Snatch block meter wheel
Title
Snatch block meter wheel
Subject
Marine engineering; bathymetry
Description
Physical Description
A large pulley wheel in two slightly domed faces, the one communicating the axle of the pulley into a geared couting box with small dial ponters on either side.
Functional Description
As the cable passes though the main wheel, the three counters measure the lenght of line played out. The dials are read from top to bottom, giving hundreds, tens, and ones. It is not clear how the scales are re-zeroed, except by paying out and reeling back the same amount of cord.
A large pulley wheel in two slightly domed faces, the one communicating the axle of the pulley into a geared couting box with small dial ponters on either side.
Functional Description
As the cable passes though the main wheel, the three counters measure the lenght of line played out. The dials are read from top to bottom, giving hundreds, tens, and ones. It is not clear how the scales are re-zeroed, except by paying out and reeling back the same amount of cord.
Creator
Steven A. Walton
Date
1960s?
Language
English
Type
physical object
Physical Dimensions
For 1/4 or 3/8 in. cable
Materials
bronze alloy, iron
Maker
Kahl Scientific Instrument Co., El Cajon,CA
Inscriptions
[on counter] KAHL S.I. CO. | El CAJON CALIF.
[3 dials, continuous rotation, marked 0-10 by 1s (numbed by 2s)] METERS [thus measuring to 999 m before rolling over]
[on case of dial] "5/32"
[3 dials, continuous rotation, marked 0-10 by 1s (numbed by 2s)] METERS [thus measuring to 999 m before rolling over]
[on case of dial] "5/32"
History of the Object
Kahl Scientific Instrument Corp. was founded in 1935 by Joseph Kahl to supply oceanographic instruments. It is apparently still in business in El Cajon, CA, though it was reincrporated with only 1 employee in 2002 and their website at www.kahlsico.com is a dead domain as of 2021
Location
GLRC
Collection
Citation
Steven A. Walton, “Snatch block meter wheel,” Michigan Tech Inventory of Historic Scientific Instruments, accessed April 24, 2024, https://ihsi.omeka.net/items/show/193.