US407786A - Territory - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

A. B. MELHOUSE.

DISTANCE INSTRUMENT.

No. 407,786. Patented July 30, 1889.

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UNITE STATES,

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DISTANCE-INSTRUMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 407,786, dated July 30, 1889.

Application tiled March 8, 1889. Serial No. 302,508. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom, it may concern.-v

Be it known thatI, ANDREW B. MELHOUSE, a citizen'of the United States, residing at Villard, in the county of McHenry and Territory of Dakota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Surveying-Instruments; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in surveyinginstruments, and has for its object to provide an instrument of this kind by which land may be surveyed without the use of. a chain, and by which the height of an object may be quickly and easily ascertained.

The novelty in the present instance resides in the peculiar combination and the construction, arrangement, and adaptation of parts, all as more fully hereinafter described, shown in the drawings, and then particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which, with the letters of reference marked thereon, form a part of this specification, and in which- Figure lis a perspective view of my improved instrument. Fig. 2 is a central vertical 'section through the same, with the tele'- scopes, level, and compass removed.

Referring now to the details of the drawings by letter, A designates a suitable-base or support, provided with the circular scale B, marked off into degrees and minutes, and

^ with an inner circular guide-line O. This scale and the guide-line may be formed on the base; but I prefer to form them upon the narrow circular metal piece a, which is secured to the base by screws, nails, or any other suitable fastenings. I prefer this construction for the reason that it decreases the bearing-surface of the carriage-room to be described. This carriage D is formed of a bottom d and two sides d d2. To the under side ot' the bottom is screwed the cross-bar c, the ends of which are formed on the arc of a circle, and in use are designed to travel within and be guided by the inner wall b of the scale B.

The bottom d of the carriage extends a short distance beyond the sides d (Z2, andhas its ends formed on the are of a circle and correspond with and ride upon the guide-line O.'

This bottom, instead of having its sides straight has them formed as shown best in Fig. l-that is, extending from a point near the center to the periphery, so that in use points where the said sides touch the periphery form convenient marks to designate the points where the carriage stops when turned, as will be hereinafter more apparent. This carriage is pivoted at the center of its bottom to the base A by means of the vertical pin or pivot e, which extends through the said bot-tom and through the cross-bar c into a hole in the base in such a mannerthat the carriage is tree to turn loosely and easily upon said pivot, for a purpose which will be soon apparent.

Fixed to one of the sides of the carriage is the disk D, which is graduated or marked oit into degrees and minutes, and is arranged at right angles to the scale on the base, as shown.

E is a transverse pin or rod which finds bearings at its ends in the sides of the carriage, passing also through the center of the disk D, as shown.

F is a platform or plate having the downwardly-extending ears or lugs fat each end, which ears or lugs are provided with suitable holes or openings through which the rod E is looselypassed, so as to allow said platform or plate to be tilted on said rod as a fulcrum when so desired. On this platform or plate F are iixed the two flanged plates or supports g and g', one near the center, as shown, and the other to one side thereof. These are designed to support each a. telescope, as indicated by dotted lines at G and H in Fig. l.

Between the two flanged plates and between the two telescopes in use is placed a level Lheld in place in any suitable manner, or irmly fixed thereon, as preferred. On the platform F, between the center telescope and the vertical disk D, is a compass J, of any approved construction. The carriage is mov- IOO able on its pivot about its center on the base, and the platform is movable on the carriage in a plane at right angles to that of the movement of the carriage. In use, by placing the center telescope on a certain object and then marking the place on the scale B on the base A, and then turning the carriage on its pivot so as to get the other telescope on the same object and marking on the scale B the place where the same registers, it will of course' point out on the scale a different point, giving a cross-line or two different points which indicate the two sides of a triangle, and then by the use of certain rules known to surveyors the distance between the desired objects can be readily ascertained.

In order to ascertain the height of any desired object, it is only necessary to sight an object at the foot of the hill or other elevation; then place the instrument at a distance from the mentioned object and iind the dis- -tance between the instrument and said object in the manner above described; then fix the instrument level by means of the level 0n the platform, and mark the place on the disk D; then raise the telescope or sight it at the top of the hill or elevation and mark the place on the said disk, and you have a crossline, from which, by `rules well known to the art, the height of the elevation maybe read ily ascertained.

The device is simple, cheap, and in use will be found Very efiicient.

The combination., with the base and the carriage pivoted thereon on a Verticalpivot,

of the platform F, having downwardly-ex- JOHN L. SKJERDAL, ALBERT M. YOUNG.

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