Counter, Stillman Counting Machine, U.S. Patent Office Model
date: label: date made
content: 1854
name: label: patentee
content: Stillman, Paul
label: maker
content: Stillman, Paul
notes: label: Description
content: During the second half of the 19th century, steam engines played a growing role in American life. This U.S. Patent Office model is for a counter used to count the number of revolutions of a steam engine. Paul Stillman (about 1811-1856) was one of three brothers who ran the New York City machine shop Novelty Iron Works. He took a particular interest in steam gauges,manometers, steam indicators, and pyrometers.
label: Description
content: In 1848 Stillman took out a patent for a device to measure the pressure of steam and the extent of the vacuum in steam boilers and engines. This invention won him recognition from the Franklin Institute of Philadelphia. The measuring device on this instrument was analog, not digital. In 1854 he patented this digital improvement in counting machines. The following year, he patented a water gauge for steam boilers. Stillman’s son, Francis H. Stillman, also became a distinguished mechanical engineer.
label: Description
content: The patent model has a wooden base and sides, with a metal plate across the top with four windows in it. Underneath each window is a cogged metal wheel, with the digits from 0 to 9 around the rim. To the right, on the same shaft as the wheels, is a brass crank that fits through a fifth hole in the plate. Moving the crank forward advances the rightmost wheel by one and, if necessary, activates the carry mechanism.
label: Description
content: A mark on a paper tag nailed to the frame reads: Paul Stillman (/) Appa’ for Registering Numbers (/) Dec 15th 1852. A mark on the back of the base reads: 11577 (/) L 1201-1208.
label: Description
content: The Novelty Iron Works made and sold Stillman’s register before and after his death. An 1864 price list, included at the back of a new edition of his <I>The Steam Engine Indicator, and the Improved Manometer Steam and Vacuum Gauges; Their Utility and Application</I>, indicates that the registers then sold with dials in 8”, 10” and 13” sizes, and had prices of $65.00 to $75.00 apiece.
label: Description
content: References:
label: Description
content: P. Stillman, “Improvement in Counting-Machines,” U.S. Patent 11,577, August 22, 1854.
label: Description
content: P. Stillman, <I>The Steam Engine Indicator, and the Improved Manometer Steam and Vacuum Gauges; Their Utility and Application</I>, New York: Van Nostrand, 1864, pp. 82-84, 94-95. Editions of this book appeared at least as early as 1851.
label: Description
content: "Deceased Inventors," <I>Scientific American</I>, 20 #2 (Sept 20 1856), p. 11.
label: Description
content: “Francis H. Stillman: A Biographical Sketch,” <I>Cassier’s Magazine</I>, 33, #6 (April 1908), p. 684.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: New York, New York City
label: place patented
content: United States: New York, New York City
topic: label: Subject
content: Steam Engines
label: Subject
content: Mathematics
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
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: MA.309327
label: accession number
content: 89797
label: catalog number
content: 309327
objectType: label: Object Name
content: counter
label: Object Type
content: Patent Model
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: brass (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: steel (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: paper (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: wood (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 3 cm x 12.5 cm x 8.5 cm; 1 3/16 in x 4 15/16 in x 3 3/8 in