Surveying and Levelling Instruments: Theoretically and Practically Described

Notes were taken for many years before the production of this work of queries that came before the author for reply relative to functional parts of surveying instruments. These bore most frequently reference to optical and magnetic subjects, and to the qualities and action of spirit level tubes, also occasionally to graduation and the qualities of clamp and tangent motions. It was therefore thought that it would be useful to give notes upon these subjects in detail as far as possible in the early chapters. As the work proceeded it was found that this plan saved much space in avoiding the necessity for separate descriptions when parts of complex instruments were afterwards described.

To show the state of the art and render the work useful, it was necessary that the structure of surveying instruments should be given with sufficient detail to be worked out by the skilful manufacturer. Beyond this it was thought to be most important that the professional man, who must have limited experience of the qualities of workmanship, should be supplied with as many simple tests as possible for assuring the qualities of the instruments he might purchase or use, with details also of their adjustments. This matter is therefore carried into detail for one instrument at least of each class, as very little general information is to be found on the subject in our literature. In fact, large groups of instruments in extensive use, such as those used for mining surveying, and subtense measuring instruments, have remained heretofore nearly undescribed in our language.

The technical principles followed in working out details in these pages are given by illustrations of such parts of important instruments as present any difficulty of observation from an exterior view of the engraving of the entire instrument. The plans of construction in general use are selected for illustration. Certain constructions that are liable to failure are pointed out. Many recent improvements in instruments are recognised and some are suggested, but no attempt has been made to record the little differences of construction, often meritorious, which give only a certain amount of style to the work of each country and of each individual. Upon this point it must occur that the work done in any workshop must vary from other work according to the skill and judgment of the master. It is intended, therefore, that distinctly typical instruments only should be described, in a manner that details may be worked out therefrom. To make this matter as clear as possible, with few exceptions these pages were written with the instruments described upon my table, and the illustrations, when not taken directly from the instruments, were taken from workshop drawings to a reduced scale.

In practice it is found that instruments performing similar functions may be very much varied in construction, bearing reference frequently to the conditions under which they are to be used. The same may be said of the functional parts of instruments. We may also observe that English instruments differ in detail from foreign ones, and upon this point there is no doubt much may be learned by comparison of some details of English with foreign work, although our own is admitted to rank high. Comparisons are therefore freely made in the following pages, and suggestions offered after study abroad of foreign work, and careful inspection of nearly the whole literature upon the subject, in which it is very observable that some modern continental books, treating upon parts of the subject, are much in advance of our own.