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Front view
of the Helb level. |
J. Edward Helb patented this invention as a combined level and grade
finder. The device shown is marked with patent No. 764,809 and a date
of 1904. The actual filing date was June 17, 1905, with the patent
being issued in October, 1907. According to the patent papers, the
issue number is actually 868,089.
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Close-up of the inclinometer dial and the
level. |
All
known levels of this manufacture are 24” long. It is essentially a
gravity inclinometer (a device that shows deviation from true vertical
or horizontal), but it also incorporates conventional level vials, a compass, and a sighting tube. Incorporating these features into the
tool gave carpenters, bricklayers, mechanics and others the ability
to lay out grades and angles, and ascertain the heights of objects
by using the complex scales on the cardboard dial behind the weighted
indicator. The compass enabled one to perform simple surveying in
conjunction with trigonometry tables.
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Top view of the compass
and sighting tube.
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The other end
of the sighting tube.
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This device is complex and its late manufacture date, combined with
the attractiveness of construction (lots of brass and gizmos), has
ensured that a relatively large number have survived intact. Often
referred to as the railroad level, the misnomer can be attributed
to Edward Helb’s residence of record, Railroad, Pennsylvania, printed
on the face of the dial.
To read the original patent in its entirety, please continue on
to the next page.
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