Measuring & Mapping

Where, how far, and how much? People have invented an astonishing array of devices to answer seemingly simple questions like these. Measuring and mapping objects in the Museum's collections include the instruments of the famous—Thomas Jefferson's thermometer and a pocket compass used by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark on their expedition across the American West. A timing device was part of the pioneering motion studies of Eadweard Muybridge in the late 1800s. Time measurement is represented in clocks from simple sundials to precise chronometers for mapping, surveying, and finding longitude. Everyday objects tell part of the story, too, from tape measures and electrical meters to more than 300 scales to measure food and drink. Maps of many kinds fill out the collections, from railroad surveys to star charts.

This tinted lithograph of “Mission and Plain of San Fernando” was originally drawn by an expedition artist Charles Koppel (fl. 1853-1865). It was printed as Plate VI following page 74 in the "Geological Report by W. P.
Description (Brief)
This tinted lithograph of “Mission and Plain of San Fernando” was originally drawn by an expedition artist Charles Koppel (fl. 1853-1865). It was printed as Plate VI following page 74 in the "Geological Report by W. P. Blake (1826-1910), Geologist and Minerologist to the Expedition," as part of Volume V, Part II of the "Report of Lieutenant R. S. Williamson (1825-1882), Corps of Topographical Engineers, Upon the Routes in California to Connect with the Routes Near the Thirty-fifth and Thirty-second Parallels" by Lieutenant R. S. Williamson ... in 1853."
The volume was printed as part of the "Reports of Explorations and Surveys, to ascertain the most practicable and economical route for a railroad from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean" in 1856 by A. P. O. Nicholson (1808-1876) in Washington, D.C.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1856
publisher
U.S. War Department
printer
Tucker, Beverley
author
Williamson, Robert Stockton
Blake, William Phipps
original artist
Koppel, Charles
graphic artist
unknown
publisher
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Topographic Command
ID Number
GA.10729.38
accession number
62261
This tinted lithograph of “Mirage on the Colorado River” was prepared after an original sketch by ah expedition geologist and artist William P. Blake (1826-1910). It was printed as Plate XII in Volume V, Part II following page 250 in the "Geological Report by W. P.
Description
This tinted lithograph of “Mirage on the Colorado River” was prepared after an original sketch by ah expedition geologist and artist William P. Blake (1826-1910). It was printed as Plate XII in Volume V, Part II following page 250 in the "Geological Report by W. P. Blake, Geologist and Minerologist to the Expedition," as part of Volume V, Part II of the “Routes in California, to Connect with the Routes near the Thirty–Fifth and Thirty–Second Parallels, Explored by Lieutenant R. S. Williamson, Corps of Topographical Engineers, in 1853."
The volume was printed as part of the "Reports of Explorations and Surveys, to ascertain the most practicable and economical route for a railroad from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean" in 1856 by A. P. O. Nicholson (1808-1876) of Washington, D.C.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1856
publisher
U.S. War Department
printer
Tucker, Beverley
expedition leader
Williamson, Robert Stockton
author
Blake, William Phipps
original artist
Blake, William Phipps
graphic artist
unknown
publisher
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Topographic Command
ID Number
GA.10729.32
accession number
62261
This tinted lithograph of “Great Basin from the Summit of Tejon Pass” was produced after an original sketch by expedition artist Charles Koppel (fl. 1853-1865). It was printed as Plate V in Volume V, Part II following page 50 in the "Geological Report by W. P.
Description (Brief)
This tinted lithograph of “Great Basin from the Summit of Tejon Pass” was produced after an original sketch by expedition artist Charles Koppel (fl. 1853-1865). It was printed as Plate V in Volume V, Part II following page 50 in the "Geological Report by W. P. Blake, Geologist and Minerologist to the Expedition," as part of the “Routes in California, to Connect with the Routes near the Thirty–Fifth and Thirty–Second Parallels, Explored by Lieutenant R. S. Williamson, Corps of Topographical Engineers, in 1853."
