Engineering, Building, and Architecture

Not many museums collect houses. The National Museum of American History has four, as well as two outbuildings, 11 rooms, an elevator, many building components, and some architectural elements from the White House. Drafting manuals are supplemented by many prints of buildings and other architectural subjects. The breadth of the museum's collections adds some surprising objects to these holdings, such as fans, purses, handkerchiefs, T-shirts, and other objects bearing images of buildings.

The engineering artifacts document the history of civil and mechanical engineering in the United States. So far, the Museum has declined to collect dams, skyscrapers, and bridges, but these and other important engineering achievements are preserved through blueprints, drawings, models, photographs, sketches, paintings, technical reports, and field notes.

By 1943, the outlook for an Allied victory in World War II was steadily improving. The reign of the U-boats that had plagued Allied convoys in the Battle of the Atlantic was coming to an end.
Description
By 1943, the outlook for an Allied victory in World War II was steadily improving. The reign of the U-boats that had plagued Allied convoys in the Battle of the Atlantic was coming to an end. And the Axis powers were finally losing the tonnage war, which aimed to sink Allied merchant ships faster than replacements could be built. While the mass-produced Liberty ships were faithfully carrying cargo and troops to war zones, these ships were relatively slow. In response, the War Shipping Administration commissioned a new class of emergency vessels called Victory ships. This model represents one of the 534 Victory ships that were built alongside the Liberty ships in seven shipyards around the country.
Speed was the key difference between the Victory and Liberty ships. When Liberty ships were designed, all of the new steam turbine engines were reserved for naval vessels, leaving the Liberty ships with reciprocating steam engines. While these engines were reliable, the ships could only reach 11 knots, leaving them vulnerable to attack. As the war progressed, more turbine engines became available and were installed in the Victory ships, giving them a speed of over 16 knots.
Another improvement of the Victory design was a stronger and larger hull. This meant that more cargo could be transported at once, and improved the odds of the vessels continuing to serve in the merchant fleet during times of peace. After World War II, 170 Victory ships were sold as commercial freighters. About 20 were loaned back to the military and used in the Korean and Vietnam Wars. Several Victory ships have been preserved as museum ships and are currently located in California and Florida.
date made
early 1940s
commissioned Victory ships like the ones this model represents
War Shipping Administration
ID Number
TR.313023
catalog number
TR*313023
accession number
170015
The Märklin Company produced this toy steam engine during the early 20th century. The toy consists of a simulated brick fire box and chimney stack and a horizontal boiler with steam whistle, safety valve, pressure gauge, and throttle.
Description (Brief)
The Märklin Company produced this toy steam engine during the early 20th century. The toy consists of a simulated brick fire box and chimney stack and a horizontal boiler with steam whistle, safety valve, pressure gauge, and throttle. The steam line runs to a horizontal slide valve engine that powers a flywheel. The flywheel is connected to an electric generator that was a later addition to the toy.
The Märklin Company was established in 1859 in the town of Göppingen, Germany by tin smith Theodor Friedrich Wilhelm Märklin. Märklin began his business with the production of tin doll houses, but the company soon began producing a variety of tinplate and metal items, eventually specializing in toys that included steam engines such as this one.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1920
ID Number
MC.329060
catalog number
329060
accession number
278175
This toy boring mill was manufactured by the Märklin Company around 1920. The toy has a cast metal body, but is missing the ribbed steel band that runs from the lower pulley to the upper pulley to spin the cutting tool.
Description (Brief)
This toy boring mill was manufactured by the Märklin Company around 1920. The toy has a cast metal body, but is missing the ribbed steel band that runs from the lower pulley to the upper pulley to spin the cutting tool. The toy boring mill could be connected to the drive wheel of a toy steam engine for power and produce realistic motion just like its full size counterpart.
The Märklin Company was established in 1859 in the town of Göppingen, Germany by tin smith Theodor Friedrich Wilhelm Märklin. Märklin began his business with the production of tin doll houses, but the company soon began producing a variety of tinplate and metal items, eventually specializing in toys such as this one.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1920
ID Number
MC.329073
catalog number
329073
accession number
278175
Although dry cargo freighters like the Liberty and Victory ships are probably the best-known emergency vessels of World War II, oil tankers were also mass produced in American shipyards and played an important role in the Allied victory.
Description
Although dry cargo freighters like the Liberty and Victory ships are probably the best-known emergency vessels of World War II, oil tankers were also mass produced in American shipyards and played an important role in the Allied victory. This model represents the most common type of tanker, T2-SE-A1, a commercial design that before the war started was already being constructed by the Sun Shipbuilding Company for Standard Oil. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States Maritime Commission recognized that wet cargo like oil and machine lubricants would be just as necessary as guns and ammunition. The commission ordered this design to be built, in addition to the dry cargo designs.
Like the Victory ship, the T2 tanker was outfitted with a steam turbine engine that gave the vessel a speed of over 14 knots. Tankers were also built at some of the same shipyards as the other merchant vessels, and experienced a similar construction time average of about 70 days. But unlike the Victory or Liberty ships, no T2 tankers have survived to become museum ships, and only one remains afloat in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, mothballed in Beaumont, Texas.
date made
early 1940s
built tankers typical to this model
Sun Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company
purchased tankers typical to this model
Standard Oil
ID Number
TR.313036
catalog number
313036
accession number
173712
The windlass drum is made of two sections of different diameters, which turn together as one piece.
Description
The windlass drum is made of two sections of different diameters, which turn together as one piece. The rope is so attached that it winds upon one section of the drum as it unwinds from the other, the net lifting or lowering effect being the difference between the length of rope wound upon the drum and that unwound. By making the sections nearly alike in diameter a large mechanical advantage is secured without making the drum too slender for strength or the crank too long for convenience. This model was made for the US National Museum to demonstrate the elementary form of the differential hoist.
Reference:
This description comes from the 1939 Catalog of the Mechanical Collections of the Division of Engineering United States Museum Bulletin 173 by Frank A. Taylor.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1922
ID Number
MC.307599
catalog number
307599
accession number
68535
Bassett-Lowke manufactured this metal steam engine toy in Northampton, England around 1920. The toy consists of a horizontal boiler with sight glass, steam whistle, pressure gauge, and throttle valve on top of a black simulated brick firebox with chimney stack.
Description (Brief)
Bassett-Lowke manufactured this metal steam engine toy in Northampton, England around 1920. The toy consists of a horizontal boiler with sight glass, steam whistle, pressure gauge, and throttle valve on top of a black simulated brick firebox with chimney stack. The boiler powers a cam operated valve gear horizontal engine and flywheel that is connected to a line shaft with three pulleys. The boiler, engine, and line shaft are all on a tin base. The line shaft may not be original to the toy.
Bassett-Lowke is a toy company in Northampton, England that was founded in 1899, and constructed a variety of model boats, ships, trains, and engines until it went out of business in 1965.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1920
ID Number
MC.329033
catalog number
329033
accession number
278175
This toy steam engine was made by the Märklin Company around 1920.
Description (Brief)
This toy steam engine was made by the Märklin Company around 1920. This toy steam engine consists of a vertical brass boiler that powered a flywheel, mounted on a metal plate painted green.
The Märklin Company was established in 1859 in the town of Göppingen, Germany by tin smith Theodor Friedrich Wilhelm Märklin. Märklin began his business with the production of tin doll houses, but the company soon began producing a variety of tinplate and metal items, eventually specializing in toys that included steam engines such as this one.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1920
ID Number
ER.329051
accession number
278175
catalog number
329051
The model No. 47 Weeden Toy Steam Engine was produced by the Weeden Manufacturing Company of New Bedford, Massachusetts from 1898 until 1913. The toy engine consists of a horizontal brass boiler with flywheel and centrifugal flyball governor mounted on a cast iron base.
Description (Brief)
The model No. 47 Weeden Toy Steam Engine was produced by the Weeden Manufacturing Company of New Bedford, Massachusetts from 1898 until 1913. The toy engine consists of a horizontal brass boiler with flywheel and centrifugal flyball governor mounted on a cast iron base. The cast iron base is stamped “WEEDEN MANF. Co. No. 47”.
