An Improved Clinometer.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 19th June, 1890-Accepted, 11th Oct., 1890
An Improved Clinometer.
I, GODEFROY FERRIER, of 1 Rue de Temple, St. Imier Canton de Berne, Switzerland,
Inventor, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same
is to be perforined, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement
--
This my improved clinometer indicates every inclination between the vertical and
the horizontal, in or by a percentage, so many per cent., or in degrees, in as simple a
manner as a thermometer indicates the temperature. A violent gale will not in any
way hinder the application of this instrument.
It consists essentially in a tube of glass, partly filled with a liquid, in combination
with graduated scales giving the inclination by degrees or other suitable manner.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1 represents a plan of my improved clinometer.
Figure 2 is a perspective view of the tube for containing the liquid or fluid, and
Figures 3, 4 & 5 are details which are hereinafter described.
Figure 2, shews a perspective view of my improved form of tube. In the horizontal
position of the instrument, the liquid fills the part a sed of the tube whilst in its
vertical position it fills the part e dc.
The part c d of the tube Figure 2. in which the level of the liquid indicates the
inclinations, is rectilinear. This enables me to give a convenient form to the
instrument suitable both for its use and its carriage.
The remainder of the tube, not forming part of the rectilinear piece cd, may be
constructed in such a manner that the units of measurement may diminish from 0
to 90° which will be found advantageous in measuring those slight inclinations which
frequently occur in practice.
When the instrument is not in use, the ends of the tube must be kept closed. On
the contrary, when it is about to be used, they must be opened in order to permit the
circulation of the liquid.
Instead of opening and shutting the ends of the tube, it may be found convenient
to unite them in such a manner as to maintain a free circulation through the tube, or
to provide the end a, with a valve which prevents the flow of the liquid in the tube,
a method which will be found particularly convenient for the transport of the
instrument.
Here is
Such a valve ( Figure 5) may consist, for example of a capsule lined or fitted with
india-rubber pierced from bottom to top and open on the side in u.
fitted a cylinder . which unites the portion of the glass tube i to the before-
mentioned capsule, which capsule z communicates from the one end of the tube to
the other end. This capsule is fixed by the screw a hollow in itself and open at o
Figure 4. According as the screw a is turned one way or another, the continuity
of the tube will be either established or interrupted.
In order to bring this instrument into use, the tube should be placed in a frame
or casing as shown in Figure 1 in such a manner that the part c d and the graduated
scales will appear at the upper side of the frame or casing whilst the opposite side of
the said frame will form the base of the instrument.
The scale gives the inclination in degrees and the other scale g gives the
inclination by the number of feet dip per 100 ft. of length.
It will be found very useful to combine the clinometer with other instruments,
such as a compass, thermometer, aneroid-barometer, and tables of reductions or
diagrams &c.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what 1
claim is:
My improved clinometer substantially as set forth, described and illustrated in
the accompanying drawings.
GODEFROY FERRIER.
By his Agents,
Horn & Son.