Wye Level
date: label: date made
content: 1852-1876
name: label: owner
content: Bowdoin College
label: maker
content: W. & L. E. Gurley
notes: label: Description
content: "Of the different varieties of the leveling instrument, that termed the Y Level, has been almost universally preferred by American engineers, on account of the facility of its adjustment and superior accuracy," declared Gurley in 1871. At that time, Gurley offered four different levels, with telescopes of 16, 18, 20, and 22 inches long. Since the "W. & L. E. Gurley, Troy, N.Y." signature on this example was engraved by hand, the level was made between 1852 when Gurley began in business, and 1876, when Gurley's new engraving machine was up and running. New, with tripod, this level cost $110. It belonged to Bowdoin College.
label: Description
content: Ref: W. & L. E. Gurley, <i>Manual of the Principal Instruments used in American Engineering and Surveying</i> (Troy, N.Y., 1871), pp. 197–118.
label: Description
content: W. Skerritt, "W. & L. E. Gurley's Engraving Machine," <i>Rittenhouse</i> 11 (1997): 97–100.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: New York, Troy
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Physical Sciences
label: See more items in
content: Surveying and Geodesy
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content: Measuring & Mapping
publisher: label: Related Publication
content: W. & L. E. Gurley. Manual of the Prinicipal Instruments Used in American Engineering and Surveying; 17th Edition
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: PH.329727
label: catalog number
content: 329727
label: accession number
content: 278336
objectType: label: Object Name
content: level (wye)
physicalDescription: label: Measurements
content: telescope: 18 in; 45.72 cm
label: Measurements
content: overall in case: 4 7/8 in x 18 1/2 in x 9 1/8 in; 12.3825 cm x 46.99 cm x 23.1775 cm