Odometer

Description:

The “BEERS’ PATENT. Naugatuck, Ct.” inscription on this odometer refers to Smith Beers (1805-1860), a Connecticut inventor who patented the form in 1856 (and who had a previous patent on the form in 1839).

“By a recent Bridgeport paper, we notice the death of Smith Beers, of Naugatuck, Conn. Mr. Beers was possessed of a remarkable inventive genius, and had perfected and patented several useful inventions. Among them was an ingenious machine for turning spokes, an odometer, for registering the number of miles run by a carriage, and a machine for pulling cotton stalks, &c. At the time of his last illness, his mind was actively employed in endeavoring to perfect a steam carriage, to be used on highways. Like most true inventors, he was a quiet, unobtrusive, honest man and a useful citizen.” “Death of an Inventor,” Scientific American 3 (1860): 283.

Ref: Smith Beers, “Odometer,” U.S. Patent 15,509 (Aug. 12, 1856).

Smith Beers, “Odometer, Or Machine for Recording the Distance Traveled by Wheel Carriages,” U.S. Patent #1,325 (Sept. 14, 1839).

Date Made: 1850s

Maker: Beers, Smith

Location: Currently not on view

See more items in: Medicine and Science: Physical Sciences, Surveying and Geodesy, Measuring & Mapping

Exhibition:

Exhibition Location:

Data Source: National Museum of American History

Id Number: PH.308904Catalog Number: 308904Accession Number: 89797Patent Number: 1,325

Object Name: odometerObject Type: Patent Model

Measurements: overall: 5 in x 18 1/4 in x 3 in; 12.7 cm x 46.355 cm x 7.62 cmoverall: 4 7/8 in x 18 1/4 in x 2 3/4 in; 12.3825 cm x 46.355 cm x 6.985 cm

Guid: http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746a5-6fc0-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

Record Id: nmah_761613

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