Theodolite
date: label: date made
content: 1879-1896
name: label: maker
content: Kübel, Edward
notes: label: Description
content: This theodolite was made for the U. S. Geological Survey, soon after that agency was organized in 1879. It was transferred to the Smithsonian in 1907. The inscriptions read "No. 172 Edward Kübel, Washington, DC" and "U.S.G.S. 8 IN No. 1." The horizontal circle is silvered, graduated to 20 minutes, and read by opposite verniers and magnifiers to 20 seconds. The vertical circle is silvered, graduated to 20 minutes of arc, and read by vernier and magnifier to single minutes.
label: Description
content: Edward Kübel (1820-1896) was born in Bavaria, moved to Washington, D.C. around 1849, and became foreman for William Würdemann. He began in business on his own in 1875, advertising that he "continues to manufacture the class of Astronomical and Geodetical Instruments formerly made by Mr. Würdemann." According to an account written in 1884, Kübel employed seven or eight skilled workmen, and his business was principally for the U. S. government.
label: Description
content: Ref: Silvio Bedini, "Edward Kübel (1820-1896) Washington, D.C. Instrument Maker," <i>Journal of the Washington Academy of Sciences</i> 85 (1998): 247-279.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: District of Columbia, Washington
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: Journal of the Washington Academy of Sciences
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: PH.247971
label: accession number
content: 47736
label: catalog number
content: 247971
objectType: label: Object Name
content: Theodolite
physicalDescription: label: Measurements
content: overall: 14 in; 35.56 cm
label: Measurements
content: horizontal circle: 9 in; 22.86 cm
label: Measurements
content: graduated horizontal circle: 8 in; 20.32 cm
label: Measurements
content: vertical circle: 4 1/4 in; 10.795 cm
label: Measurements
content: telescope: 18 in; 45.72 cm
label: Measurements
content: overall: 14 1/8 in x 10 3/8 in x 19 5/8 in; 35.8775 cm x 26.3525 cm x 49.8475 cm