Fathoms

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The length measurements shoe, cubit and fathom at the old town hall Regensburg
Erwin Reidinger explains the foundation survey of Wiener Neustadt at the stakeout point 1192 near the former Fischauer-Tor. The symbolic stakeout lines in the ground were measured in the dimensions of the fathom.

The - less often the, outdated also the - fathoms is a historical measure of length, space and area. It is still widely used as a spatial measure for firewood in the southern German and German-speaking Alpine regions in rural areas and in forestry. In parlance, a fathom of wood is defined as the amount of 3  stere corresponding to 3  cubic meters  (rm).

Length measure

As a measure of length , the fathom goes back to the span between the outstretched arms of an adult man and was traditionally defined as 6  feet , i.e. about 1.80  m . In Austria , for example, its length was 1.8965 m, in Prussia 1.88 m. In Bavaria, however , a fathom was only 1.751155 m, in Hesse it was significantly larger at 2.50 m. The Viennese or Lower Austrian fathoms as a measure of length was determined by Rudolf II on August 19, 1588. When the Swiss units of measurement were defined using the metric system in 1835 , 1 Swiss fathom (6 feet at 0.30 m) was exactly 1.80 m.

In Aachen , Baden , Bavaria , Bohemia , Hamburg , Leipzig , Poland , Trier , Vienna and Zurich the fathom was 6  feet , in the canton Bern 8 feet and in the canton Friborg 10 feet.

As a maritime depth measure , the fathom corresponds to the thread . This name can also be found for the fathom itself, for example with Aeusserfaden and Eisenfaden in Pernau, Estonia. In mining, the fathom corresponds to the laughter , which has comparable dimensions.

The ratio of the "fathoms" of people, i. H. the span of the arms to the length of the body, served as a racial characteristic before the discovery of genetics in anthropology .

Baseline

The measurement of Austria-Hungary began in 1762 with the establishment of the Wiener Neustädter baseline with a length of 6410, later 5000 fathoms, shown with 5 scales of 1 fathom length made of lacquered wood.

Spatial dimension

The old room dimension for logs was derived from the length dimension . A fathom of wood corresponded to a pile of wood with a length and height of one fathom each; the depth of this pile corresponded to the length of the logs and thus usually 3 feet , or  0.5 fathoms. The volume of a fathom log was therefore only 0.5 cubic fathoms. This in turn met, depending on the area, 3 to 4 rm or about 2 to 3 cubic meters of wood. The Prussian fathom corresponded to 3,339  m³ ; in Austria one fathom was equivalent with 3.386 m³.

The Rahmklafter, as a measure of wood was called in Austria, was available for long and short firewood.

  • 1 creamed fathom long firewood = 6 feet long and high, 1¼ cubits log length, about 111 cubic feet
  • 1 creamed fathom of short firewood = 6 feet long and high, 1 cubit of logs, about 90 cubic feet

In Switzerland, in Werdenfelser Land and in parts of Lower Franconia , one fathom of logs has been equivalent to 3 m³ ( cubic meters or ster) of stacked firewood since the introduction of the metric system ; Usually the logs are 1 m long. 1 fathom of firewood corresponds to about 2.2  solid meters .

Even hay was sometimes measured in fathoms in the 19th century.

Area measure

In Austria 1 yoke (with which the size of fields was measured) comprised  1600 square fathoms with an edge length of 8 fathoms by 200 fathoms, consequently around 5754 m² or 0.575 ha. 1 square fathom (Wiener) corresponded to 3.5979 square meters.

In the neighboring Principality of Liechtenstein , the square fathom was used to measure property areas until the last new survey area was entered on May 11, 2017. 1 m² corresponded to 0.27804 square fathoms, 1 square fathom corresponded to 3.59665 m².

In the Swiss Chur Rhine Valley and in the Prättigau , the meadow was measured in fathoms.

In the Grand Duchy of Hesse , where the old units were metrically redefined in the early 19th century (1 fathom = 2.5 m), the square fathom was 100 square feet, which corresponds to 6.25 square meters.

Two fathoms were calculated for a push .

