An Improved Instrument for Distance or Range Finding and other Surveying Purposes.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Mar., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 22nd Dec., 1890-Accepted, 14th Feb., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Instrument for Distance or Range Finding and other
Surveying Purposes.
I HENRY MACAULAY Briarbank Kingston Hill Kingston-on-Thames Retired
Major 3rd Battalion East Lancashire Regiment do hereby declare the nature of this.
invention to be as follows:-
The instrument will be made of metal wood or other hard material and consists.
of a plate about 4 inches across quadrilateral in form two sides of which form an
angle of 90° and the other two opposite sides an angle between 84° and 90°. Sights
would be taken from the above named angles of the plate along or parallel to the
edges of the same by back and fore sights of the kind used for military rifles or
mathematical instruments and the centre of the plate would be secured by a screw
or pivot to a cap fitting over the muzzle of a rifle or made to fit the top of a staff
or stick or by a stud fitting loosely into the barrel of a rifle or into the centre of the
regulation brass sight protector.
The instrument will also be made in a box form the same size as mentioned
above and about or inch thick with the sights at the angles inade the same as in
an ordinary brass cross staff head and having in the centre a steel or other suitable
measuring tape about 50 ft. in length wound up in the centre of the top by a folding
flush handle the under side being made to fit onto a rifle or staff as before mentioned
in this form the instrument would be a combined measuring tape cross or offset staff
head and a distance or range finder.
בזי
لسيف
1. 1000
HENRY MACAULAY.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved instrument for Distance or Range Finding and other
Surveying Purposes.
HENRY MACAULAY Briarbank Kingston Hill Kingston-on-Thames Retired
Major 3rd Battalion East Lancashire Regiment. I 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 instrument in its simplest form will be made of metal, wood, or other thin
plate of hard material, about 4 inches in diameter, and by preference quadrilateral in
form, as shown in (Fig. 1) two sides of which form an angle of 90° and the two
opposite sides an angle between 84° and 90°. In both (Fig. 1) and (Fig. 2) the
No. 2 angle is shown about 84° 30' as that angle gives a base of one tenth of the
distance required to be ascertained, as shown in the diagram (Fig. 3) when E. D.
is one tenth of A. D. and A. D) is one tenth of B. D. The two angles above
described are proposed to be marked for convenience, and known in connection with
the instrument as No. 1 & No. 2 and are so named in the instructions for the use of
the instrument. Sights would be taken from the above named angles along or
parallel to the edges of the plate by back and fore sights of the kind used for
military rifles or mathematical instruments, and the centre of the plate would be
secured by a screw or pivot (allowing the plate to turn round) to a cap fitting on
the muzzle of a rifle, or by a stud fitting loosely into the barrel of the same or into
the centre of the regulation brass sight protector, or made to fit on the top of a
If preferred the plate can be made circular or any other form so long as tho
sights are placed as shown and described.
staff.

page_text: The instrument is also proposed to be made in a box form circular in shape
as shown in (Fig. 2) about the same size as mentioned above and about or
of an inch thick, having the sights the same as described for (Fig. 1) and
giving the same angles, a cap if necessary being made to fit over either the top
or bottom of the instrument for the protection of the sights when not in use.
In the box would be placed a steel or other suitable measuring tape 50 feet
or more in length, wound up in the centre of the top by a folding flush handle
the under side of the box being made to fit over or into a rifle barrel or staff as
before described or as shown in (Fig. 2).
In taking a range or ascertaining the distance of an object with this instrument,
the observer would select a point say at A. in the diagram (Fig. 3) and fixing the
butt of his rifle or staff, firmly in or on the ground, would place the instrument
on the top or muzzle and looking along one of the sights of the No. 2 angle
would align himself with the distant object at B. and with the other sights at
the same angle take note of some object in the direction of C. He then in the
absence of some object at A. would put down a picket or other mark, and march
or double in the direction of C. when he arrived at a point D. which he thought
would be the point for the right angle A. D. B. he would sight the object B. with
one of the sights at the No. 1 angle and the picket or object at A. with the other
sights at the same angle if they do not coincide at first he must move backwards
or forwards on the line A. C. until the correct point is found. A picket or mark
can then be put down at D. and the observer would retire in the direction of E.
keeping in the alignment of D. B. by again taking sights from E. on the points B.
or D. and A. with the No. 2 angle of the instrument, the correct position of E. will
be found, and the distance from E. to D. being measured in yards by the tape,
pacing or other means, the range or distance of the object at B. will be found by
adding two cyphers. Thus if E. D. is 20 yards D. A. will be 200 yards and D. B.
2000 yards.
If the observer had an assistant with an instrument the working can be varied
and completed in less time.
When the instrument is used as a cross staff for surveying purposes the
angle No. 1. will be found to answer all the purposes required and has the advantage
over the ordinary cross staff of allowing the right and left eyes to be used for
sighting the two sides of the angles by a slight movement of the head.
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 claim is
1. The method of distance or range finding by means of sights placed at the
two angles shown or described by direct vision without the use of prisms or reflectors
of any kind.
2. The use of the angle No. 1. for the purposes of an ordinary cross staff used for
land surveying as shown at (Fig. 1).
3. The combination of the instrument for the above purposes with a box tape as
shown at (Fig. 2) which provides a distance or range finder, an ordinary cross staff
for land surveying, and a measuring tape, the whole being similar in appearance and
size to an ordinary box tape.
Dated this 22nd day of December 1890.
HENRY MACAULAY.