The volume was printed as part of the "Reports of Explorations and Surveys, to ascertain the most practicable and economical route for a railroad from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean" in 1856 by A. P. O. Nicholson (1808-1876) of Washington, D.C.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1856
publisher
U.S. War Department
printer
Tucker, Beverley
author
Williamson, Robert Stockton
original artist
Koppel, Charles
Koppel, Charles
graphic artist
unknown
publisher
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Topographic Command
original artist
Koppel, Charles
ID Number
GA.10729.33
accession number
62261
This consists of a white plastic planisphere with the northern sky on one side and the southern on the other, seven clear plastic templates centered at 10° intervals of latitude, and a cardboard container.
Description
This consists of a white plastic planisphere with the northern sky on one side and the southern on the other, seven clear plastic templates centered at 10° intervals of latitude, and a cardboard container. The United States Hydrographic Office transferred it to the Smithsonian in 1957.
An inscription reads "H.O. NO. 2102-B / HYDROGRAPHIC OFFICE / RUDE / STAR FINDER AND IDENTIFIER / (WITH HYDROGRAPHIC OFFICE MODIFICATIONS) PRICE $1.00 / Published at the Hydrographic Office, Washington, D.C. Oct. 1940 under the authority of THE SECRETARY OF THE NAVY"
Ref: Gilbert T. Rude, "Star Finder and Identifier," U.S. Patent #1,401,446 (Dec. 27, 1921).
Henry M. Jensen, et. al., "Navigational Instrument," U.S. patent #1,919,222 (July 25, 1933).
“Captain Rude, Naval Inventor,” Washington Post (Dec. 5, 1962), p. B13.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1940
maker
Rude, Gilbert T.
ID Number
PH.315071.2
accession number
214422
catalog number
315071.2
The Fauth company advertised an instrument of this sort in 1883, describing it as "Pocket Heliotrope, Steinheils, a beautiful instrument that requires no adjustment." Karl August Steinheil was a German physicist who introduced the form in 1844.This example is marked “FAUTH & CO.
Description
The Fauth company advertised an instrument of this sort in 1883, describing it as "Pocket Heliotrope, Steinheils, a beautiful instrument that requires no adjustment." Karl August Steinheil was a German physicist who introduced the form in 1844.
This example is marked “FAUTH & CO. WASHN D.C. 2493" and "238" and "C.&G.S." and "NO. 418.” It belonged to the U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey. New, with case, it cost $20. It was made after 1887 when G. N. Saegmuller began putting serial numbers on Fauth instruments, and before Saegmuller's move to Rochester in 1905.
Ref: Fauth & Co., Catalogue of Astronomical and Surveying Instruments (Washington, D.C., 1883), p. 53.
K.A. Steinheil, "Das Heliotrop," in H. C. Schumacher, ed., Jahrbuch für 1844, pp. 12 17.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Fauth & Co.
ID Number
PH.309655
accession number
106954
catalog number
309655
Like the original Rude star finder, this one consists of cardboard planispheres of the northern and southern skies, each of which has a plastic meridian arm for determining the declination of the stars.
Description
Like the original Rude star finder, this one consists of cardboard planispheres of the northern and southern skies, each of which has a plastic meridian arm for determining the declination of the stars. Here, however, the rims of the planispheres are graduated to 3 minutes of time, and there are seven clear plastic altitude-azimuth templates for use at different latitudes up to 70° north and south. In addition, the planispheres rotate against a circle graduated to 365 parts, thus facilitating the comparison of civial and sidereal time. This feature was designed by Navy Captain Henry M. Jensen; John Edward Gingrich, a graduate of the Naval Academy who compiled Aerial and Marine Navigation Tables (New York, 1931) and who would later become a Rear Admiral; and Guillermo Medina, an engineer with the United States Hydrographic Office. The Hydrographic Office transferred this example to the Smithsonian in 1957.
The instrument bears the inscription "H.O. 2102 A / RUDE STAR FINDER AND IDENTIFIER / WITH HYDROGRAPHIC MODIFICATIONS / AND SIDEREAL TIME CONVERTER / Letters Patent / No. 1401446 December 27, 1921 / No. 1919222 July 25, 1933 / Washington, D.C.: Published December 1932, at the Hydrographic Office, under the authority of the SECRETARY OF THE NAVY, SECOND EDITION, JANUARY 1934 / Price $7.50."
Ref: Gilbert T. Rude, "Star Finder and Identifier," U.S. patent #1,401,446.
Henry M. Jensen, J. E. Gingrich, and G. Medina, "Navigational Instrument," U.S. patent #1,919,222.
“Captain Rude, Naval Inventor,” Washington Post (Dec. 5, 1962), p. B13.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1934
ID Number
PH.315071.1
catalog number
315071.1
accession number
214422
This theodolite was made between 1878 when the U. S. Coast Survey became the U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, and 1887 when Saegmuller began putting serial numbers on Fauth instruments.
Description
This theodolite was made between 1878 when the U. S. Coast Survey became the U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, and 1887 when Saegmuller began putting serial numbers on Fauth instruments. It was described variously as a Reconnaissance and Mining Transit or a Complete Transit Theodolite. Its horizontal and vertical circles, each of 4 inches diameter, are divided on silver, and read by opposite verniers to single minutes. New, it sold for $200. The marks read "Fauth & Co. Washn D.C." and "U.S.C.&G.S. No. 122."
Ref: Fauth & Co., Catalogue of Astronomical and Surveying Instruments (Washington, D.C., about 1877), p. 33.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Fauth & Co.
ID Number
PH.309668
accession number
106954
catalog number
309668
Joseph Saxton, an accomplished scientist, inventor, and mechanician, joined the staff of the U.S. Coast Survey in 1844 at the request of the new Superintendent, Alexander Dallas Bache, and began developing instruments for measuring terrestrial phenomena.
Description
Joseph Saxton, an accomplished scientist, inventor, and mechanician, joined the staff of the U.S. Coast Survey in 1844 at the request of the new Superintendent, Alexander Dallas Bache, and began developing instruments for measuring terrestrial phenomena. Among the first was a metallic thermometer for use in deep water. Bache described this in 1848, saying that it proved “decidedly the most convenient” of the several forms tried. The thermometer coil was “like that of Breguet, only of much stouter material, and of two metals, silver and platinum, soldered together.” And the “plan of registering resembles that adopted by Jurgensen of Copenhagen, and by Montandon of Washington, in their metallic thermometers.”
Several Saxton thermometers were made in the Coast Survey’s instrument shop, and still in use at the start of World War I. This example came to the Smithsonian in 1929. Here the thermometer is held in a brass cylinder that is encased in a hexagonal frame. The cap of the cylinder is marked “SAXTON’S / METALLIC THERMOMETER / 17.” The scale around the circumference of the thermometer extends from -40 to +174 degrees Fahrenheit; one of the two pointers registers the lowest temperature to which the thermometer was exposed.
Ref: [A. D. Bache], Report of the superintendent of the coast survey, showing the progress of the work during the year ending November, 1848, p. 39.
Bache, “Lecture on the Gulf Stream, prepared at the request of the American Association for the Advancement of Science,” Report of the Superintendent of the Coast Survey during the Year 1860, pp. 165-176, on 166.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1850-1900
Inventor
Saxton, Joseph
ID Number
PH.309672
catalog number
309672
accession number
106954
This instrument is signed "Geo. Shilling Washn D.C." and "15. U.S.G.S." It was made after 1882 when George Shilling went into business, and before 1907, when the U.S. Geological Survey transferred it to the Smithsonian.
