Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1855-04-13
James Wilson--,hc Globe Manufacture in
Vermont.



ST. JoHNsBuRY, VI, March 18th
Mr.. EDIToR Several months ago, IN let
ter written to the Earle from Bradford, VT.
| mentioned incidentally that the maker Of
the first pair Of celestial and terrestrial globes
ever made in America, was still living in that
town, at an advanced age. Since then, some
facts concerning the man and his invention
have come to my knowledge, and it may in
terest your readers to become acquainted
with them
JAMES WILSON was born in Londonderry,
y. H., in l1G3, and consequently Is now %
years Of age, Gf still living, as lie was a few
months agO)
Wilson carly evinccd strong love of
knowledge and good capacity for acquiring
it. His thoughts and studies were especially
directed to geography and astronomy, and
the means Of their illustration. In 1876 he
removed to Bradford, and few years after
he saw and examined critically par Of Eng
lish globcs, which he resolved to initiate.
lie commenced with balls turned from
blocks of wood, which he nicely covered with
piper, and scientifically finished off. with all
the lines and representations that belong to
such apparatus, correctly drawn upon them.
This rude beginning was soon succeeded by
much better method. The solid balls were
thlckly covered with layers of paper, firmly
pasted together. This shell was then di-
vidcd into hemisphcrcs which, being removed
from the ball. were reunited, and finished
with due regard to lightncss and smoothncss.
TO prepare the maps for the surfaces of these
hollow spheres, he procured copper plates,
ana protracted maps upon them in sections,
converging, as the degrees of longitude do
from the equator to the pole, and engraved
them with such admirable accuracy of design,
that when cut apart and duly pasted on his
spheres the edges with their lines. and even
the different parts of the finest letters. would
perfectly coincide. making Que true ami per-
tect representation. Though he was entirely
selftaught in the use of the gravcr. vet by
his ingenuity and rcsolute perseverance he
succeeded admirably, and soon produced
globes, in every respect equal to the best that
were then imported.
The first edition of his globes was publish
cd in 1874, and great was the sensation a
mong the Swans Of Boston when the first A.
mercan globes were submitted to their in
spectlJn by the maker himself " Who is
!3is ! James Mis29 Ias a, MAS the tAs6. aif FeR9atGg
own rustic appearance, hut they knew how
to prize his talents, and were proud of the
honor he had done his country They en-
couraged him with the assurance that he
sHouIu HHu IL ready market Tor all the globes
he could furnish. At first he carried on the
business in small way Mt Bradford, and
also at Londonderry, n. H. but at length
IN company with his sons, who Inherited a
good share of his taste and ingenuity, he es-
tablishcd (in lSl5.) a large manuiactory in
Albany, y. Y. In 1926 he produced more
perfect and splendid edition from entirely
new engravings. This establishment is still
in operation, though the sons have long since
died and the aged father retired wholly from
the business.
Mr.. Wilson retained his strength of mind
to an extreme old age, and his love for geog-
raphy, astronomy, and the mechanical arts
connected with them, remained unabated -
After he was eighty years of age, he invent
ed, and with bis own hands constructed, IA
machine illustrating the durnul and annual
revolutions of the earth, the course of the
successive seasons, and the suns place in the
ccilruc nl every day In the year. The ma
chine is also furnished with the means of
representing plainly and intelligibly the pre-
cesSion o! the equinoXes, one Of the most diff
ficult phenomena with which students of as
tronomy have to do. The large copper plate,
on which were printed the months of the
year with the days, and the corresponding
signs Of the zodiac with their degrees, was
engraved by Mr.. Wilson aticr he mas 0ghty-
three gears Of are. =. II. W.