Transportation

1955 Ford Country Squire

Americans have always been a people on the move—on rails, roads, and waterways (for travel through the air, visit the National Air and Space Museum). In the transportation collections, railroad objects range from tools, tracks, and many train models to the massive 1401, a 280-ton locomotive built in 1926. Road vehicles include coaches, buggies, wagons, trucks, motorcycles, bicycles, and automobiles—from the days before the Model T to modern race cars. The accessories of travel are part of the collections, too, from streetlights, gas pumps, and traffic signals to goggles and overcoats.

In the maritime collections, more than 7,000 design plans and scores of ship models show the evolution of sailing ships and other vessels. Other items range from scrimshaw, photographs, and marine paintings to life jackets from the Titanic.

Place: New York

Patent Model, Life Boat

Joseph Francis of New York (1801–93) made a name for himself in the 1840s and 1850s manufacturing light and sturdy corrugated-iron lifeboats and other nautical gear. This 1841 patent model shows his design for a wood or metal boat fitted with airtight copper tanks.
Description
Joseph Francis of New York (1801–93) made a name for himself in the 1840s and 1850s manufacturing light and sturdy corrugated-iron lifeboats and other nautical gear. This 1841 patent model shows his design for a wood or metal boat fitted with airtight copper tanks. These tanks were to be charged with gas or air to provide buoyancy and, in an emergency, would work in conjunction with several holes through the bottom of the boat. When the boat started taking on water in rough seas, the holes would be opened. That action, combined with the buoyancy of the tanks, would permit drainage.
The well-known inventors of mid-19th-century America—Elias Howe, Cyrus McCormick, and Samuel F. B. Morse—were celebrated as national benefactors. Aspiring inventors regarded applying for a patent not just as a key step on the road to potential wealth, but as a patriotic duty—a contribution to the country’s betterment and future. Solidly within this style, Joseph Francis confidently called his buoyant boat the “great American life boat.” He declared with pride that “the model and application of the buoyant power which I now claim . . . is the best and safest for life boats and all other boats and vessels . . . it is different from and an improvement on all former invention by me and any other person . . . .”
In fact, the 1841 patent represented by this model is but a minor alteration to his first patent, an 1839 design for a double-bottomed boat fitted with buoyant air cylinders. His second attempt simply added additional tanks to the boat’s ends and flattened the bottom of the hull to enable it “to sit upright when left by a retiring surge upon a rock bar or beach, where other modeled boats would be upset.”
Date made
1841
patent date
1841-03-26
patentee
Francis, Joseph
inventor
Francis, Joseph
ID Number
TR.308542
catalog number
308542
accession number
89797
patent number
2,018

Ship's Surgical Kit

This wooden surgical case with brass fittings has three main compartments, one of which is a tray that lifts out from the lower case. The interior of the case is molded so that each instrument has its own compartment. The entire interior is lined with purple velvet.
Description (Brief)
This wooden surgical case with brass fittings has three main compartments, one of which is a tray that lifts out from the lower case. The interior of the case is molded so that each instrument has its own compartment. The entire interior is lined with purple velvet. The exterior of the lid has an oval escutcheon which is marked, "U.S.A./ Hosp. Dept." The set includes 45 instruments, three of which are not original to the set. At least six instruments are missing, including four knives and a bandage scissors.
During the Civil War the United States Army contracted with several surgical instrument makers, including Herman Hernstein to provide surgical sets for the Union troops.
As a young boy in Germany Hermann Hernstein was apprenticed to a surgical instrument maker. He came to the United States in 1841 and settled in New York City. Within a few years, he had established his own shop.
According to Edmonson much of Hernstein’s inventory was imported from Europe.
Description
Surgical kits were not required on merchant vessels, but the larger and better-equipped ships often carried them. These were used for everything from pulling teeth to the amputation of limbs, and everything in between. Like the medicine chests, these kits too were often sold with simple pamphlets, with instructions and diagrams on how to use them in emergencies. The captain or first mate most commonly carried out any needed procedures.
date made
1862-1865
maker
Hermann Hernstein & Son
ID Number
1977.1103.01
accession number
1977.1103
catalog number
1977.1103.01

