Evening star., 1940-01-10
Albert H. bun,sfeod,
Mapmaker, Inventor
Dies al Home Here
Sun Compass Beorine
His Name Credited
For Byrd's Successes

Albert Holt Bumstead, who for 8
quarter of century supervised the
making of maps by the National
Geographic Society that have found
their way itno schoolrooms and
homes the world over, died at his
home yesterday. He was 81.
Mr.. Bumstead had been i'll fol
about four months and was con-
fined to his home most of the time
Several days ago he took turn for
the worse. He lived at 2940 Carlton
avenue NE.
He was the inventor of tripod, a
map protector and sun compass
which bear his name. His hobbies
included gem-cutting, astronomy
and working with marble.
The sun compass he invented was
credited by Rear Admiral Richard
E. Byrd as the instrument which
enabled him to reach the North
and South Poles.
Il do not hesitate to say that
without it we could not have reached
the poles" the explorer said.
Mountain Named for Him.
A mountain in the Antarctic re-
gions, just west of the Gilbert Gros-
venor Range, is named after the
famous inventor. It is seven degrees
south of Little America, toward the
South Pole.
Mr.. Bumsteads invention of the
method of reproducing more rapidly
the lettering on original maps came
as the result of a challenge from
a superior. Only a limited time
had been given the society for the
complete printing of a map of the
United States, and his superior
doubted it could be done in time.
Mr.. Bumstead went to work in
his shop in the basement of his
home. In six weeks he had COM
pleted the invention. The machine
photographs map letterings which
may be cut out and pasted on a
map for rephotography for the en-
gravers. It speeds up the process
OF map-making so per cent and
makes for a neatness and uniform
ity in map lettering not possible
before.
Mr.. Bumstead was a mapmaker
with the United States Geological
Survey from 1898 to 1903, and it
was during that period that he de-
vised tripod top device, an in
strument for making map projec-
tions.
Joined Inca Expedition.
After he left the Survey Mr.. Bum
stead went to Townsend Harbor
Mass, where he was engaged in
farming. However, 10 years later
he returned to his old calling when
he was selected as a topographer
on the Peruvian Inca Expedition.
l912-l4, headed by former Senator
Hiram Bingham, then professor of
Latin american history at Yale
University. 1t was largely through
his work with this expedition that
he was appointed photographer at
the National Geographic Society.
The Geographic Society has dis
tributed about $4,000, 900 copies of
maps since Mr.. Bumstead has been
IN charge of the map-making activi-
ties.
A set of tables for computing
geographical measurements, thus
determining more exactly the dis
tances between points on the earth's
surface, was computed by Mr.. Bum
stead after more than a year of
study.
Mr.. Bumstead was a member of
the United States Board of Geo.
graphical Names which rules on the
spelling of names of places. He
was a member of the Cosmos Club
and past member of the Society of
Military Engineers.
Native of Minnesota.
1t was in Mr.. Bumstead's ia
nous basement at his home that the
inventions which he turned out had
their origin. In it he had a maze
OF machinery - lathes, polishing
stones, motors, prisms-everything
he needed to while away the hours
"tinkering' and, incidentally, turn
ing out devices that revolutionized
processes of map-making.
A native of Minneapolis, Mimi,
Mr.. Bumstead received his educa-
ton at preparatory schools IN Rox-
bury and Boston, Mass, and later
attended Worcester (Mass.) Poly
technic Institute and Harvard Uni
versity.
In 1901 he married Annie Swee-
ney. Besides his widow he is survived
by four children, Robert of Phila-
delphia and Evelyn, Helen and
Newman, all of Washington; a sis
ter, Mrs. Edward Holden Of Brook
line, Mass; a brother, Ralph w.
Bumstead of Westf1eld, N. j., and a
granddaughter, Anne Bunstead.
Funeral services will be held at
4 pm. tomorrow at the All Souls
Unitarian Church. Burial will be
in North Conway. N. H., Mr.. Bum
steads summer home for 80 years.