Lachter

The lachter (also Berglachter) was a common unit of length used in the mining industry in Europe, usually to measure depth, tunnel driving and the size of mining fields; it was also used for contract work. In most German-speaking mining fields it was the most important unit of length.
A "lachter" was roughly equal to the amount which a man could contain within his outstretched arms. It was thus similar to the "klafter" (ca. ), but was usually rather larger.
The lachter was - with regional differences - subdivided into "Achtel" (also called a "Spann", "Gräpel" or "Gröbel"), ("Lachter)Zoll", "Primen" (or "Prinen") and "Sekunden":
In the 19th century a decimal system of subdivision was established:
Like other units of measure, the "lachter" varied in length depending on the region, but there could also be differences in length within the same region. In addition there could also be differences between various mining fields within a territory. The specification and use of conversion tables only makes sense if it is known for certain, where and at which times the values were valid. Some examples:
A "Lachterschnur" was an oiled, 10–12 "Lachter" long cord, used as a measuring device.