Souvenir Log, S.S. Leviathan

Souvenir log written by “tourist cabin” (i.e.
Description
Souvenir log written by “tourist cabin” (i.e. tourist-class) passengers on an August 1928 voyage from New York to Southampton, England, aboard the United States Lines steamship Leviathan.
The ocean liner Leviathan was built as the Vaterland for Germany's Hamburg-American Line in 1914. During World War I the American government seized the ship and operated it as a troopship. After a complete reconditioning at Newport News, Virginia, in 1922-23, the Leviathan became the flagship of the new United States Lines, which operated it for the U.S. Shipping Board until 1929. Subsequently sold into private hands, the ship ran until 1934. Laid up as a result of high operating costs and low Depression-era patronage, the Leviathan was sold to Scottish shipbreakers in 1938 and dismantled.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1928
used date
1928
ID Number
1991.0856.64
catalog number
1991.0856.64
accession number
1991.0856

Ship Model, Steamboat Buckeye State

The Buckeye State was built at Shousetown, Pa., south of Pittsburgh. In 1849 the hull was completed and hauled up the Ohio River to Pittsburgh to be finished. Under the supervision of David Holmes, the Buckeye State was completed in February 1850.
Description
The Buckeye State was built at Shousetown, Pa., south of Pittsburgh. In 1849 the hull was completed and hauled up the Ohio River to Pittsburgh to be finished. Under the supervision of David Holmes, the Buckeye State was completed in February 1850. It was owned and operated by the Pittsburgh & Cincinnati Packet Line, which ran it regularly on the Ohio River between Cincinnati and Pittsburgh. The company owned six or seven steamers at a time, and ran daily departures between the two cities. By the mid-1840s the Pittsburgh & Cincinnati Packet Line was praised by a Pittsburgh newspaper editor as “the greatest convenience . . . ever afforded the citizens on the banks of the Upper Ohio.”
On May 1, 1850 the Buckeye State left Cincinnati for Pittsburgh and completed the trip in a record 43 hours. Under Capt. Sam Dean, the steamer made 24 stops along the route, needing coal once and wood three times. One hundred years later, the Buckeye State still held the record for the fastest trip ever made by a steamboat between Cincinnati and Pittsburgh.
In 1851, showman P. T. Barnum organized a race between the Buckeye State and the Messenger No. 2 as a publicity stunt to advertise Swedish opera singer Jenny Lind’s American tour. Steamboat racing was growing in popularity, and so a race was the perfect promotion. Although Lind and Barnum were aboard the Messenger No. 2, the Buckeye State won the race. The Buckeye State continued its service up and down the Ohio for six more years until it was retired and dismantled in 1857.
date made
1963
construction completed on Buckeye State
1850-02
Buckeye State retired
1857
participated in a steamboat race
1857
owned and operated by
Pittsburgh & Cincinnati Packet Line
supervised construction of Buckeye State
Holmes, David
captain of the Buckeye State
Dean, Sam
maker
Boucher-Lewis Precision Models, Inc.
ID Number
TR.322425
catalog number
322425
accession number
247839

Rigged Model Twin-screw Intercoastal Freight Steamer Lewis Luckenbach

The Luckenbach Line donated this 1/4" scale model to the Smithsonian in 1967. A portion of the model's starboard hull is cut away, revealing the ship's cargo holds packed with barrels, sacks, lumber, boxes, and coal.
Description
The Luckenbach Line donated this 1/4" scale model to the Smithsonian in 1967. A portion of the model's starboard hull is cut away, revealing the ship's cargo holds packed with barrels, sacks, lumber, boxes, and coal. The engine room, bridge, crew's quarters, and passenger accommodations are also visible. The deck of the model includes winches, derricks, masts and booms for cargo handling. The single stack is painted black and displays a white "L" on a red band, the insignia of the Luckenbach Steamship Company. On the port side of the hull the name "Luckenbach Line" appears in large white letters.
The steamship Lewis Luckenbach was built in 1919 by the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corp., in Quincy, Massachusetts. Its dimensions were 496.2 feet long, 68.2 feet beam, and 37.2 feet depth. This was the second steamship named for the founder of the Luckenbach Line, the first having been built in 1903. With its sister ship, the Andrea Luckenbach, the second Lewis Luckenbach joined the line's fleet of intercoastal freighters on runs between New York and California. The ship could carry over 700 carloads of freight in its massive holds. Accommodations were modest compared to passenger liners, but the rates for "travel by freighter" were affordable at between $215 and $255 for roundtrip passage between Seattle and Brooklyn, NY, in 1936. During World War II the ship was converted to an Army hospital ship and renamed Louis A. Milne, for the surgeon who served New York's Port of Embarkation from 1937 to 1943. The vessel was scrapped in 1958.
date made
1919
used date
1919-1958
ID Number
TR.327977
catalog number
327977
accession number
272605

