"Biram's Patent" Anemometer
date: label: date made
content: 1850 - 1875
notes: label: Description
content: Portable, single-dial, eight-vane, mechanical anemometer with carrying or hanging loop at top. Device consists of a circular brass band with exterior frame around its vertical middle that holds a central shaft in place that is turned by the spatulate-shaped vanes and connected to a small circular dial, marked 1 to 9 with "X" at zero place, at center front of frame. Top front crossbar of frame engraved "Biram's Patent" while bottom front crossbar has "Davis & Son", "647" and "A" (sideways), all in roman letters.
label: Description
content: The anemometer measures wind velocity in order to determine the volume of air entering or exiting mine shafts. It was invented in 1844 by Benjamin Biram (1804-1857), house steward to the Earl Fitzwilliam, who owned several coal mines in South Yorkshire, England. Scientific instrument maker John Davis (1810-1873) of Derby, England, first manufactured the device in 1845; and anemometers based on Biram's patent continued to be produced by the successor firms of John Davis & Son and Davis Derby until the mid 20th century.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United Kingdom: England, Derby
topic: label: Subject
content: Miners
label: Subject
content: Safety
setName: label: See more items in
content: Home and Community Life: Domestic Life
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content: Work
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content: Industry & Manufacturing
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Estate of John Paul Remensnyder
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1982.0090.55
label: accession number
content: 1982.0090
label: catalog number
content: 1982.0090.55
objectType: label: Object Name
content: anemometer
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: brass (band; frame elements; handle material)
label: Physical Description
content: metal, sheet (vanes material)
label: Physical Description
content: steel (mechanism; pointer on dial material)
label: Physical Description
content: silvered brass (dial face material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 1 1/4 in x 4 1/2 in x 4 1/8 in; 3.175 cm x 11.43 cm x 10.4775 cm