Engineering, Building, and Architecture

Engine Room From Coast Guard Buoy Tender Oak

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.

Date: 1920s

Ship Model, Tanker Type T2-SE-A1

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

Ship Launching Bottle

In celebration of Memorial Day on May 30, 1919, the Hog Island Shipyard in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, launched five freighters in 48 minutes.
Description
In celebration of Memorial Day on May 30, 1919, the Hog Island Shipyard in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, launched five freighters in 48 minutes. This bottle was smashed against the bow of the Luxpalile by Laura Andrew, wife of the ship-construction manager at Hog Island, as she christened the last ship. Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels spoke to 50,000 spectators before the launchings, and declared that Hog Island would become the center of American shipbuilding. “Never again will the United States be guilty of the folly of trusting its foreign commerce to foreign bottoms,” he said, referring to the country’s reliance on Allies’ vessels during World War I because its merchant fleet was so small. “We will not quit the shipbuilding industry. We will put it on a solid and firm and sound basis. We will build big ships and bigger ships . . . . The genius, statesmanship, and skill of America must be united in the development of a merchant marine,” Daniels concluded as the first ship was launched.
The shipyard at Hog Island was part of a model project during World War I to produce prefabricated ships. Before then, builders touted their abilities to construct a variety of customized vessels within a single shipyard. But the growing demand for a larger merchant fleet convinced some that yards should specialize in a few standard types. Inspired by automaker Henry Ford’s production of Eagle-class submarine chasers, a template system was developed for the construction of identical parts that would be assembled elsewhere, such as at shipyards like Hog Island.
Subcontractors prefabricated 95 percent of each “Hog Islander,” the nickname for vessels built at the shipyard, and shipped the materials to one of Hog Island’s storage sites located along 80 miles of Pennsylvania Railroad tracks. From there, the parts would be assembled by some of Hog Island’s 30,000 workers and placed on one of 50 slipways, the ramps used to construct and later launch a ship. This theoretical procedure, however, never matched the realities of the operation. Hog Island’s sheer size and dependence on numerous subcontractors likely contributed to its failure to complete even one of the 122 vessels in time to be used during the war. A postwar recession forced Hog Island to close in 1921, but builders learned from the experiment. New shipyards were only a quarter of the size of Hog Island, and many avoided substantial use of subcontractors. But the greatest consequence was the proven success of prefabricating ships. The Liberty and Victory ships, critical for Allied victories in World War II, were inspired by the standardization of Hog Island.
date made
ca. 1919
Hog Island Shipyard Freighter launching
1919-05-30
Hog Island Shipyard closed
1921
christened ship
Andrew, Laura
Secretary of the Navy
Daniels, Josephus
ID Number
TR.335562
catalog number
335562
accession number
1977.0003

Märklin Toy Drill Press

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

Ship Model, Victory Ship Type VC2-S-AP

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

Märklin Toy Steam Engine

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

Bassett-Lowke Toy Steam Engine

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

Sales Model of a Round Oak Furnace – ca 1920

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

Engine Room From Coast Guard Buoy Tender Oak

This engine room is from the U.S. Coast Guard buoy tender Oak. The Oak was built for the U.S. Light House Bureau in 1921 by Consolidated Shipbuilding Corporation of Bronx, New York, and measured 160 feet long and 875 tons displacement. It was transferred to the U. S.
Description
This engine room is from the U.S. Coast Guard buoy tender Oak. The Oak was built for the U.S. Light House Bureau in 1921 by Consolidated Shipbuilding Corporation of Bronx, New York, and measured 160 feet long and 875 tons displacement. It was transferred to the U. S. Coast Guard in 1939, when that agency succeeded the Light House Bureau.
Buoy tenders are known as the “Black Fleet” within the Coast Guard. Their hulls are painted black to hide the unavoidable scrapes and bumps from hauling buoys and channel markers. The spacious deck in the forward part of the ship was designed to carry buoys, concrete sinkers or anchors for buoys, mooring chain to attach the buoy to the concrete sinker, and other heavy material. The deck also provides work space for repair and maintenance of buoys.
The engine that powered the Oak is a 750-horsepower, triple expansion, three-cylinder steam engine, capable of moving the vessel at a maximum speed of nine knots with a cruising range of 1,300 nautical miles. It drove a single propeller approximately 8 feet 6 inches in diameter. The engine is 18 feet in length, 6 feet wide, and 16 feet high, and weighs approximately 25 tons. It is representative of engines used in small, coastal vessels from approximately 1890 to 1930.
For more than 40 years, in all kinds of weather, the Oak, its four officers and 23-man crew were responsible for setting, inspecting, repairing, and replacing hundreds of buoys, like the one in On The Water, that marked channels and shoals in and around New York Harbor, one of the world’s most important ports. In 1963, the Oak was transferred from the U. S. Coast Guard to the Smithsonian. The engine and radio room were removed from the Oak in 1971 and installed in the Museum in 1974.
date made
1921
ID Number
1979.0518.01
accession number
1979.0518
catalog number
1979.0518.01