Description
This instrument is signed "Geo. Shilling Washn D.C." and "15. U.S.G.S." It was made after 1882 when George Shilling went into business, and before 1907, when the U.S. Geological Survey transferred it to the Smithsonian. The horizontal circle and vertical arc are silvered, graduated to 30 minutes, and read by verniers to single minutes. A trough compass and level vial sit atop the telescope; a circular level sits on the horizontal circle, obscuring most of Shilling's signature.
George Shilling (1844–1917) was born and educated in Norway and moved to the United States in 1867. In 1882, after working in several American instrument shops, he went into business on his own as a manufacturer of surveying and astronomical instruments. His shop was in Washington, D.C., and the federal government was his biggest customer.
Ref: Historical and Commercial Sketches of Washington and Environs (Washington, D.C., 1884), p. 194.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Shilling, George
ID Number
PH.247908
catalog number
247908
accession number
47736
This gradienter marked "Geo. Shilling Washn D.C." and "U.S.G.S. No 4" was made after 1882 when George Shilling began in business, and before 1907 when the U.S. Geological Survey transferred it to the Smithsonian.
Description
This gradienter marked "Geo. Shilling Washn D.C." and "U.S.G.S. No 4" was made after 1882 when George Shilling began in business, and before 1907 when the U.S. Geological Survey transferred it to the Smithsonian. The horizontal circle and vertical arc are silvered, graduated to 30 minutes, and read by verniers to single minutes. A level vial sits atop the telescope; a circular level sits on the horizontal circle, obscuring most of Shilling's signature.
George Shilling (1844–1917) was born and educated in Norway and moved to the United States in 1867. In 1882, after working in several American instrument shops, he went into business on his own, manufacturing surveying and astronomical instruments. His shop was in Washington, D.C., and the federal government was his biggest customer.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Shilling, George
ID Number
PH.247907
catalog number
247907
accession number
47736
Marked "Fauth & Co. Washn D.C.," this seems to be a smaller and somewhat simpler version of the Altitude–Azimuth instrument that Fauth & Co. showed at the Centennial Exhibition of 1876 and featured in many of their publications.
Description
Marked "Fauth & Co. Washn D.C.," this seems to be a smaller and somewhat simpler version of the Altitude–Azimuth instrument that Fauth & Co. showed at the Centennial Exhibition of 1876 and featured in many of their publications. It was made between 1874 when Fauth began in business, and 1887 when Saegmuller began putting serial numbers on Fauth instruments. It belonged to the School of Mines, the program in science and engineering at Columbia College (now University). The horizontal and vertical circles are silvered, graduated to 10 minutes of arc, and read by micrometer microscopes to single minutes. An advertisement for this particular instrument has not been found. A similar instrument—with 10 inch horizontal circle read by 3 microscopes, and 18 inch telescope—cost $850.
Ref: Fauth & Co., Catalogue of Astronomical and Surveying Instruments (Washington, D.C., 1877), pp. 24–26.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Fauth & Co.
ID Number
PH.334950
catalog number
334950
accession number
317998
This 8–inch theodolite was "especially adapted for triangulation." The "FAUTH & CO. WASHN D.C. No 1993" inscription indicates that it was made between 1887, when Saegmuller began putting serial numbers on Fauth instruments, and 1905, when Fauth & Co. went out of business.
Description
This 8–inch theodolite was "especially adapted for triangulation." The "FAUTH & CO. WASHN D.C. No 1993" inscription indicates that it was made between 1887, when Saegmuller began putting serial numbers on Fauth instruments, and 1905, when Fauth & Co. went out of business. The edge of the horizontal circle is beveled, graduated, and read by opposite micrometer microscopes to single seconds. It belonged to the University of Missouri at Columbia. New, it cost $450.
Ref: George N. Saegmuller, Descriptive Price–List of First–Class Engineering & Astronomical Instruments (Washington, D.C., 1892), p. 50.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Fauth & Co.
ID Number
PH.333630
catalog number
333630
accession number
300659
This unusual instrument is probably best described as a precise level with a graduated horizontal circle. The telescope is provided with a long and graduated level vial, and an ingenious clamp and tangent screw moving against the silvered vertical arc controls its elevation.
