The sounding capsule was a device used by the Guild of Surveyors for "sounding" a rock. It was a rough but fairly accurate ethod for surveying the interiors of a rock and define whether is sound, before drilling.
It was a tiny, translucent, soundproofed conical chamber. When not in use, it was attached behind an excavator. When it was embedded in a rock face it resembled a giant crystal. It contained a seat for a Guild Master, with a small map table, and a rack with markers of various colors. To his right was the sounder with an ornately decorated moveable metal shaft. Behind him were 2 narrow metal and mesh seats for his assistants with dials for the signal settings (a combination of variable strength, pulses and beats).
When the Assistant sets a signal, it is sent and penetrates the rock mass ane echoes back to the Surveyors. A vibration may ripple along the shaft toward the tapered tip of the cone that would sound a note in the chamber. Typically, each signal is set a little stronger than the previous one, and the echo changes subtly as it penetrates deeper.[1]
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