Posted by ovyyus (150.101.145.75) on October 29, 2003 at 02:55:19:
In Reply to: Re: Grundlicher Bericht - a brief extract posted by John Collins on October 28, 2003 at 23:36:20:
Hi John,
Well, this settles my apparently erroneous view that Bessler had created two wheels at Gera! It now seems beyond doubt that Bessler never in fact created a small 3 foot diameter wheel at all.
Reports of an approximate 5 foot diameter wheel, which I assumed incorrectly as his second wheel, was in fact a description of his first 3 1/2 *ell* diameter wheel. It's not the first time I've encountered feet and elles being confused when relating wheel sizes.
I'll correct the 'measurements' page and diagram on orffyre.com to reflect this new information. Thanks John, another little mystery has been resolved.
Regards, ovyyus
: Hi Bill,
: I didn't notice that when I typed it out, well-spotted. I'm going to have to check the other references but for now I can definitely confirm that Grundlicher Bericht uses these words in the original German text "...brittehalv Leipziger Ellen im Diametro un 4 zoll in der Dicte.." which means literally three and a half Leipzig Ells in diameter and 4 zoll thick, a zoll being more or less identical to an inch. A Leipzig ell is 1.858 feet in length so three and a half Leipzig ells is equivalent to about six and a half feet in diameter. It seems odd that no one else has described the Gera wheel as other than about three feet diameter. R.R.Gould who wrote one of the first modern books about Bessler back in 1928 describes the wheel as being about three feet in diameter by four inches thick. In JB's own book Das Triumphans in the testimonial from Karl the Gera wheel is described as being (in the original German text) ..ein Rad von 5. Futz int Diameter ..." which is literally "a wheel of 5 foot Diameter...". Now this wording being a report from the chief examiner is probably based on what JB told him and I believe that you can assume that the Gera wheel was in fact six and a half feet since that is JB's own words if we assume that Grundlicher Bericht was written by him. I say that because although Karl's testimony says 5 feet I can imagine that, when asked, JB probably said the Gera wheel was five or six feet wide. I think more notice can be taken of what he wrote rather than what was reportedly said.
: In 1741 a dictionary described the Gera wheel as being two and a half Leipzig ells in diameter and four inches thick. This account may derive from an earlier account in a dictionary published in 1719-20, which is pretty close to the actual events and it also describes the Gera wheel as being two an a half Leizig ells by 4 inches. This equates to 4.64 feet in width.
: This illustrates the difficulties of deciding how big the wheels were. I have always known that measurements were variable but when Chinese whispers is added to the equation the measurements become even more hazy.
: I will check back further and try and give a definitive response if I can.
: John C.
: : Hi John,
: : Thanks for the translation excerpt. Can you confirm that in this translation it states that the first wheel at Gera was 3 1/2 *Leipzig Elles* diameter?
: : Should this not read 3 1/2 *FEET* diameter?
: : Regards, ovyyus
: "For, in 1712, during his stay at Gera in the Voigtland, he hit upon the genuine Prepondium, and so it was that on the 6th June of that year he set in motion the first model of his Mobile, three and a half Leipzig elles in diameter and four inches in thickness, for the very first timeperformance was authentic.