Broadway

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
maker
E. & H. T. Anthony
ID Number
2016.0066.307
catalog number
2016.0066.0307
accession number
2016.0066

SS Leviathan Navigating Officer, Notebook

This book was compiled by Giles C. Stedman, who joined the Leviathan's in 1927 as first officer and served aboard until 1934.The ocean liner Leviathan was built as the Vaterland for Germany's Hamburg-American Line in 1914.
Description
This book was compiled by Giles C. Stedman, who joined the Leviathan's in 1927 as first officer and served aboard until 1934.
The ocean liner Leviathan was built as the Vaterland for Germany's Hamburg-American Line in 1914. During World War I the American government seized the ship and operated it as a troopship. After a complete reconditioning at Newport News, Virginia, in 1922-23, the Leviathan became the flagship of the new United States Lines, which operated it for the U.S. Shipping Board until 1929. Subsequently sold into private hands, the ship ran until 1934. Laid up as a result of high operating costs and low Depression-era patronage, the Leviathan was sold to Scottish shipbreakers in 1938 and dismantled.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
late 1920s
used date
1927-1934
ID Number
1991.0856.36
catalog number
1991.0856.36
accession number
1991.0856

Laubach Velocipede, 1869

This velocipede was donated to the Museum in 1971. It is one of the few departures from conventional velocipede construction that achieved any appreciable popularity. The design was invented by Dr. William H. Laubach, of Philadelphia and assigned U.S.
Description
This velocipede was donated to the Museum in 1971. It is one of the few departures from conventional velocipede construction that achieved any appreciable popularity. The design was invented by Dr. William H. Laubach, of Philadelphia and assigned U.S. Patent 86,235 on 26 January 1869. Laubach's velocipede also came to be known as the Pearsall velocipede after Laubach sold his patent to the Pearsall brothers, who operated New York City's first and most successful velocipede school. The New York Coach-Maker's Magazine, the Coach-Makers' International Journal, and the Eclectic Medical Journal all were profuse in their praise of this "most scientific velocipede." The construction of this velocipede differs from the more common variety in that this one is articulated, being constructed of two separate frames, one for each wheel, pivoted together in the center. Among the claims made for it were the statements that both wheels were always in the same arc when turning and that, due to its peculiar construction, the rider's weight kept it running in a naturally straight line. The many favorable comments made of it seem unwarranted, however, for it proved to be far less manageable than velocipedes of the usual design.
Dr. Laubach is said to have traveled one hundred miles in five hours on one of these velocipedes, seemingly a rather unlikely feat. The Pearsalls were so impressed with the design that they reportedly formed a stock company with a capital of $300,000.00 to manufacture Laubach patent velocipedes, but it is not known to what extent they produced them, or used them in their riding school. Laubach velocipedes cost $125.00.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1869
patent date
1869-01-26
maker
Laubach, W. H.
ID Number
TR.330734
catalog number
330734
accession number
299300
patent number
86235

Moby Dick, or The Whale

In early 1841 at the age of 21, Herman Melville shipped out on a voyage to the Pacific Ocean aboard the Massachusetts whaler Acushnet, which he deserted in the Marquesa Islands after only 18 months.
Description
In early 1841 at the age of 21, Herman Melville shipped out on a voyage to the Pacific Ocean aboard the Massachusetts whaler Acushnet, which he deserted in the Marquesa Islands after only 18 months. He then served briefly on the Australian whaler Lucy Ann; the Nantucket whaler Charles & Henry, and in the US Navy. His whaleship experience supplied the background for his sixth and most famous novel, Moby-Dick, or the Whale, published in 1851. The first American edition of Moby-Dick of 2,915 copies did not sell well at $1.50 and only netted Melville lifetime earnings of $556.37.
Although he continued to write poetry and fiction, Melville supported himself as a New York City customs inspector for 19 years before dying in 1891 at the age of 72. It was not until the 1920s that Melville achieved recognition as one of the icons of American literature. This 1930 edition of Moby Dick, published by Random House and illustrated by Rockwell Kent, introduced Melville to thousands of Americans.
Date made
1930
author
Melville, Herman
illustrator
Kent, Rockwell
publisher
Random House, Inc.
ID Number
2007.0071.1
catalog number
2007.0071.1
accession number
2007.0071

