Decelerometer
date: label: date made
content: 1920s
name: label: maker
content: American Instrument Company
notes: label: Description
content: William S. James (1892-1964) became an engineering student at the George Washington University in 1910, and joined the staff of the National Bureau of Standards the following year. He later worked for Studebaker and the Ford Motor Company, and served as President of Society of Automotive Engineers.
label: Description
content: In 1924, automotive engineers connected with the National Bureau of Standards used the new James Brake Inspection Decelerometer to test the brakes of cars randomly selected. James received a patent on the form in 1928. This example is marked “James Brake Inspection Decelerometer, American Instrument Co., Washington, D.C. No. 808.”
label: Description
content: The American Instrument Co. was organized in 1919, with the aim of producing instruments developed at the National Bureau of Standards. It began business in Washington, D.C., and later moved to Silver Spring, Md.
label: Description
content: Ref: “Expert Workers for Uncle Sam. XLII. W. S. James,” <i>Washington Post</i> (Feb. 29, 1924), p. 6.
label: Description
content: “Brake Tests Investigated,” <i>Los Angeles Times</i> (Aug. 24, 1924), p. G10.
label: Description
content: William S. James, “Decelerometer or the Like,” U.S. Patent 1,668,809 (May 8, 1928).
label: Description
content: “William James, 71, Research Engineer,” <i>New York Times</i> (March 1, 1964), p. 83.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: District of Columbia, Washington
topic: label: Subject
content: Automobiles
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Physical Sciences
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: PH.322267
label: catalog number
content: 322267
label: accession number
content: 247189
objectType: label: Object Name
content: decelerometer
physicalDescription: label: Measurements
content: overall: 4 1/4 in x 7 in x 7 in; 10.795 cm x 17.78 cm x 17.78 cm