Other language names for fathoms

Conversions based on a commercial table from 1838

  • Canton of Neuchâtel , Canton of Bern (French-speaking part)
    • 1 toise = 10 feet (pieds)
  • Canton of Valais (French-speaking part)
    • 1 fathom = 6 French feet (pieds de roi)
  • Canton of Vaud (based on metrics from 1822)
    • 1 toise = 10 feet (pieds) = 3.00 meters
    • 1 toise carrée = 100 square feet = 9.00 square meters
    • 1 Toise cube or Toise courante (cubic fathoms) = 1000 cubic feet = 27 cubic meters
  • Canton of Ticino
    • 1 spazzo = 6 feet (piedi) = 1.808 meters
    • 1 Tesa = 6 feet (piedi) = 1.80 meters (introduced in 1851)
  • Austria
  • France
    • 1 Toise usuelle = 6 pieds = 2 meters = 1.026148 Parisian Toise (old)
  • Piedmont during French rule
    • 1 Tesa = 5 Piedi manuali = 759.17 Paris lines = 3.0826 meters
  • Milan under French occupation
    • 1 Cavese di Modena, Modenese fathoms = 6 Modenese feet (1 foot = 281.2 Parisian lines = 0.63433 meters)
  • Sweden
    • 1 Famn ("thread") = 6 feet = 1.7815 meters
  • Russia
    • 1 Saschen = 3 Arzin = 2.13356 meters
  • Poland
    • 1 sążeń = 8 feet
  • Finland
    • 1 Syli = 3 Kyynärää ("Ellen") = 1.7814 meters (see Virsta )
  • Spain and former colonies
    • 1 toesa, braza = 2 varas = 6 pies; Estado ("stature", body size) = 7 pies
  • Portugal , also Brazil (value may vary)
    • 1 Braça = 2 Varas = 8 Polegadas
  • Historical area of ​​influence of the Crown of Aragon (parts of Spain, especially Catalonia , southern France , Italy, north coast of Africa)
    • 1 Cana, also Canna or Caña (double cell)

See also

Web links

Wiktionary: fathoms  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Joseph Jäckel: Zimmentirungs Lexikon for all traders and tradespeople based on the Austrian Zimmentirungsschriften. Anton Strauss, Vienna 1824, p. 108.
  2. ^ Johann Friedrich Krüger : Complete manual of the coins, measures and weights of all countries in the world. Verlag Gottfried Basse, Quedlinburg / Leipzig 1830, pp. 138, 219.
  3. ↑ Dr. S. Weissenberg: The autochthonous population of Palestine in anthropological relation (Fellach, Jews, Samaritans) . In: Bureau for Statistics of the Jews (ed.): Journal for Demography and Statistics of the Jews . 5, No. September 9, 1909, Berlin, 1909.
  4. ↑ Peters: Calculate, write, calculate correctly! Completely revised edition. Buchgemeinschaft Donauland, Vienna 1964, p. 456.
  5. ^ Illustrated citizens' calendar for all crown lands of the Austrian monarchy. Born in 1852, Anton Schweiger, Vienna 1852, p. 147.
  6. ↑ a b Schweizerisches Idiotikon , Vol. III, Col. 633, Article Chlāfter .
  7. ↑ Johann Conrad gladly Rath: Treatise of Civil Engineering and Theoretical-practical lessons in the common civic architecture in the Road (etc.). J. G. Gastl, Brno 1825, p. 573.
  8. ↑ Günther Meier: The fathom has had its day - as the Principality of Liechtenstein was re-measured. tagblatt.ch, October 7, 2018.
  9. ↑ Principality of Liechtenstein: The area of ​​fathoms becomes a cultural heritage. denkmalpflege-schweiz.ch, September 12, 2018.
  10. ^ Christian Noback , Friedrich Eduard Noback : Complete paperback of the coin, measure and weight ratios, the government papers, the exchange and banking system and the customs of all countries and trading places. Volume 1, F. A. Brockhaus, Leipzig 1851, pp. 215, 463.
  11. ^ Society of learned and practical merchants: General encyclopedia for merchants and manufacturers as well as for businessmen in general: or, Complete dictionary . Otto Wigand publishing house, Leipzig 1838.
  12. ^ A b c Anne-Marie Dubler : Fathoms. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .