Capt. Field's Improved Hinged Parallel Rule Signed Henry Hughes & Son
date: label: date made
content: 1919
notes: label: Description
content: This 21" German silver hinged parallel rule has two small knobs for positioning the instrument. Brass round pieces cover the screws securing the two hinges. An indentation is on both blades at the center of the rule, with a line marking the center. The edges of the top blade are marked as a rectangular protractor, and the edges of the bottom blade are marked for nautical compass points.
label: Description
content: The center of the top blade is marked: U. S. C. & G. S. NO. 331. The right end of the top blade is marked: CAPT. FIELD'S IMP<sup>D</sup>. The right end of the lower blade is marked: H. HUGHES & SON L<sup>TD</sup>. LONDON. The left end has the firm's "HUSUN" logo, with a sun above the letters and waves below the letters.
label: Description
content: Capt. William Andrew Field (about 1796–1871) of Britain added a protractor and compass scales to hinged parallel rules in 1854. This made it easier for ship navigators to move the rule without losing track of the ship's course. Henry Hughes & Son made marine and aeronautical navigational instruments in London from 1828 to 1947 and incorporated in 1903. According to the accession file, the U.S. Coast & Geodetic Survey acquired this rule on August 21, 1919, and last issued it on September 5, 1922. Compare to MA.309662 and MA.309663.
label: Description
content: References: "Field's Parallel Rule," <i>The Nautical Magazine and Naval Chronicle</i> 23, no. 5 (May 1854): 280; Peggy A. Kidwell, "American Parallel Rules: Invention on the Fringes of Industry," <i>Rittenhouse</i> 10, no. 39 (1996): 90–96; National Maritime Museum, "Captain Field's Improved Parallel Rule," Object ID NAV0602, http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/42814.html; Science Museum Group, "Henry Hughes and Son Limited," <i>Collections Online – People</i>, http://collectionsonline.nmsi.ac.uk/detail.php?type=related&kv=58792&t=people.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United Kingdom: England, London
topic: label: Subject
content: Mathematics
label: Subject
content: Navigation
label: Subject
content: Government
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Mathematics
label: See more items in
content: Science & Mathematics
label: See more items in
content: Parallel Rules
label: See more items in
content: Measuring & Mapping
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Transfer from U.S. Department of Commerce, Coast & Geodetic Survey
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: MA.309661
label: catalog number
content: 309661
label: accession number
content: 106954
objectType: label: Object Name
content: parallel rule
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: brass (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: german silver (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 1.1 cm x 53.3 cm x 7.3 cm; 7/16 in x 20 31/32 in x 2 7/8 in