Saucer

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
ca 1923
date used
1936 to 1960s
maker
Beetleware Corporation
ID Number
1984.0331.03
accession number
1984.0331
catalog number
1984.0331.03

Rigged Model Tug Boat, Brooklyn

Arthur G. Henning, Inc. built this model of the tug Brooklyn from the ship's plans provided by the Smithsonian. The model is 1/8" scale and has a black hull with red houses and a single stack.
Description
Arthur G. Henning, Inc. built this model of the tug Brooklyn from the ship's plans provided by the Smithsonian. The model is 1/8" scale and has a black hull with red houses and a single stack. Like harbor tugs of the period, it shows a large deckhouse and high pilot house that would have allowed the helmsman to see over the tow. The harbor tug Brooklyn was designed and built by William Cramp and Sons Ship and Engine Building Company at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1910, for use at the Pennsylvania Railroad Company's New York piers. Built of steel, it was typical of the large harbor tugs found in major American ports at the time.
date made
1960
used date
1910
maker
Arthur G. Henning Inc.
ID Number
TR.316890
catalog number
316890
accession number
234472

Rigged Model, Extreme Gold Rush Clipper Challenge

The extreme clipper ship Challenge was built at New York by the famous shipbuilder William H. Webb. At its launch in May 1851, the $150,000 Challenge was the largest merchant ship ever built, measuring 227 feet in length by 42 feet in beam and 2006 tons.
Description
The extreme clipper ship Challenge was built at New York by the famous shipbuilder William H. Webb. At its launch in May 1851, the $150,000 Challenge was the largest merchant ship ever built, measuring 227 feet in length by 42 feet in beam and 2006 tons. The high length:beam ratio of 5.4:1 was what made the three-decker an extreme clipper, and it set a few speed records over the course of its working life.
The Challenge was expected to set a record on its maiden voyage, and Capt. Robert H. Waterman was offered a $10,000 bonus if he could drive the ship to San Francisco in under 90 days. He pushed his 60-man crew hard, but poor weather and a mutiny by 50 crewmen off Rio slowed the Challenge to a 108-day trip. The mutiny and the unrelated death of seven crew on that maiden voyage gave the ship a bad reputation. Capt. Waterman was relieved of his command after reaching San Francisco, but the next master had to pay a signing bonus of $200 to lure new crewmen aboard for a China trip. Another mutiny on this second leg of the maiden voyage occurred as well—testament to how driven these men were to sail hard and fast.
Over the next decade as a China clipper, an additional mutiny, widespread crew illnesses, frequent dismastings and leaks, and other events cemented the bad reputation of the vessel. It was sold to its captain for $9,350 in 1861. The Challenge changed hands a few more times before sinking off the Brittany coast in February 1877.
Date made
1965
ship launched
1851-05
ship sold
1861
ship sank
1877-02
designer
Webb, William H.
captained the ship on its maiden voyage
Waterman, Robert H.
maker
Arthur G. Henning Inc.
ID Number
TR.326530
catalog number
326530
accession number
255036

SS Leviathan Master-at-Arms Badge

In 1924 the Deck Department on the SS Leviathan included six masters-at-arms, who looked after the vessel’s security and assisted with passenger safety.
Description
In 1924 the Deck Department on the SS Leviathan included six masters-at-arms, who looked after the vessel’s security and assisted with passenger safety. The markings on this badge refer to a lifeboat station.
The ocean liner Leviathan was built as the Vaterland for Germany's Hamburg-American Line in 1914. During World War I the American government seized the ship and operated it as a troopship. After a complete reconditioning at Newport News, Virginia, in 1922-23, the Leviathan became the flagship of the new United States Lines, which operated it for the U.S. Shipping Board until 1929. Subsequently sold into private hands, the ship ran until 1934. Laid up as a result of high operating costs and low Depression-era patronage, the Leviathan was sold to Scottish shipbreakers in 1938 and dismantled.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1920s
used date
1923-1938
ID Number
1991.0856.35
catalog number
1991.0856.35
accession number
1991.0856

Plate

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
ca 1923
patent date
1923-06-12
date used
1936 to 1960s
maker
Beetleware Corporation
ID Number
1984.0331.02
accession number
1984.0331
catalog number
1984.0331.02

Environmental Button

The group "Bike for a Better City" encouraged New York commuters and lawmakers to view bicycling as a means for everyday transportation.
Description
The group "Bike for a Better City" encouraged New York commuters and lawmakers to view bicycling as a means for everyday transportation. The organization, founded in 1970 by Barry Fishman and Harriet Green, called for the establishment of special bike lanes to make city biking safer.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Fishman, Barry
ID Number
2003.0014.0051
catalog number
2003.0014.0051
accession number
2003.0014