Description
This unusual instrument is probably best described as a precise level with a graduated horizontal circle. The telescope is provided with a long and graduated level vial, and an ingenious clamp and tangent screw moving against the silvered vertical arc controls its elevation. This arc extends 20 degrees either way, and is graduated to 10 minutes and read by vernier to 20 seconds. The horizontal circle is silvered, graduated to 15 minutes, and read by opposite verniers with reflecting glasses and magnifiers to 30 seconds. A trough compass and a circular level are mounted above the horizontal circle. The signature reads "Wm. Würdemann, Washington, D.C. 565."
The U. S. War Department transferred this instrument to the Smithsonian in 1931, in a pine box marked "Capt. M. C. Meigs, Washington Aqueduct -Wurdemann--Grading Transit--1854." It was used by Montgomery C. Meigs, the captain in the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers who was tasked with surveying the course of a new Washington Aqueduct in 1853. Since William Würdemann was the leading mathematical instrument maker in Washington at that time, it is reasonable that he was asked to make instruments for this important task.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1854
maker
Würdemann, William
ID Number
PH.310299
accession number
115960
catalog number
310299
This small level was made between 1874, when Fauth & Co. began in business, and 1878, when the U. S. Coast Survey became the U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey. Since no instrument of this type appears in the Fauth catalogs, it was probably a special-order item.
Description
This small level was made between 1874, when Fauth & Co. began in business, and 1878, when the U. S. Coast Survey became the U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey. Since no instrument of this type appears in the Fauth catalogs, it was probably a special-order item. The signature reads "FAUTH & CO. MATH. INST MAKERS. WASH'N D.C." and "U.S.C.S. No. 31."
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Fauth & Co.
ID Number
PH.309652
catalog number
309652
accession number
106954
Thomas Edison and others considered element number 6, carbon, ideal for lamp filaments in part because it has the highest melting point of any element. Element number 74, tungsten, has the next highest melting point but it then existed only as a powder.
Description
Thomas Edison and others considered element number 6, carbon, ideal for lamp filaments in part because it has the highest melting point of any element. Element number 74, tungsten, has the next highest melting point but it then existed only as a powder. Attempts to make it into a workable form failed until early in the 1900s when a burst of invention occurred in Europe. A pressing technique called "sintering" (squeezing a material into a dense mass) was adopted by several inventors.
The most commercially successful design proved to be that of Dr. Alexander Just and Franz Hanaman of Austria. Their work on sintering tungsten was based on a prior sintering process developed by Carl Auer von Welsbach for his filament made of osmium. Just and Hanaman made a tungsten and organic paste, squirted it through a die, baked out the organic material, then sintered the tungsten in a mix of gasses. The resulting filament gave about 8 lumens per watt and lasted 800 hours.
Another Austrian, Dr. Hans Kutzel, used an electric arc to make a tungsten and water paste. He then pressed, baked, and sintered the tungsten in a manner similar to Just and Hanaman's procedure. Yet another pair of Austrians, Fritz Blau and Hermann Remane, adapted the osmium lamp process (they worked for Welsbach) by making a filament from an osmium and tungsten mix. They soon changed their "Osram" lamp filament to tungsten only. (The German word for tungsten is wolfram.)
All three filaments were brittle and collectively known as "non-ductile" filaments. Individual filaments could not be made long enough to give the proper electrical resistance, so lamps needed several filaments connected end-to-end. U.S. companies quickly licensed rights to all of the non-ductile patents. This particular lamp was made under license by General Electric and sent to the National Bureau of Standards for use as a standard lamp.
Lamp characteristics: Medium-screw base with glass insulator. Five single-arch tungsten filaments (in series) with 5 upper and 8 lower support hooks. The stem assembly features soldered connectors, Siemens-type press seal, and a cotton insulator. Tipped, straight-sided envelope with taper at neck.
