Leveling instrument.

Application filed November 27,1903. Serial No. 182,871. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Henry King Akins, a citizen of the United States, residing at Grand Saline, in the county of Van Zandt and State 5 of Texas, have invented a new and useful Level, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved leveling instrument designed for use in making io ditches for draining lands, in terracing hillsides, grading and leveling roads, and for other purposes.

The object of the invention is to provide an inexpensive, durable, and efficient device of 15 this character composed of few parts and capable of performing all the ordinary functions of complicated instruments now in use for similar purposes.

. A further object of the invention is to pro20 vide means for adjusting the leveling-beam and means for tilting said beam at an angle or inclination with respect to the standard independently of the level-adjusting means.

A still further object is to provide a standard 25 having a revoluble level-supporting arm adjustable with relation to the standard.

The invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated 3° in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended, it being understood that various changes in form, proportion, and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from 35 the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a leveling instrument constructed in accordance with my invention, 40 illustrating the manner of using the same for grading or terracing. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the level-supporting arm in the adjusted position for ascertaining the inclination of the ground to be drained. Fig. 3 is a 45 top plan view of Fig. 1 with the horizontal bar and leveling-beam removed. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of the guiding-block. Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view of Fig. 1, and Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view of the supporting-arm. 50

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

designates a bar or standard formed of wood, metal, or other suitable material, the 55 lower end of which is tapering, as shown at 6, to permit the standard to be readily driven in the ground. The upper end of the standard 5 is provided with a shoulder 7, defining a reduced cylindrical extension 8, upon which is 6° adjustably mounted a guide-plate 9, said plate resting upon washers 10, mounted on the cylindrical extension and bearing against the shoulder 7. The guide-plate 9 is preferably formed of a flat piece of metal or other suit- 65 able material, one end of which is bif urcated, as shown at 11, to form a pair of parallel spaced arms 12 and 13, adapted to engage the extension 8, the opposite end of said plate being preferably rounded, as shown at 14, 7° and provided with an opening 15 for the reception of the supporting-arm 17 of a leveling-beam 18. Secured in any suitable manner to the standard 5 is a bearing-block 19, having a socket 20, formed in the top there- 75 of, adapted to receive the lower end. of the supporting-arm 17, said arm being revolubly mounted in the socket, so as to permit the leveling-beam 18 to be rotated in a horizontal plane without the necessity of adjust- 80 ing the standard. The upper end of the supporting-arm 17 is preferably squared, as indicated at 20', and provided with a tenon 21, which engages a mortise· 22 in the horizontally-disposed bar 23, upon which the level- 85 ing-beam 18 is mounted. As a means for leveling the beam 18 I provide one or more adjusting-screws 24, passing through the opposite ends of the bar 23 and engaging the leveling-beam, so that by adjusting said screws 90 either end of the beam may be raised or lowered. The guide-plate 9 is locked in the adjusted position by means of a key or wedge 25, which* engages an opening 26 in the extension 8 and clamps the guide-plate in con- 95 tact with the washers 10, the latter being

765,871 preferably formed of leather, rubber, or other yieldable material capable of being slightly compressed when the key is driven to its seat.

In practice when the device is used for 5 grading roads or the like the bar or standard 5 is driven in the ground and the beam 18 leveled by adjusting the screws 24. A target-pole 27 is then set up at some distance from the instrument and the target-block 28 i o adjusted to the desired graduation on the pole, after which the block 28 is sighted over the top edges of the beam 18, as will be readily understood.

In laying off drains the beam is first leveled, 15 as above described, and said beam tilted downwardly at the desired inclination by loosening the key or wedge and sliding the guideplate outwardly in a horizontal plane until the top edge of the beam is in alincment with so the target-block.

The wedge is then driven in the opening 26, which locks the guide-plate, carrying the supporting-arm and leveling-beam in the adjusted position, as clearly shown in Fig. 2 of the 25 drawings.

By having the supporting-arm revolubly mounted on the bar or standard and adjustable laterally with respect thereto the leveling-beam may be tilted to allow for the de30 sired fall in the drain and at the same time rotated in any direction so as to permit the same to be successively brought into alinement with several targets without the necessity of turning or otherwise adjusting the 35 standard. The guide-plate 9 also allows a limited orbital movement of the supportingarm and leveling - beam around the bar or standard.