Telegraph Register
date: label: date made
content: 1865
name: label: maker
content: Clark, James J.
label: maker
content: Splitdorf, Henry
notes: label: Description
content: The time service of the U.S. Naval Observatory began in 1845 when a time ball was installed above the observatory dome. Since this ball dropped each day at noon, people in sight of the Observatory could set their watches and chronometers.
label: Description
content: The Naval Observatory bought this telegraph sounder in 1865, and used it in connection with the telegraphic time signals it would send to such local facilities as the fire alarm office, the State Department, and the Western Union Office. The “JAS J. CLARK, H. SPLITDORF NEW-YORK” inscription on the frame is that of James J. Clark and Henry Splitdorf, telegraph instrument makers who were in business together at the time. Henry Splitdorf (ca. 1834-1916) was an immigrant from Germany.
label: Description
content: Ref: James J. Clark and Henry Splitdorf, “Improvement in Sounder Magnets,” U.S. Patent 49,857 (1865).
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: New York, New York City
topic: label: Subject
content: Science & Scientific Instruments
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Physical Sciences
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: U. S. Naval Observatory
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: PH.328882
label: catalog number
content: 328882
label: accession number
content: 277916
objectType: label: Object Name
content: Telegraph Register
physicalDescription: label: Measurements
content: overall: 13 cm x 5 cm x 6.75 cm; 5 1/8 in x 1 31/32 in x 2 21/32 in
label: Measurements
content: overall: 6 3/4 in x 5 in x 13 1/8 in; 17.145 cm x 12.7 cm x 33.3375 cm