The Weeden Manufacturing Company was founded in New Bedford, Massachusetts by William M. Weeden in the early 1880s, originally producing a variety of tinplate household items. In 1884 it introduced the Weeden No. 1 Steam engine as “a new and great premium for boys” who were subscribers to the Youth’s Companion magazine. Weeden made over a hundred different models of toy steam engines until the company ceased operations in 1952.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1925
ID Number
2001.0115.01
catalog number
2001.0115.01
accession number
2001.0115
This toy punch press was manufactured by the Märklin Company around 1920. The toy has a cast metal body with a geared pulley that raised the press up and down.
Description (Brief)
This toy punch press was manufactured by the Märklin Company around 1920. The toy has a cast metal body with a geared pulley that raised the press up and down. The toy punch press could be connected to the drive wheel of a toy steam engine for power and operate just like its full size counterpart.
The Märklin Company was established in 1859 in the town of Göppingen, Germany by tin smith Theodor Friedrich Wilhelm Märklin. Märklin began his business with the production of tin doll houses, but the company soon began producing a variety of tinplate and metal items, eventually specializing in toys such as this one.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1920
ID Number
MC.329070
catalog number
329070
accession number
278175
This toy pedestal grinder was manufactured by the Märklin Company around 1920. The toy has a cast metal body with a central pulley connected to two grinding wheels.
Description (Brief)
This toy pedestal grinder was manufactured by the Märklin Company around 1920. The toy has a cast metal body with a central pulley connected to two grinding wheels. The toy pedestal grinder could be connected to the drive wheel of a toy steam engine for power and produce realistic motion just like its full size counterpart.
The Märklin Company was established in 1859 in the town of Göppingen, Germany by tin smith Theodor Friedrich Wilhelm Märklin. Märklin began his business with the production of tin doll houses, but the company soon began producing a variety of tinplate and metal items, eventually specializing in toys such as this one.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1920
ID Number
MC.329072
catalog number
329072
accession number
278175
This model represents a horizontal paddle-wheel windmill of the type used to some extent on the prairies of the United States. The model shows the windmill set up to pump water to an irrigation flume.
Description
This model represents a horizontal paddle-wheel windmill of the type used to some extent on the prairies of the United States. The model shows the windmill set up to pump water to an irrigation flume. The axle of the wind wheel is mounted on bearings supported on the top of a board fence that encloses the lower part of the paddle wheel.
Paddle-wheel windmills differ from the sail-wheel mills in that the paddles move in the direction of the wind rather than across the wind, and it is necessary to make the paddle-wheel feathering or shield part of it so as to prevent the wind from striking the paddles that are moving in the direction opposite to that of the wind. The axis of the paddle-wheel type may be either horizontal or vertical. The use of the horizontal type is limited by the fact that it operates only when the wind is in the direction nearly perpendicular to the axis of the wheel.
Reference:
This description comes from the 1939 Catalog of the Mechanical Collections of the Division of Engineering United States Museum Bulletin 173 by Frank A. Taylor.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1929
ID Number
MC.309688
catalog number
309688
accession number
107859
This toy drill press was manufactured by the Märklin Company around 1920. The toy has a cast metal body with the pulley attached to a gearing mechanism that spun the drill.
Description (Brief)
This toy drill press was manufactured by the Märklin Company around 1920. The toy has a cast metal body with the pulley attached to a gearing mechanism that spun the drill. The toy could be connected to the drive wheel of a toy steam engine for power and produce realistic motion just like its full size counterpart.
The Märklin Company was established in 1859 in the town of Göppingen, Germany by tin smith Theodor Friedrich Wilhelm Märklin. Märklin began his business with the production of tin doll houses, but the company soon began producing a variety of tinplate and metal items, eventually specializing in toys such as this one.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1920
ID Number
MC.329071
catalog number
329071
accession number
278175
This is a self-adjusting and restarting injector similar to the Schutte Injector, but it does not have the steam jet for lifting water to the injector.
Description
This is a self-adjusting and restarting injector similar to the Schutte Injector, but it does not have the steam jet for lifting water to the injector. It has the floating combining tube of the earlier injectors and the combination of two tubes in the same axial line with apertures between them, as with the Schutte Injector, which develop a vacuum in the feed pipe and make the injector automatically restarting.
