Solar Compass (replica)
name: label: maker
content: W. & L. E. Gurley
notes: label: Description
content: A solar compass is a railroad compass with a solar attachment that lets surveyors find north by reference to the sun rather than by reference to the magnetic needle. The form originated with William Austin Burt, a United States Deputy Surveyor who began surveying government lands in Michigan in 1833. In 1835, while working in an area of Wisconsin where there were large deposits of iron ore, Burt experienced great difficulty in using his standard vernier compass. By December he had roughed out his ideas for a solar compass, and asked William J. Young to make a model that he could submit to the Patent Office. Burt received a patent (#9428) the following year, and the Franklin Institute awarded him the Scott’s Medal for this "ingenious" instrument.
label: Description
content: This replica of Burt’s early design was made for the Smithsonian by W. & L. E. Gurley. The inscription reads "W. & L. Gurley, Troy, N.Y."
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
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: PH.319512
label: catalog number
content: 319512
label: accession number
content: 238496
label: patent number
content: 9,428-X
objectType: label: Object Name
content: solar compass (replica)
physicalDescription: label: Measurements
content: overall: 10 in x 15 1/2 in x 12 in; 25.4 cm x 39.37 cm x 30.48 cm
label: Measurements
content: overall in case: 13 1/2 in x 15 1/2 in x 10 1/8 in; 34.29 cm x 39.37 cm x 25.7175 cm