Surveyor's Compass

Surveyor's Compass

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Description
This compass was made between 1853 and 1859. The "Jas. W. Queen, Philada. Warranted" inscription indicates that James W. Queen sold the compass and guaranteed its quality. The style, however, indicates that it was made by W. & L. E. Gurley, the Troy, N. Y., firm that was rapidly becoming the largest producer of complex mathematical instruments in the United States. The Queen Catalogue of 1859 offered several compasses, levels, and transits, with illustrations and descriptions copied from the Gurley Manual of 1855. A compass of this sort, with 6-inch needle, two straight levels, outkeeper, and mounting for use on a Jacob staff, cost $30. A paper label inside the box reads “James W. Queen 264 Chestnut St., near 10th, Philadelphia.”
Ref: James W. Queen & Co., Illustrated Catalogue of Mathematical, Optical, and Philosophical Instruments and School Apparatus (Philadelphia, 1859), p. 14.
Location
Currently not on view
Object Name
Surveyor's Compass
surveyor's compass
date made
1853-1859
maker
W. & L. E. Gurley
place made
United States: Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
Measurements
overall length: 15 7/8 in; 40.3225 cm
needle: 5 7/8 in; 14.9225 cm
overall in box: 4 1/2 in x 16 3/8 in x 8 1/4 in; 11.43 cm x 41.5925 cm x 20.955 cm
ID Number
1982.0104.04
accession number
1982.0104
catalog number
1982.0104.04
Credit Line
Gettysburg College
See more items in
Medicine and Science: Physical Sciences
Surveying and Geodesy
Measuring & Mapping
Data Source
National Museum of American History
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