Reference:
This description comes from the 1939 Catalog of the Mechanical Collections of the Division of Engineering United States Museum Bulletin 173 by Frank A. Taylor.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1900-1927
ID Number
MC.309560
catalog number
309560
accession number
104292
This model was made ca 1920 by the Round Oak Stove Company (officially known as the “Estate of P.D. Beckwith” after the death of its founder in 1889), of Dowagiac, Michigan.
Description
This model was made ca 1920 by the Round Oak Stove Company (officially known as the “Estate of P.D. Beckwith” after the death of its founder in 1889), of Dowagiac, Michigan. The model is made of aluminum and was used by the Warm Air Heating Research Laboratory of the University of Illinois. Similar models were used by salesmen for marketing purposes. The model represents the company’s Model B-3, No. 28 Moistair Heating System furnace, which was intended for heating 10 to 12 rooms according to Round Oak Catalog #32. The furnace was advertised by highlighting its healthful moist air and ventilation . The moisture was created by a pan of water located inside the furnace. The entire structure was intended to be enclosed within an outer casing which circulated air to be heated and then carried via convection to rooms above the furnace room. The air to be heated passed over the hot surface of the entire furnace, including the radiator which was intended to extract heat efficiently from the exhaust gases. A portion of the Round Oak’s radiator can be seen at the left of the image. Combustion gases were directed upwards into the dome-shaped chamber at the top of the furnace. A damper at the rear could be opened while the furnace was being started in order to provide a direct draft. When the damper was closed, the hot gas was directed downwards through the vertical pipes on each side of the furnace. They circulated through a cast iron structure at the bottom and then upwards via another vertical pipe at the rear and thence to the flue and chimney. This provided a large area of heated metal for the air to be heated to pass over. Round Oak provided many sizes and types of furnaces similar to this model up until 1947 when the company ceased business.
The model is highly detailed and clearly illustrates the important elements of the furnace’s design and function including all of the access doors, humidifier, radiator and flue system, various dampers, and the mechanism for shaking the ashes into the ash-pit.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1920
ID Number
MC.326835
catalog number
326835
accession number
263166
This is a boiler water injector built ca 1929 by the William Sellers & Company, Inc. of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Early boilers operated at such low steam pressures that introducing feed water into the boiler could be done by simple pumps that filled elevated reservoirs.
Description
This is a boiler water injector built ca 1929 by the William Sellers & Company, Inc. of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Early boilers operated at such low steam pressures that introducing feed water into the boiler could be done by simple pumps that filled elevated reservoirs. The water flowed into the boiler by its own weight. However, as pressures increased it became necessary to force water into the boiler by increasingly powerful pumps.
The William Sellers Company had the U.S. manufacturing rights for the design patented by Henri Giffard (that patent model can be found in the collections and is ID Number MC*309368). Giffard found a way of forcing water into the boiler solely by use of the boiler’s own steam without any other moving parts. The William Sellers Company made a series of improvements in design with the goal of making an entirely self-acting unit. Early injectors required constant hand adjustment to maintain the flow of feed water as the steam pressure and other conditions changed. This injector is based on the design introduced in 1887.
Two separate jets of steam were used in the injector. One was used to maintain a vacuum over the feed water tube so that, even if the water supply was interrupted, the vacuum would restart it. The second steam jet forced the water into the boiler.
Sellers was a prolific inventor, and his most notable work was in the area of standardized screw and bolt threads. One of his patent models, for an oscillating steam engine, is also in the collections and is ID Number MC*251296.
The injector is made of brass and is sectioned to illustrate the internal parts. It is approximately 18 inches long and weighs about 65 pounds. As seen in the image of the injector, feed water enters through the green tube at the bottom with steam entering through the red tube. The water is injected into the boiler from the blue tube at the left. The blue sections seen within the injector are the combining tubes where the steam and water come together. The yellow section is open to atmospheric pressure, and the yellow tube discharges the overflow water.
date made
1887 - 1927
ID Number
MC.309559
catalog number
309559
accession number
104292
An engine indicator is an instrument for graphically recording the cylinder pressure versus piston displacement through an engine stroke cycle. Engineers use the resulting diagram to check the design and performance of the engine.