Date made
ca 1908
date made
ca. 1908
maker
General Electric
ID Number
1992.0342.16
catalog number
1992.0342.16
accession number
1992.0342
The U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey Precise Level "is constructed without regard to cost, extreme accuracy being the governing consideration.
Description
The U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey Precise Level "is constructed without regard to cost, extreme accuracy being the governing consideration. This fact accounts for the seemingly high price, which is for the complete instrument, with two achromatic eye–pieces, graduated and chambered level–vial having a value of 2 seconds per division. Completed packed, with extra heavy tripod...$300." Thus wrote G. N. Saegmuller, proprietor of Fauth & Co., describing the Precise Level that had been developed by E. G. Fischer and his colleagues in the Instrument Division of the Coast and Geodetic Survey. This example, marked "FAUTH & CO. WASHN. D.C. 2239" was made between 1900, when the form was introduced, and 1905, when Fauth went out of business. It belonged to the University of Missouri at Columbia.
To minimize changes due to temperature variation, Fischer's team developed an iron–nickel alloy with a very low coefficient of expansion. They also placed the telescope tube within a slightly larger tube, and sealed the openings between the tubes with chamois leather collars. To minimize disruptions caused by changes in weight or pressure upon the ground, Fischer's team mounted the level above the telescope. A mirror, mounted above the level, reflects an image of the bubble into a tube at the left side of the telescope. Thus, while the surveyor's right eye looks through the telescope to the distant rod, his/her left eye can see both ends of the level vial.
The Fischer level was Fauth's third precise level. The first was similar to the instrument that Kern had shown at the 1876 Centennial Exhibition held in Philadelphia. The second, unveiled in 1879, was based on a design originating in Vienna, Austria, and developed in the Instrument Shop of the Coast and Geodetic Survey, which was then under Saegmuller's direction.
Ref: E. G. Fischer, "Description of Precise Levels Nos. 7 and 8," Report of the Director of the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey (1900), Appendix 6.
George N. Saegmuller, Descriptive Price–List of First–Class Engineering & Astronomical Instruments (Washington, D.C., 1903), pp. 60–61.
Randall Brooks and Heather Bajdik, "Precise Levels in Surveys of North America," Rittenhouse 10 (1996): 48–57.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Fauth & Co.
ID Number
PH.333634
catalog number
333634
accession number
300659
Irving Langmuir received a Ph.D. in physical chemistry in 1906 from the University of Göttingen. He studied under Walther Nernst, who had invented a new type of incandescent lamp only a few years before.
Description
Irving Langmuir received a Ph.D. in physical chemistry in 1906 from the University of Göttingen. He studied under Walther Nernst, who had invented a new type of incandescent lamp only a few years before. In 1909 Langmuir accepted a position at the General Electric Research Laboratory in Schenectady, New York. Ironically, he soon invented a lamp that made Nernst's lamp (and others) obsolete.
Langmuir experimented with the bendable tungsten wire developed by his colleague William Coolidge. He wanted to find a way to keep tungsten lamps from "blackening" or growing dim as the inside of the bulb became coated with tungsten evaporated from the filament. Though he did not solve this problem, he did create a coiled-tungsten filament mounted in a gas-filled lamp—a design still used today.
Up to that time all the air and other gasses were removed from lamps so the filaments could operate in a vacuum. Langmuir found that by putting nitrogen into a lamp, he could slow the evaporation of tungsten from the filament. He then found that thin filaments radiated heat faster than thick filaments, but the same thin filament–wound into a coil–radiated heat as if it were a solid rod the diameter of the coil. By 1913 Langmuir had gas–filled lamps that gave 12 to 20 lumens per watt (lpw), while Coolidge's vacuum lamps gave about 10 lpw.
During the 1910s GE began phasing-in Langmuir's third generation tungsten lamps, calling them "Mazda C" lamps. Although today's lamps are different in detail (for example, argon is used rather than nitrogen), the basic concept is still the same. The lamp seen here was sent to the National Bureau of Standards in the mid 1920s for use as a standard lamp.
