Gauging Rod
date: label: Date made
content: ca. 1870 (patent date)
notes: label: Description
content: The Commissioner of Internal Revenue, in 1873, prescribed this form of gauging rod for use with spirituous liquors subject to taxation. This ornate example is made of nickel-plated brass and marked “PRIME & MCKEAN / PATD MARCH 31 & JULY 12, 1870 / WASHINGTON, D.C.” and “U.S. STANDARD INT. REV.” and “Wine Gallons.” The whole is contained in a wood box. The form combines the ideas of Eli S. Prime (ca. 1840-1885), a gauger in Baltimore, and Edwin McKean (ca. 1835-1896), then of Nashville. The maker is unknown.
label: Description
content: Ref: Eli S. Prime, “Improvement in Gauge Rods,” U.S. Patent 101,309 (March 29, 1870).
label: Description
content: Edwin R. McKean, “Improvement in Cask Gauging Instrument,” U.S. Patent 105,352 (July 12, 1870).
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Chemistry
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Transfer from U.S. Treasury Department Internal Revenue Service
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: CH.326997
label: catalog number
content: 326997
label: accession number
content: 267815
objectType: label: Object Name
content: Gauging Rod Kit, U.S. Standard
label: Object Name
content: gauging rod kit
physicalDescription: label: Measurements
content: assembled: 111.7 cm; 44 in
label: Measurements
content: box: 2 in x 14 in x 9 3/4 in; 5.08 cm x 35.56 cm x 24.765 cm
label: Measurements
content: overall; box: 2 1/8 in x 13 15/16 in x 11 5/8 in; 5.3975 cm x 35.40125 cm x 29.5275 cm