Description
An engine indicator is an instrument for graphically recording the cylinder pressure versus piston displacement through an engine stroke cycle. Engineers use the resulting diagram to check the design and performance of the engine. This is a replica of the original steam indicator invented in the late 18th Century by James Watt of Scotland. This was the first device intended to measure the varying pressures within a stem engine’s cylinder as it was working.
Originally consisting of only the brass cylinder and piston, Watt’s assistant (John Southern) made the important improvement of the recording tablet and pencil that resulted in the ability to make a lasting recording of a complete cycle of the engine under measurement. The piston of the engine moved the tablet horizontally via an attached cord, and the indicator’s piston moved the pencil vertically. A weight attached to the tablet via a pulley caused the tablet to move back horizontally as the engine’s piston returned to its original position. The result is a steam pressure-volume diagram which is used to measure the efficiency and other attributes of the steam engine.
The introduction of this steam indicator in the late 1790s by James Watt had a great impact on the understanding of how the steam behaved inside the engine's cylinder and thereby enabled much more exacting and sophisticated designs. The devices also changed how the economics and efficiency of steam engines were portrayed and marketed. They helped the prospective owner of a machine better understand how much his fuel costs would be for a given amount of work performed.
Measurement of fuel consumed and work delivered by the engine was begun by Watt, who in part justified the selling price of his engines on the amount of fuel cost the purchaser might save compared to an alternate engine. In the early days of steam power, the method to compare engine performance was based on a concept termed the engine’s “duty”. It originally was calculated as the number of pounds of water raised one foot high per one bushel of coal consumed. The duty method was open to criticism due to its inability to take into consideration finer points of efficiency in real world applications of engines. Accurate determination of fuel used in relation to work performed has been fundamental to the design and improvement of all steam-driven prime movers ever since Watt’s time. And, the steam indicators’ key contribution was the accurate measurements of performance while the engine was actually doing the work it was designed to do.
date made, reproduction
ca 1920s
Associated Date
ca 1796
maker, reproduction
U.S. National Museum
ID Number
MC.309680
catalog number
309680
accession number
107401
This model was made ca 1920 by the Holland Furnace Company of Holland, Michigan. The model is made of aluminum and was used by the Warm Air Heating Research Laboratory of the University of Illinois. Similar models were used by salesmen for marketing purposes.
Description
This model was made ca 1920 by the Holland Furnace Company of Holland, Michigan. The model is made of aluminum and was used by the Warm Air Heating Research Laboratory of the University of Illinois. Similar models were used by salesmen for marketing purposes. The furnace was advertised by highlighting its high quality castings and efficiency . The furnace was intended to be enclosed within an outer casing which circulated air to be heated and then carried via convection to rooms above the furnace room. The air to be heated passed over the hot surface of the entire furnace, including the radiator which was intended to extract heat efficiently from the exhaust gases. The radiator can be seen at the top of the image. Combustion gases were directed upwards into the dome-shaped chamber at the top. A damper in the flue at the rear of the radiator could be opened while the furnace was being started in order to provide a direct draft. When the damper was closed, the hot gas was caused to flow around the entire circumference of the radiator. This provided a large area of heated metal for the air to be heated to pass over. The small door at the front of the radiator was for cleaning purposes. Holland also claimed it was a safety feature . Small explosions inside the furnace due to defective coal would blow the cleaning door open, thus avoiding combustion gases and dirt from entering heated rooms. The furnace included a humidifier; moisture was created by a pan of water located inside the furnace. Holland Furnace Company was co-founded in 1906 by J.P. Kolla and sold furnaces across the country until its demise in the 1960s.
The model is highly detailed and clearly illustrates the important elements of the furnace’s design and function including all of the access doors, radiator and flue system, various dampers, and the mechanism for shaking the ashes into the ash-pit. Just as was the case in the actual furnace, the model has separate sections for the ash pit, combustion chamber, fire pot and radiator.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1920
ID Number
MC.326834
catalog number
326834
accession number
263166
The first successful mechanical refrigeration equipment was patented soon after the Civil War, but the large size and high cost of these early machines restricted their use to industrial processes.