Lamp characteristics: Brass medium-screw base with skirt and glass insulator. Two tungsten filaments (both are C9 configuration, mounted in parallel) with 6 support hooks and a support attaching each lead to the stem. The stem assembly includes welded connectors, angled-dumet leads, and a mica heat-shield attached to the leads above the press. The shield clips are welded to the press. Lamp is filled with nitrogen gas. Tipless, G-shaped envelope with neck.
Date made
ca 1925
date made
ca. 1925
ID Number
1992.0342.23
accession number
1992.0342
catalog number
1992.0342.23
This sextant is inscribed "J. Nixon. Commercial Road. London" and "U.S.
Description
This sextant is inscribed "J. Nixon. Commercial Road. London" and "U.S. NAVY 8608." It was probably made by the John Nixon who worked in London from 1850 to 1869, and advertised as a "Real Maker of Mathematical Instruments." The silvered scale is graduated every 15 minutes from -5° to +125° and read by vernier with tangent screw and magnifier to 15 seconds of arc.
This sextant may have been lent to the U.S. Navy for use during World War I. It came to the Smithsonian in 1930.
Ref: Gloria Clifton, Directory of British Scientific Instrument Makers 1550-1851 (London, 1895), p. 201.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1900
date made
1850-1869
maker
Nixon, John
ID Number
PH.309888
accession number
110828
catalog number
309888
This instrument is marked "Geo. Shilling Washn D.C." and "U.S.G.S." It was made for the U.S. Geological Survey, and transferred to the Smithsonian in 1907. The horizontal circle and vertical arc are silvered, graduated to 30 minutes, and read by verniers to single minutes.
Description
This instrument is marked "Geo. Shilling Washn D.C." and "U.S.G.S." It was made for the U.S. Geological Survey, and transferred to the Smithsonian in 1907. The horizontal circle and vertical arc are silvered, graduated to 30 minutes, and read by verniers to single minutes. A level vial sits atop the telescope; another level vial sits on the horizontal circle. The inside of the lens cap is marked "U.S.G.S. No 2."
George Shilling (1844–1917) was born and educated in Norway and moved to the United States in 1867. In 1882, after working in several American instrument shops, he went into business on his own, manufacturing surveying and astronomical instruments. His shop was in Washington, D.C., and the federal government was his biggest customer.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Shilling, George
ID Number
PH.247906
catalog number
247906
accession number
47736
This instrument consists of a refracting telescope surmounted by a round mirror that can reflect a beam of light along the optical axis of the telescope. A screw base allows it to be attached to a tree or post.
Description
This instrument consists of a refracting telescope surmounted by a round mirror that can reflect a beam of light along the optical axis of the telescope. A screw base allows it to be attached to a tree or post. Fauth advertised a heliostat of this sort in 1877, describing it "As made by us for the United States Coast Survey." This example was made before 1887 when G. N. Saegmuller began putting serial numbers on Fauth instruments. New, it cost $30. The U. S. Geological Survey was established in 1879 and transferred this instrument to the Smithsonian in 1907. The inscriptions read "FAUTH & CO. WASHN D.C." and "U.S.G.S. No 6."
Ref: Fauth, Catalogue of Astronomical and Surveying Instruments (Washington, D.C., 1877), p. 43.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Fauth & Co.
ID Number
PH.247922
catalog number
247922
accession number
47736
The horizontal circle of this theodolite is silvered, graduated to single minutes, and read by opposite verniers with magnifiers to single seconds. The vertical circle is silvered, and read by single vernier and magnifier. The inscription reads "Wm. Würdemann, Washington, D.C.
