Counter Associated with Telephone Poles
date: label: date made
content: ca 1920
notes: label: Description
content: This special-purpose instrument consists of a wooden box, 27 counters arranged in three rows that fit in the box, and a reddish plastic cover. The cover has 27 round holes that expose the punches that drive the counters. Twenty-seven rectangular holes reveal the five-digit reading of the counters. Between the counters are three metal slots that hold paper labels for the different counters. The labels are marked in pencil or typed.
label: Description
content: The slip of paper in the lowest metal slot has marks that read: GUYS (/) Head / Anchors (/) Earth / Rock / Bolt, and: Double Arms / Brace / Transposition / Light. (/) Rod. These terms may refer to properties of telephone poles. The pencil markings on the paper slips above the top two rows of counters are very hard to decipher.
label: Description
content: The object was transferred to the Smithsonian from the Interstate Commerce Commission in 1962.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
topic: label: Subject
content: Mathematics
label: Subject
content: Telephone
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Mathematics
label: See more items in
content: Counters
label: See more items in
content: Science & Mathematics
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Transfer from U.S. Interstate Commerce Commission
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: MA.321785
label: catalog number
content: 321785
label: accession number
content: 246883
objectType: label: Object Name
content: counter
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: metal (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: wood (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: paper (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: plastic (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 3 cm x 27.8 cm x 15 cm; 1 3/16 in x 10 15/16 in x 5 7/8 in