Description
The first successful mechanical refrigeration equipment was patented soon after the Civil War, but the large size and high cost of these early machines restricted their use to industrial processes. In his effort to improve mechanical air-conditioning systems, Willis Haviland Carrier (1876-1950) introduced the first practical centrifugal refrigeration compressor in 1922 (pictured here). This machine provided the foundation for safer, smaller, and more powerful and efficient large-scale air-conditioning systems.
Prior to the introduction of the centrifugal compressor--which compressed the refrigerant gas through the centrifugal force created by rotors spinning at high speed—reciprocating compressors compressed the refrigerant by the action of pistons inside cylinders, much like an automobile engine. The centrifugal compressor proved an extremely important advancement and paved the way for "comfort" air conditioning in theaters, department stores, hospitals, banks, offices, and hotels.
Carrier installed this initial compressor at his company's Newark, N.J., offices, where he gave the first public demonstration of the machine on May 22, 1922. Two years later, he sold the compressor to the Onondaga Pottery Company of Syracuse, N.Y., for the air conditioning of its lithography plant. The machine remained in use there until about 1957, when the Carrier Company repurchased the compressor for donation to the Smithsonian. Earlier, in 1924, the Carrier Company had installed centrifugal refrigeration machines in the J. L. Hudson department store in Detroit and the Palace Theater in Dallas, thereby introducing the phrase "air conditioning" into the public vocabulary.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1922
maker
Carrier Corporation
ID Number
MC.318219
catalog number
318219
accession number
232896
This model was made ca 1920 by the Lennox Furnace Company of Marshalltown, Iowa. The model is made of aluminum and was used by the Warm Air Heating Research Laboratory of the University of Illinois. Similar models were used by salesman for marketing purposes.
Description
This model was made ca 1920 by the Lennox Furnace Company of Marshalltown, Iowa. The model is made of aluminum and was used by the Warm Air Heating Research Laboratory of the University of Illinois. Similar models were used by salesman for marketing purposes. The model represents the Lennox’s Torrid Zone domestic furnace number 50-27, which is stamped on the fire door. This furnace type is shown in a 1929 Lennox catalog and offered for sale at $112.00. It was intended for domestic heating installations. The Torrid Zone line of furnaces was introduced by Lennox around 1895, and the line evolved and continued to be sold well into the 20th Century. The furnaces were made of riveted steel construction versus cast iron which was then standard. The advantage of the steel construction was improved durability and reduced risk of cracking which could result in combustion gases leaking into the heated air from the furnace. Another design improvement was a sectional fire-pit liner which could be made of cast iron or firebrick. The sectional design enabled the liner to be removed and replaced through the fire door without disassembly of the entire furnace. Lennox also introduced the “Diving-Flue” as a part of the radiator at the rear of the furnace. This structure caused the combustion gases from the furnace to first pass downwards along the surface of the radiator closest to the furnace and then upwards at the rear of the radiator and thence through the flue to the chimney. This exposed the maximum surface area of the radiator to the hot gases and improved the efficiency of the furnace. The entire Torrid Zone furnace was intended to be enclosed within another structure which circulated air over it to be heated and carried via convection to rooms above the furnace room. In later production, the Torrid Zone furnaces were used in installations using fans for forced air heat distribution to the rooms.
The model is shown in the image. It is highly detailed and clearly illustrates the important elements of the furnace’s design and function including all of the access doors, humidifier, sectional fire-pit, radiator and “diving-flue”, and the lever for shaking the ashes into the ash-pit.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1920
ID Number
MC.326832
catalog number
326832
accession number
263166
This paper linear slide rule was designed to assist architects and construction workers with computing the strength of steel beams.
Description
This paper linear slide rule was designed to assist architects and construction workers with computing the strength of steel beams. There are seven scales: A, safe load in pounds per square foot; B, section of beams; C, spacing of beams in feet; D, span in feet; E, total safe load in net tons; F, manner of loading; G, span in feet. Scales A-B-C-D are meant to be used together, as are scales E-B-F-G. The back of the instrument gives instructions. The instrument fits in an orange paper envelope.
