Technikatörténeti szemle 10. (1978)

A MÉRÉS ÉS A MÉRTÉKEK AZ EMBER MŰVELŐDÉSÉBEN című konferencián Budapesten, 1976. április 27–30-án elhangzott előadások II. - Rotter, F.: A hitelesítő szolgálat fejlődése Ausztriában az elmúlt 200 évben

It was the idea of the empress to reach step by step the unification and the simplification of weights and measures in Vienna, to extend first of all the use of these weights and measures over Niederosterreich (Lower Austria), the region around Vienna, and afterwards over the rest of Austria. The verification was intended to be in the first line a means to come to true weights and measures, but not as a means for increasing public revenue. The metrological investigations of Father Franz began in 1756. Five groups of standards were made. The first was the primary standard of length, a standard measure of silver-coated brass representing the Wiener Klafter. Later on in 1871 the Wr. Klafter was fixed by law in terms of the metre to amount to 1, 896 484 m. The Klafter standard of Father Franz was remeasured in 1790 at a temperature of 20 °C and was found to be 1,896 35 m. The difference of these two values is 0,134 mm or 71 parts pen million,—not so bad for Father Franz and the 18th century. Of this Klafter prototype many copies of brass were manufactured which were intended to become secondary standards for the various countries. Father Franz constructed also standard vessels of copper for the Wiener Metzen; the Wr. Metzen was intended for dry materials. For the measurement of liquids the Wiener Mass was used, represented by a standard vessel of brass. The unit of mass was realized by a gold-plated weight of brass for the Wiener Zentner, which was equal to 100 Wr. Pfund. The crowning of the whole was a universal prototype of measures, a hollow cube of brass, called Quadrantal. The length of the edges of the cube was 1 Wr. Fuss; the mass of the water filling was 56 Wr. Pfund. On

; this Quadrantal Father Franz applied a Latin inscription, reading as follows: „The breadth and the hight of the cube is equal to 1 Wiener Fuss, the weight of the filling of high purity water, or of rain water distilled three times, and also of high quality or old Austrian wine is equal to 56 Wr. Pfund". Although Father Franz has certainly done wrong to Austrian wine, he could with good reason be proud of having represented all Viennese weights and measures in his Quadrantal, like the astronomer Johannes KEPLER has done at his time, who in 1627 combined in the Ulmer Eichnormal all weights and measures of this city. From the Wr. Klafter the Wr. Elle was derived which was exactly 0,41 Klafter. The Elle was used for textiles without exception. The Wr. Fuss was equal to one sixth of the Wr. Klafter. On the other hand you will search in vain for a simple numerical ratio between the Wr. Metzen and the Wr. Kubikfuss. We can only state that the Wr. Metzen was about 3 per cent smaller than two Wr. Kubikfuss. If you look for a connection between the Wr. Eimer, which was used for liquids, and the Kubikfuss, you will have no better success. The Wr. Eimer amounts to 1,792 Wr. Kubikfuss. For landed property the Niederosterreichisches Joch was in use. At that time it had the value of 1 584 Quadrat-Klafter. Later in 1786 the Niederosterreichisches Joch was declared to be equal to 16 Quadrat-Klafter. For the execution of the verifications a Haupt-Zimentierungsamt (Principal Weights and Measures Office) was established in Vienna, and further 11 Weights and Measures Offices followed in Lower Austria. The activity of these offices was