Märklin Toy Pedestal Grinder

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

Ship Model, Hopper Dredge Willets Point

Hopper dredges are used to clear channels and offshore sandbars as well as sediment deposits that restrict navigation into rivers and harbors.
Description
Hopper dredges are used to clear channels and offshore sandbars as well as sediment deposits that restrict navigation into rivers and harbors. They work like underwater vacuum cleaners: each dredge is equipped with a suction pipe, or drag arm, that gathers up sediment from the bottom. The dredged sediment is then stored in the ship’s interior containers, or hoppers. When the hoppers are full, the dredge uses a series of pumps and pipelines to transport the sediment to a secondary location for disposal.
Built in 1926 by the Federal Shipping Company, a subsidiary of U.S. Steel, in Kearny, New Jersey, the hopper dredge Willets Point could raise sediment from depths of 12 to 35 feet. This 200-foot vessel was designed for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and represents the type of equipment used in early 20th-century harbor improvement work. In 1927 the Willets Point was commissioned to dredge sections of the Potomac River. At the time, large vessels could not reach Alexandria, Virginia, and Washington, D. C., because of sedimentation in the channels and harbors. Between January and April 1927, the Willets Point moved 581,507 cubic yards of sediment from the bottom of the Potomac.
Hopper dredges cannot move quickly while working. As a result, dredges use a series of signal patterns to let nearby ships know when they are actively working. During the day an arrangement of black circles and diamonds is raised up on the mast, while at night the dredges use an alternating pattern of red and white lights.
This cutaway model was built by Severn-Lamb Ltd., in Stratford-on-Avon, England.
date made
1970
1926
ID Number
TR.330083
catalog number
330083
accession number
288668

Model of Edison's Pearl Street power station

This scale model of Thomas Edison's Pearl Street power station was made in 1927.
Description
This scale model of Thomas Edison's Pearl Street power station was made in 1927. It demonstrates the internal arrangement of generating equipment and can be operated by means of a small electric motor in the base.
The first floor contained the boiler room and coal-handling equipment. Steam created by the boilers operated Porter-Allen horizontal steam engines on the second floor. The engines powered large Edison electrical generators nicknamed "Jumbo" after the famous elephant. Control and switching equipment were housed on the third and fourth floors.
The site for Edison's generating station had to satisfy both engineering and business needs. Because Edison used 100 volt direct current to power his new light bulbs, customers could be no further than ½ mile from the generator. But he needed a high profile location to promote the system. Edison chose a site in the heart of New York's financial district, 255 and 257 Pearl Street. On 4 September 1882, he threw a switch in the office of one of his main investors, J. Pierpont Morgan, and initiated service to the area.
A fire damaged the station extensively in 1890 but Edison and his men worked around the clock for 11 days to restore service. The station was taken out of service and dismantled in 1895, the building sold and later demolished. The New York Edison Company placed a commemorative plaque at the site in 1917.
Date made
1927
maker
Edison Company
ID Number
EM.309605
catalog number
309605
accession number
104795

Erector Set

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

Navigational Bell Buoy

Unlike car drivers on land, navigators at sea have no road signs to indicate speed limits, dangers, or routes. Navigational buoys are floating objects anchored to the bottom that serve as aids to navigation.
Description
Unlike car drivers on land, navigators at sea have no road signs to indicate speed limits, dangers, or routes. Navigational buoys are floating objects anchored to the bottom that serve as aids to navigation. Their distinctive shapes, colors, and other markings provide information indicating their purpose and how to navigate around them.
The placement and maintenance of navigational buoys are essential to shipping, since they often provide the only guidance for channel locations, shoals, reefs, and other hazards. If damaged by collisions, extinguished, or broken loose from their moorings, the Coast Guard will repair, replace, refuel, or relocate the failed buoy.
Designated an 8X20 LBR, this particular type of buoy was used by the U.S. Coast Guard Lighthouse Service on the East Coast from around 1930 until the early 1950s. It measures 8 feet in width and 20 feet high, and the letters mean Lighted, Bell, and Radar Reflector. It originally weighed ca. 15,600 pounds, including the 225-lb bell. The bottom of this example was removed to fit into the gallery.
It was designed to be deployed in shallow, protected coastal waters and could be seen about two miles away in daylight. The light on the top was powered by batteries stored under the round hatches in the large bottom compartment. The bell was rung by the rocking of the buoy in the waves.
ID Number
TR.336771
accession number
1978.2285
catalog number
336771

Sales Model of a Lennox Furnace – ca 1920

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

Child's Tool Chest

As illustrated in this child's tool chest from the early 20th century, children frequently encountered their society's gender expectations at a young age. The tool chest from R. Bliss & Co. declared carpentry to be boys' work.
Description
As illustrated in this child's tool chest from the early 20th century, children frequently encountered their society's gender expectations at a young age. The tool chest from R. Bliss & Co. declared carpentry to be boys' work. It came with a hinged lid and a sliding, removable top tray. Inside is a colored picture of boys building a house under a banner that reads "BLISS UNION TOOL CHESTS FOR BOYS." R. Bliss & Co., established in 1845, started as a tool company, making wooden screws and clamps for piano and cabinetmakers, before it became a leading manufacturer of toys by the turn of the 20th century.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1911 - 1924
maker
R. Bliss and Co.
ID Number
1977.1101.0167
accession number
1977.1101
catalog number
1977.1101.0167

Model, Liberty Ship

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

Sellers Self-Acting Injector

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

Merritt Beam Scale Slide Rule

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

Prairie Windmill Model

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

Märklin Toy Punch Press

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

Wager Timber Scale Slide Rule

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

Watt Steam Engine Indicator (Replica, 1927)

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

Sellers’ Self-Acting Steam Boiler Injector – ca 1929

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

Sales Model of a Holland Furnace – ca 1920

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

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