The front of the instrument and the envelope are marked: The Merritt Beam Scale (/) FOR COMPUTING THE STRENGTH OF STEEL BEAMS. They also are both marked: THE JOHN HOWARD HERRICK CO. (/) BALTIMORE, MD., U.S.A. and PRICE ONE DOLLAR. The front of the instrument also is marked: Copyright (/) 1899 (/) by (/) James S. Merritt (/) M.E. and PAT. JULY 1ST, 1902. This last mark refers to a patent for a "slide-scale" taken out on that date by the mechanical engineer James S. Merritt of Philadelphia. The Merritt Beam Scale was mentioned in a textbook as late as 1921.
Although the instrument is named for Merritt, its invention is credited to Edward Wager-Smith (1872–1920), who worked for Merritt & Co. of Philadelphia from 1893 to 1910. See also his Wager Timber Scale (1987.0108.01).
References: James S. Merritt, "Slide Scale" (U.S. Patent 703,437 issued July 1, 1902); "Wager-Smith, E.," National Cyclopaedia of American Biography (New York: James T. White, 1926), xix:136–137; Ernst McCullough, Practical Structural Design (New York: U.P.C. Co., 1921), 81.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1902-1921
maker
Wager-Smith, Edward
ID Number
1987.0108.02
accession number
1987.0108
catalog number
1987.0108.02
Edward Wager-Smith (1872–1920), a native of New Jersey, graduated from the Spring Garden Institute in Philadelphia in 1889 and in 1893 gained employment as a draftsman for Merritt & Company, a structural steel firm in Philadelphia.
Description
Edward Wager-Smith (1872–1920), a native of New Jersey, graduated from the Spring Garden Institute in Philadelphia in 1889 and in 1893 gained employment as a draftsman for Merritt & Company, a structural steel firm in Philadelphia. As he rose to the position of structural engineer by 1910, he invented the Wager Timber Scale and the Merritt Beam Scale (1987.0108.02). This rule assisted architects and construction workers with computing the strength of wooden beams. It has 11 scales: A, thickness in inches; B, depth in inches; C, spacing in feet; D, span in feet; E, fibre [sic] stress in pounds per square inch; F, load in pounds per square foot; G, type of wood; H, depth in inches; I, method of loading; J, span in feet; and K, fibre stress in pounds per square inch. Scales A-B-C-D-E-F are meant to be used together, as are scales A-B-I-J-K-L and scales G-H-I-J.
The back of the instrument gives government recommendations and regulations for safe stresses on wooden beams and a moisture classification chart by A. L. Johnson, "Economical Designing of Timber Trestle Bridges," U.S. Department of Agriculture Division of Forestry Bulletin No. 12 (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1902), 11–12. The instrument fits in an orange paper envelope, which has instructions on its flap.
This rule was distributed by the John Howard Herrick Company of Baltimore, a dealer of hardware and building materials. A photographer by avocation, Wager-Smith also designed the Wager Exposure Scale (patented in 1901—see 1993.0386.01) for correctly timing photographic exposures and the Wager Definition Scale (copyright 1905—see 1993.0386.02 and PG*4750) for determining the longest exposure allowable to produce clearly defined images of moving objects.
The instrument is marked on the front and on the envelope: The Wager Timber Scale (/) FOR COMPUTING THE STRENGTH OF WOODEN BEAMS. It is also marked in both places: THE JOHN HOWARD HERRICK CO. (/) BALTIMORE, MD., U.S.A. It is also marked in both places: PRICE ONE DOLLAR. It is also marked on the front: PAT. JULY 1ST, 1902. This refers to a patent for a "slide-scale" resembling the Merritt Beam Scale and issued on that date to James S. Merritt of Philadelphia. The Wager Timber Scale was advertised for sale from Philadelphia by January 1905 and was mentioned in a textbook as late as 1921.
