tape gage

tape gage [′tāp ‚gāj]

(engineering)

A box- or float-type tide gage which consists essentially of a float attached to a tape and counterpoise; the float operates in a vertical box or pipe which dampens out short-period wind waves while admitting the slower tidal movement; for the standard installation, the tape is graduated with numbers increasing toward the float and is arranged with pulleys and counterpoise to pass up and down over a fixed reading mark as the tide rises and falls.