Posted by John Collins (194.164.38.70) on February 19, 2003 at 00:36:01:
In Reply to: Measurement Accuracy Question for John Collins posted by grim on February 18, 2003 at 14:16:03:
: Hi Grim,
The figures for different meaurements which I quoted in my book are repeated verbatim from reports and letters of the time. However measurement varied from city-state to city-state, so a Leipzig ell might vary from a Dresden ell. The same goes for weight. Bessler described his Kassel wheel as measuring "12 Futz. Reinland" which translates as "12 Rhenish feet". At Hesse Kassel 1 Fus = 11.324 inches, but at Dresden and Leipzig 1 Fuss = 11.148 inches so the Kassel wheel measured either 136 inches (135.8 = 11.324 feet) or it measured 134 inches (133.7 = 11.148 feet).
The axle was "6 Schuh" long which equalls 11.23 inches in Brunswick so the axle was 67.38 inches or 5.6 feet long.
Thickness of wheel was 15 - 18 zol. A Hess-Kassel zoll = 0.9437 inches but a Leipzig zoll = 0.929 inches.
I think you get my point. Measurements at that time varied widely but not by very much. The chief measure of cloth was the Ell (or Elle) made up of two feet (Fuss) or 24 inches (zoll). A Berlin foot was roughly an English foot but a Viennese one was longer, a Hamburg one shorter. Some places even had different ells for different materials.
I do not know if Bessler kept to the Leipzig ell for all his quoted dimensions. It seems to me that he would use the meaurements used locally to where ever he happened to be. Whether they corresponded to the Leipzig ell I cannot say.
Sorry I cannot be more definite about the meausurements - it has been the source of annoyance to me for many years and I have studied the history of measuremnt in depth to try to establish a mean, without success.
John Collins
Hello John!
: On the other Bessler site, it states that Bessler used the Leipzig "ell" as a measurement base. This corresponds to a modern unit base of "22.3 inches per ell". It continues to state that Bessler's Gera wheel was 1.5 ells in diameter and one-sixth ell in thickness. This would correspond to 33.45 inches in diameter and 3.7 inches thick.
: With your knowledge and experience with and of the old measurement scale Bessler used, in your opinion would you say these figures are correct?
: Thanks in advance,
: grim