References: "Wager-Smith, E.," National Cyclopaedia of American Biography (New York: James T. White, 1926), xix:136–137; "Notes and Comment," The New Photo-Miniature 6, no. 3 (1904): 558; James S. Merritt, "Slide Scale" (U.S. Patent 703,437 issued July 1, 1902); "The Wager Timber Scale," Municipal Journal and Engineer 18, no. 1 (1905): 48; "Municipal and Technical Literature: New Publications," Municipal Engineering 29, no. 6 (1905): 448–449; Ernst McCullough, Practical Structural Design (New York: U.P.C. Co., 1921), 81.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1902-1921
maker
Wager-Smith, Edward
ID Number
1987.0108.01
accession number
1987.0108
catalog number
1987.0108.01
date on box
ca 1954
date on booklet
ca 1929
maker
A.C. Gilbert Company
ID Number
1985.0634.01
accession number
1985.0634
catalog number
1985.0634.01
This model represents one of the 2,710 Liberty ships built during World War II. The designation EC2-S-C1 was the standard designation of the dry cargo Liberty ships that were used by the United States Merchant Marine to transport nearly anything needed by the Allies.
Description
This model represents one of the 2,710 Liberty ships built during World War II. The designation EC2-S-C1 was the standard designation of the dry cargo Liberty ships that were used by the United States Merchant Marine to transport nearly anything needed by the Allies. Whether in Europe, Africa, or the Pacific, most of the essential supplies arrived on ships, including tanks, ammunition, fuel, food, toilet paper, cigarettes, and even the troops themselves. Manning these vessels was a dangerous task, as the merchant vessels faced tremendous losses from submarines, mines, destroyers, aircraft, kamikaze fighters, and the unpredictable elements of the various destinations. One in 26 merchant mariners died during the war, a higher fatality rate than that of any branch of the armed forces.
Even before the United States was officially involved in World War II, shipyards on the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf coasts were building Liberty ships. Drawing from lessons learned at Hog Island in the First World War, Liberty ships were standardized and designed to be built quickly and efficiently. Using new welding technology, workers pieced together prefabricated sections in assembly-line fashion. This largely replaced the labor-intensive method of riveting, while lowering the cost and speeding up production. While it took about 230 days to build one Liberty ship in the first year, the average construction time eventually dropped to 42 days, with three new ships being launched each day in 1943.
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt attended the launching of the first Liberty ship on September 27, 1941, at the Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard in Baltimore, Maryland. The ship was the SS Patrick Henry, named after the Revolutionary War hero whose famous “Give me Liberty or give me Death!” speech inspired the ships’ nickname. At the launching of the first “ugly duckling,” the President’s name for the stout and functional Liberty ships, he praised the shipyard workers: “With every new ship, they are striking a telling blow at the menace to our nation and the liberty of the free peoples of the world.” President Roosevelt proclaimed that these ships would help to bring a new kind of liberty to people around the world.
date made
early 1940s
launching of first Liberty Ship, SS Patrick Henry
1941-09-27
attended first launching
Roosevelt, Franklin Delano
ID Number
TR.313022
accession number
170015
catalog number
313022
Ticket booth from the original Yankee Stadium.In 1923 the New York Yankees baseball team built a new $2.4 million dollar ballpark in the Bronx.
Description
Ticket booth from the original Yankee Stadium.
In 1923 the New York Yankees baseball team built a new $2.4 million dollar ballpark in the Bronx. Yankee Stadium, with its triple-decked seating and copper roof, was built to reflect the newfound status of the Yankees as being one of the most popular teams in the sport. The Stadium was one of many new massive sporting arenas built during the era to accommodate the growing throngs of spectators.
The reason for the Yankee's newfound popularity is directly attributable to the club's 1919 acquisition of outfielder George Herman "Babe" Ruth (1895-1948.) His popularity was such that he quickly became the biggest draw in baseball. The new Yankee Stadium was immediately dubbed The House that Ruth Built.
Ruth was essential in creating what became known as the the Yankee Dynasty, with the team currently in possession of 27 World Series trophies, the most of any team.
The stadium served as a home for other sporting events, such as negro league baseball, professional boxing, and collegiate and professional football. It also served as a place of public gathering, hosting concerts and religous services.
The Yankee's played their final game in the stadium in 2008, moving to their new home, also called Yankee Stadium. Final demolition of the old park was completed in 2010.
The booth retains graffiti markings made by Bronx residents in the early 1970s.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1923
played at
Ruth, Babe
user
New York Yankees
ID Number
CL.310894.01
accession number
310894
catalog number
310894.01

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