the brass disc F is forced by the helical spring G, which it securely
holds by a small stud on its back; the spring is secured by another stud
behind, firmly fixed on the axis itself at H. By the free motion of the disc on
the axis, and the resisting power of the three pins on the main plate, the
remotion.is, as before referred to, produced.
:
Figure 13 shews a compensating apparatus applied to the upper part of the
pendulums of the usual plain house and office construction. The steel spring B
passes through the bracket C with gentle pressure. The upper part of the
pendulum spring. is attached to the compensating lever D, which can. be
adjusted by lengthening or shortening in the usual way the screw E..
Having now described the nature of these my said Inventions and improve
ments, and also the mode of carrying the same into execution, it must be
distinctly understood that I do not confine myself.precisely to the details and
modes of constructing these my Inventions, so long as the principle of these my
Inventions, or any part of them, shall be apparent when adopted. .But I. do
claim as my Inventions all those said and herein-described Figures, together
with, and lastly, a method of burnishing the: periphery of balances by a
cylindrical weight affixed and supported to its burnishing. pressure by a strong

page_text: wooden frame, numerically applied to ensure uniformity and truth, when the
balance may be intersected for its compensating use.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Sweetman Eiffe, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-eight.
JAMES SWEETMAN (1.s.) EIFFE.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-first day of March, in
the year of our Lord 1848, the aforesaid James Sweetman Eiffe came before
our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specifi-
cation aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified,
in form above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped
according to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Thirty-first day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-eight.