Description
The horizontal circle of this theodolite is silvered, graduated to single minutes, and read by opposite verniers with magnifiers to single seconds. The vertical circle is silvered, and read by single vernier and magnifier. The inscription reads "Wm. Würdemann, Washington, D.C. No 163." William Würdemann (1811-1900) was a precision instrument from Germany who began working in Washington in 1834.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
mid-nineteeth century
maker
Würdemann, William
ID Number
PH.316530
accession number
225703
catalog number
316530
G. N. Saegmuller described this as a "Four inch Theodolite, As furnished to the U. S. Government Surveys," and priced it at $300. This example was made after 1887 when Saegmuller began putting serial numbers on Fauth instruments, and before 1905 when Fauth & Co.
Description
G. N. Saegmuller described this as a "Four inch Theodolite, As furnished to the U. S. Government Surveys," and priced it at $300. This example was made after 1887 when Saegmuller began putting serial numbers on Fauth instruments, and before 1905 when Fauth & Co. went out of business. The U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey transferred it to the Smithsonian in 1929. The horizontal and vertical circles are silvered, and read, with opposite verniers and magnifiers, to 30 seconds. The inscriptions read "FAUTH & CO. WASHN D.C. No 966" and "U.S.C.&G.S. No. 160."
Ref: George N. Saegmuller, Descriptive Price List of First Class Engineering & Astronomical Instruments (Washington, D.C., 1903), p. 41.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Fauth & Co.
ID Number
PH.309664
catalog number
309664
accession number
106954
William J. Peters of the U. S. Geological Survey devised this type of instrument in 1898, while doing reconnaissance work in Alaska. G. N.
Description
William J. Peters of the U. S. Geological Survey devised this type of instrument in 1898, while doing reconnaissance work in Alaska. G. N. Saegmuller, proprietor of Fauth & Co., explained its function: "Having a fixed base of known dimensions defined by targets, the measurement is made by bringing the images of the targets together by moving the halved objective by means of a micrometer screw." The Geological Survey transferred this example to the Smithsonian in 1907, reporting that "Distances up to 1 or 2 miles can be determined with sufficient accuracy for reconnaissance work."
This is actually a composite instrument. The prism monocular was probably made by Bausch & Lomb in Rochester, N.Y., according to the design developed by Zeiss in Jena, Germany, while Saegmuller made the divided object glass micrometer. It is notably different from the stenometer that Saegmuller was offering in 1901, and so is probably an early prototype. The words "U.S.G.S. No. 4" are scratched onto its surface.
Ref: George N. Saegmuller, Descriptive Price-List of First-Class Engineering & Astronomical Instruments (Washington, D.C., 1901), p. 108.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Fauth & Co.
ID Number
PH.247921
catalog number
247921
accession number
47736
This theodolite was made for the U. S. Geological Survey, soon after that agency was organized in 1879. It was transferred to the Smithsonian in 1907. The inscriptions read "No. 172 Edward Kübel, Washington, DC" and "U.S.G.S. 8 IN No.
Description
This theodolite was made for the U. S. Geological Survey, soon after that agency was organized in 1879. It was transferred to the Smithsonian in 1907. The inscriptions read "No. 172 Edward Kübel, Washington, DC" and "U.S.G.S. 8 IN No. 1." The horizontal circle is silvered, graduated to 20 minutes, and read by opposite verniers and magnifiers to 20 seconds. The vertical circle is silvered, graduated to 20 minutes of arc, and read by vernier and magnifier to single minutes.
Edward Kübel (1820-1896) was born in Bavaria, moved to Washington, D.C. around 1849, and became foreman for William Würdemann. He began in business on his own in 1875, advertising that he "continues to manufacture the class of Astronomical and Geodetical Instruments formerly made by Mr. Würdemann." According to an account written in 1884, Kübel employed seven or eight skilled workmen, and his business was principally for the U. S. government.
Ref: Silvio Bedini, "Edward Kübel (1820-1896) Washington, D.C. Instrument Maker," Journal of the Washington Academy of Sciences 85 (1998): 247-279.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1879-1896
maker
Kübel, Edward
ID Number
PH.247971
accession number
47736
catalog number
247971

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