Trivia Investigation Team

[NewcastleFalcon]

Start of the new....but is it all told in this montage...what on earth are those codes!

Right lets assume you wanted to do business and communicate by telegram with Sadler & Co Limited Tar Distillers of Middlesbrough. The telegram messages may appear gobbledegook and consist of a series of incomprehensible 10 letter codewords. Well what a discovery, when the price per word of sending a telegram was an important thing, all you needed was this to save you a few bob..."Bentley's Complete Phrase Code", a big book of codes and phrases allowing you to write and receive telegrams in "phrase code". The "Internet Archive Open Library" makes the looking up very much easier today, because the book has been "digitised" with the help of some funding from Microsoft.

Bentley's Complete Phrase Code...Internet Archive Open Library
https://archive.org/details/bentleyscom ... ew=theater

edit PDF ref seems to work better than the theatre view which worked fine earlier on but may need a login.
https://ia802309.us.archive.org/25/item ... ntrich.pdf

Bentley's Complete Phrase Code consist of a collection of 5-letter codes representing phrases or single words and claims availability of nearly 1000 million such codes which are at least 2 letters different from each half-code word.

"goowybourp" would translate as "French car" in Bentley's classification and on receipt of a telegram with goowybourp in it as a 10 letter "word" you would "upon receipt of the telegram divide the 10 letter codewords in half and translate each portion" There is a code too for "motor car" so equally goowyklanf would translate as French Motor Car.

Here is the goowybourp /goowyklanf in my maintenance fleet.



Neil

[CitroJim]

Ahh! Just as I thought but did not have a chance to comment sooner as I've been out and about all day...

Interesting stuff...

[NewcastleFalcon]

You may have noticed, on a brief scan of the "Bentley's Complete Phrase Code" from any of the links given, that the opening pages were stamped with the words "Manila Hotel Co"

https://bobblume.com/nostalgia-the-firs ... wis-gleek/

The center piece venue for society and official entertainment in the American Era was the Manila Hotel. It all started with President McKinley’s second Philippine Commission led by Bill Taft in 1900. Taft envisioned an American style, first class city in Asia. Toward his vision he engaged acclaimed city planner Daniel Burnham. Burnham and associates arrived in 1904. He crafted a Manila Master Plan themed on work he had done in Washington D.C. The plan included space for a luxury hotel. New York architect William Parsons was engaged for design work. He came up with an “H” shaped hotel. Governor General Cameron Forbes (1909-1913), a wealthy investment banker, played a crucial role in putting together financing.

There is much much more of course, and the Hotel recently celebrated its 110 th Anniversary

https://www.manila-hotel.com.ph/about-t ... niversary/

The Manila Hotel prides itself as the oldest premiere hotel in the Philippines. When the hotel opened in July 4, 1912 it represented the epitome of colonial class and luxury. Among its distinguished guests were General Douglas MacArthur, Ernest Hemingway, celebrities and members of the royal family. The setting, the ambiance, the storied past, the luxurious touches, amenities, and the hospitable staff that work with guests to ensure their time is as memorable as possible is what sets apart The Manila Hotel. From our superb cuisine to upscale accommodations to the immersive wonder that is The Manila Hotel, guests leave enthralled and enchanted by this venue.

For our 110th anniversary celebration, we dived into our archives to share with you about The Manila Hotel’s distinguished guests. From dignitaries to celebrities, The Manila Hotel never fail to amaze its guests.

Neil

[NewcastleFalcon]

There is a youtube video or two



Neil

[NewcastleFalcon]

The inspiration

I love how the railways still use chains as a unit of measurement
There's 80 of them to the mile and there's 100 links to the chain. There's also 4 rods to the chain too...
A chain is 22 yards (66 feet) and 8 chains make a furlong. I believe racecourses are still measured in furlongs...

Measurement units with character and a rich history The metric system has nothing on imperial

The Chapter and Verse
A vast resource of research into old units of measurement is available here

Index to Units & Systems of Units
https://www.sizes.com/units/

For example let's select the Perch. Not all Perches are the same size. The King's is 16½ Feet.

Click on P from the index and scroll down and very soon you will come across everything you could ever want to know about the Perch but maybe were afraid to ask.

https://www.sizes.com/units/perch.htm

Statutum de Admensuratione Terre.

And Be it Remembered, That the Iron Yard of our Lord the King, containeth three Feet and no more. And a Foot ought to contain Twelve Inches, by the right measure of this Yard measured; to wit, The Thirty-sixth Part of this Yard rightly measured maketh one Inch, neither more nor less. And Five Yards and a half make one Perch, that is Sixteen Feet and a half, measured by the aforesaid Iron Yard of our Lord the King.

Statutes of the Realm, vol. I, page 206.

As the article goes on to reveal not all perches were the same. In the UK the 1963 Weights and Measures Act sent the Perch packing.

Neil

[mickthemaverick]

Two parrots sitting on a perch. One says to the other:

Spoiler: show

Can you smell fish?

[CitroJim]

Two parrots sitting on a perch. One says to the other:

Neil, that's absolutely fascinating Thanks ever so for digging that lot out!