1866 Dudgeon Steam Wagon

The Dudgeon steam wagon is one of the earliest self-propelled road vehicles built in the United States.
Description
The Dudgeon steam wagon is one of the earliest self-propelled road vehicles built in the United States. Richard Dudgeon, a machinist who was known for his commercially produced hydraulic jacks, designed and built a steam-powered wagon because he hoped to end the abuse and mistreatment of horses. The wagon resembles a small locomotive, but it has a steering wheel and seats for the driver and eight passengers. Dudgeon drove the vehicle on New York City streets and at his farm on Long Island. It burned coal and ran at a top speed of 25 to 30 miles per hour.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1866
maker
Dudgeon, Richard
ID Number
1981.0328.01
accession number
1981.0328
catalog number
1981.0328.01

Dish

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
ca 1923
date used
1936 to 1960s
maker
Beetleware Corporation
ID Number
1984.0331.10
accession number
1984.0331
catalog number
1984.0331.10

Make Way for the Thruway

Make Way for the Thruway was written by Caroline Emerson with illustrations by Tibor Gergely, and published by Golden Press in New York, New York, in 1961.Born into a middle-class Jewish family in Budapest, Hungary, Tibor Gergely (1900-1978) was captivated by art and culture at a
Description (Brief)

Make Way for the Thruway was written by Caroline Emerson with illustrations by Tibor Gergely, and published by Golden Press in New York, New York, in 1961.

Born into a middle-class Jewish family in Budapest, Hungary, Tibor Gergely (1900-1978) was captivated by art and culture at a young age. Known as a graphic illustrator and a caricature artist, Gergely’s early works documented Jewish life before the rise of Hitler. By 1939 the political situation in Europe was dire, and Gergely and his wife immigrated to America. They settled in New York and his love affair with the city never waned. He was enchanted with his new life in a postwar New York that included skyscrapers, rushing traffic and the excitement of life in the big city.

By 1940 Gergely was working for the American Artists and Writers Guild and became a popular illustrator for Little Golden Books, providing drawings for more than seventy books, including Tootle, Five Little Firemen, and Scuffy the Tugboat. His illustrations for The Taxi that Hurried and Make Way for the Thruway reflect the post war prosperity and idealism of the 1950s, including his portrayal of the celebrated automobile and the expanding highway system, both destined to bring dramatic social and cultural changes to American life.

Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1961
author
Emerson, Caroline
illustrator
Gergely, Tibor
publisher
Golden Press
maker
Golden Press
ID Number
1990.0375.16
accession number
1990.0375
catalog number
1990.0375.16

Tootle

Tootle was written by Gertrude Crampton with illustrations by Tibor Gergely, published by Golden Press in New York, New York, in 1945, 25th reprint in 1971.Born in Budapest, Hungary into a middle-class Jewish family, Tibor Gergely (1900-1978) was captivated by art and culture at
Description (Brief)

Tootle was written by Gertrude Crampton with illustrations by Tibor Gergely, published by Golden Press in New York, New York, in 1945, 25th reprint in 1971.

Born in Budapest, Hungary into a middle-class Jewish family, Tibor Gergely (1900-1978) was captivated by art and culture at a young age. Known as a graphic illustrator and a caricature artist, Gergely’s early works documented Jewish life before the rise of Hitler. By 1939 the political situation in Europe was dire, and Gergely and his wife immigrated to America. They settled in New York and his love affair with the city never waned. He was enchanted with his new life in a postwar New York that included skyscrapers, rushing traffic and the excitement of life in the big city.

By 1940 Gergely was working for the American Artists and Writers Guild and became a popular illustrator for Little Golden Books, providing drawings for more than seventy books, including illustrations for The Taxi that Hurried, Make Way for the Thruway, Five Little Firemen and Tootle. His portrayals of America's rapidly expanding transportation systems and the recognition of public servants foretold the dramatic social and cultural events that would impact American society in the 1950s.

Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1945
1971
maker
Little Golden Books
ID Number
1992.0634.002
accession number
1992.0634
catalog number
1992.0634.002

Cap Insignia, United States Lines

This cap badge is decorated with the flag used by United States Lines from the creation of the line in 1923 until 1929. Photographic evidence indicates it was worn, at least, by the ship's chief stewards.
Description
This cap badge is decorated with the flag used by United States Lines from the creation of the line in 1923 until 1929. Photographic evidence indicates it was worn, at least, by the ship's chief stewards. A different cap badge was worn by the deck officers.
The ocean liner Leviathan was built as the Vaterland for Germany's Hamburg-American Line in 1914. During World War I the American government seized the ship and operated it as a troopship. After a complete reconditioning at Newport News, Virginia, in 1922-23, the Leviathan became the flagship of the new United States Lines, which operated it for the U.S. Shipping Board until 1929. Subsequently sold into private hands, the ship ran until 1934. Laid up as a result of high operating costs and low Depression-era patronage, the Leviathan was sold to Scottish shipbreakers in 1938 and dismantled.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1923
used date
1923-1929
ID Number
1991.0856.31
catalog number
1991.0856.31
accession number
1991.0856

SS Leviathan Pin

A souvenir pin from the ocean liner Leviathan, sporting the house flag adopted by the new owners of the United States Lines in late 1931.The ocean liner Leviathan was built as the Vaterland for Germany's Hamburg-American Line in 1914.
Description
A souvenir pin from the ocean liner Leviathan, sporting the house flag adopted by the new owners of the United States Lines in late 1931.
The ocean liner Leviathan was built as the Vaterland for Germany's Hamburg-American Line in 1914. During World War I the American government seized the ship and operated it as a troopship. After a complete reconditioning at Newport News, Virginia, in 1922-23, the Leviathan became the flagship of the new United States Lines, which operated it for the U.S. Shipping Board until 1929. Subsequently sold into private hands, the ship ran until 1934. Laid up as a result of high operating costs and low Depression-era patronage, the Leviathan was sold to Scottish shipbreakers in 1938 and dismantled.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1932
used date
1932-1934
ID Number
1991.0856.33
catalog number
1991.0856.33
accession number
1991.0856

box for cuff links

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1969
maker
Bastian Brothers Company
ID Number
2017.0091.17
catalog number
2017.0091.17
accession number
2017.0091

Presentation Vase

This elegant silver vase was presented to Willard A. Smith, Chief of the Department of Transportation exhibits at the World’s Colombian Exposition in 1893. The Exposition was held in Chicago to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’s “discovery” of America.
Description
This elegant silver vase was presented to Willard A. Smith, Chief of the Department of Transportation exhibits at the World’s Colombian Exposition in 1893. The Exposition was held in Chicago to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’s “discovery” of America. The Exposition was a great success as a world’s fair, and demonstrated to the international community that Chicago had recovered from the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.
Presenting silver objects has always been a means of expressing gratitude and acknowledging deeds and accomplishments in American culture. It took Tiffany & Co. six months to construct this costly Art Nouveau style vase. Its decoration takes the form of the Transportation Building. The distinct semi-circular arches are the work of architect James Sullivan, who designed the building that housed the Department of Transportation exhibits. Medallions circling the vase celebrate the progress in the modes of land and water transportation, while representations of the Department of Transportation exhibitions adorn the vase as well.
Date made
1894
user
Smith, Willard A.
maker
Tiffany & Co.
ID Number
DL.63.821
catalog number
63.821
63.281
accession number
245502

Patent Model for an Apparatus for Raising Submerged Vessels, 1842

This model accompanied Theodore R. Timby’s patent application for "a new and useful Apparatus for Raising Sunken Vessels and other Submerged Bodies" that received patent number 2,572 on April 21,1842.
Description
This model accompanied Theodore R. Timby’s patent application for "a new and useful Apparatus for Raising Sunken Vessels and other Submerged Bodies" that received patent number 2,572 on April 21,
1842. The device is comprised of a pump that supplies air though a wire- reinforced leather hose to a submerged chamber, which inflates to lift a submerged item to the surface. Timby did not claim to invent the use of an air chamber to provide lift; his innovation was in shaping his "air vessel" like an inverted cone with a dome on top. Furthermore, because the object to be raised would be secured to a ring on the air chamber's lower end, he prevented the weight of the object from deforming the chamber or ripping the ring loose by suspending the ring from chains run up and over the body of the chamber. The air vessel was to be constructed of thin copper, as the model is. The pump, although beautifully modeled, was to be simply an "ordinary air pump," and did not incorporate any innovations by Timby.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1842
patent date
1842-04-21
inventor
Timby, Theodore R.
ID Number
TR.308543
accession number
89797
catalog number
308543
patent number
2,572

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