Surveyor's Compass

Description
Design features suggest that this compass may date from the third quarter of the 18th century. The bar holding the vertical sights is straight and narrow. The needle rim is graduated to single degrees, and numbered in quadrants from North and South. The face reads clockwise. And, with an extra needle and scales at North and South, the compass can serve as a clinometer for measuring angles of elevation.
Object Name
surveyor's compass
Measurements
overall length: 13 1/8 in; 33.3375 cm
needle: 5 in; 12.7 cm
ID Number
1980.0695.01
accession number
1980.0695
catalog number
1980.0695.01
subject
Measuring & Mapping
Surveying and Geodesy
See more items in
Medicine and Science: Physical Sciences
Surveying and Geodesy
Data Source
National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Additional Media

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