[NewcastleFalcon]

Word of the day

Avoirdupois

Important in definition of the Imperial Fluid Ounce, and the Imperial Gallon and the Great British Pint!

In British imperial measure, the imperial fluid ounce is a unit of capacity, approximately 28.413 millilitres. It is the volume of 1 avoirdupois ounce of water at 62° F.

Camp Coffee, the current "bottle" size of 241 Millilitres is a much larger size than the 4¼ Fluid Ounces of the earlier bottles. The Imperial Fluid Ounce multiplication conversion factor is 28.431 so the earlier bottle held the equivalent of 120.83 ml.

The earlier bottles were half the volume, but maybe but maybe twice as concentrated!



Neil

[NewcastleFalcon]

You can't beat an Act of Parliament from 1824 George IV Regis, like the language used.
Biggest problem of the system is hoping that Mr Fahrenheit is in, and is willing to let officials use his device, to check the standard as specified, "at the Temperature of Sixty-two Degrees of Fahrenheit's Thermometer".

VI And be it further enacted, That from and after the First Day of May One thousand eight hundred and twenty-five, the Standard Measure of Capacity, as well for Liquids as for dry Goods not measured by Heaped Measure, shall be the Gallon, containing Ten Pounds Avoirdupois Weight of distilled Water weighed in Air, at the Temperature of Sixty-two Degrees of Fahrenheit's Thermometer, the Barometer being at Thirty Inches; and that a Measure shall be forthwith made of Brass, of such Contents as aforesaid, under the Directions of the Lord High Treasurer, or the Commissioners of His Majesty's Treasury of the United Kingdom, or any Three or more of them for the Time being; and such Brass Measure shall be and is hereby declared to be the Imperial Standard Gallon, and shall be and is hereby declared to be the Unit and only Standard Measure of Capacity, from which all other Measures of Capacity to be used, as well for Wine Beer. Ale Spirits and all Sorts of Liquids, as for dry Goods

Ten Pounds Avoirdupois Weight would be equivalent to 160 imperial fluid ounces, The quart is defined as one fourth of the Imperial Gallon (40 fl Oz) and The Pint one eighth of the imperial Gallon (20 Fl Oz)

Neil

[CitroJim]

How beautifully written I do love '62 degrees of Fahrenheit's Thermometer, the Barometer being at Thirty Inches'... Simply superb...

[Gibbo2286]

Vladivostock, eh ? Which brings forth the question - where's the most 'off the beaten track' destination the FCF faithful have ventured to ?

Just noticed this so will Bir Odeib fit?

[CitroJim]

Vladivostock, eh ? Which brings forth the question - where's the most 'off the beaten track' destination the FCF faithful have ventured to ?

Just noticed this so will Bir Odeib fit?

Sounds very exotic Eric!

[bobins]

Vladivostock, eh ? Which brings forth the question - where's the most 'off the beaten track' destination the FCF faithful have ventured to ?

Just noticed this so will Bir Odeib fit?

I think it might have changed a bit since you were last there, Gibbo. It seems to be a resort now

[Gibbo2286]

Vladivostock, eh ? Which brings forth the question - where's the most 'off the beaten track' destination the FCF faithful have ventured to ?

Just noticed this so will Bir Odeib fit?

I think it might have changed a bit since you were last there, Gibbo. It seems to be a resort now

My visit was on a desert exercise we drove through the night from Ismailia in complete darkness, six hours, no lights only a lamp on the diff of the lead Land Rover. all we saw was sand.

[NewcastleFalcon]

A couple of things spring out of this, not including its tongue-in-cheek resemblance to the modern large heavy SUV on POTD here https://www.frenchcarforum.co.uk/forum/ ... 64#p750364.

1. Where it came from....Arniston Colliery next to Gorebridge Midlothian.

https://www.railscot.co.uk/articles/Arniston_Colliery/

Worth a view of the former colliery known as the Arniston Engine (with its three pits Emily, Vogrie and Gore) and the waste "Bings" as they are today.

2. The East Indiaman Arniston....

This is one of those vessels for which the adjective "ill-fated" can be applied. The story is told as well in Wikipedia as anywhere....

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arniston_(East_Indiaman)

As well as the name, there is an East India Company link told in the "Gorebridge Yesterdays" publications. A local man David Kinnaird, was assisted by a local benefactor to get a commission in the East India Company, after having been swindled of £60 when attempting to secure a commission in the the Army. After 20 years he returned to marry Janet Robertson daughter of James Robertson Tenant of Currie Mill in 1805, and had risen to Captain in the Honourable East India Company, later to become Lieutenant Colonel retiring in 1829.

"by a course of perseverance and integrity he raised himself to an eminent position and acquired great distinction in the companies service at Saint Helena for which the thanks of the directors were awarded after the retiring to his native country"

The Arniston met its end in 1815 but it wouldn't have been surprising if David Kinnaird has sailed on it in his career with the East India Company.

Later in 1818 the then Major David Kinnaird , was sent to St Helena to take charge of the detachment guarding the deposed Emperor Napoleon.

Neil