. Jalbum 8.5 slides/Ainsworth & Sons 1905 Mining Reporter.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 AINSWORTH & SONS AD - Ad in the 1905 Mining Reporter for Ainsworth balances and the Brunton pocket transit AINSWORTH & SONS AD - Ad in the 1905 Mining Reporter for Ainsworth balances and the Brunton pocket transit slides/Ainsworth & Sons 1905 Mining Reporter.JPG slides/Ainsworth Assay Balance.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 AINSWORTH ASSAY BALANCE - Wm. Ainsworth assay button balance, serial #643, made about 1892, case is French polished mahogany from Gold Coast of Africa with two front drawers with ivory pulls, all brass hardware, button pans are German silver, counter balance sliding door with original lock and key, measures 20 in. wide, 10 in. deep and 16 in. high, 8 in. beam, marked Wm. AINSWORTH MAKER; 643; DENVER, COLO with two bubble levels, early balance made by Ainsworth prior to company name change to Ainsworth and Sons in 1899, unknown model number since it was made before first Ainsworth catalog in 1895, appears to be early version of No. 045 Silver Button Balance advertised in 1903 Henry Heil Chemical Company St. Louis, Mo. catalog (item #2601/20); acquired from the Standards Laboratory of the New Jersey Zinc Company (note the short history below). [While several types of balances were used in the fire-assaying process (see pulp balances elsewhere in my pics), the assay or button balance (terms are synonymous) is unique. Its only purpose was to weigh the button or small pellet of gold or silver which was the final result of the assaying process. The assay balance was designed to be very accurate with sensitivities of 0.01 to 0.02 milligrams. Although the internal workings of an assay balance and a pulp or analytical balance are different, the easiest way to tell them apart is the size of the pans. Assay balance pans vary from 1/4 to 5/8 in. in diameter while the pulp balance has 2 in. diameter pans or larger. The history of assay balance manufacturing in the western US begins with William Ainsworth, America’s premiere assay balance and analytical balance maker. Ainsworth was born January 22, 1850 in Lancashire, England. He, his mother and a sister Anne Elizabeth (born May 1842) came to America in 1853. In his teens, he obtained a job in the Elgin watch factory at Elgin, Illinois where his duties consisted of selecting, testing, installing and manipulating the hair springs of the watches, a very delicate and tedious job. He later worked for the Union Copper Distilling Company of Calumet in Cook County, Illinois where he was employed as a steam engineer and eventually Chief Engineer. In 1874, he moved to Black River Falls, Wisconsin, where he worked for J. W. Cole and Company as a watch maker. There he met and married Elma E. Eastman. It is evident through his work experiences that Ainsworth learned to be top-notch toolmaker and mechanical engineer. In 1875, the young couple moved west, traveled through Denver and settled in Central City, Colorado, where he turned to his watch making trade to earn a living, working for various jewelers there. This work led Ainsworth into contact with a variety of people, mostly miners and assayers, and it is believed that these associations eventually led him into the balance business. To help the assayers, he began repairing assay balances and in time learned the "secrets of the trade." In 1877 the Ainsworths moved to Denver. Although his primary sources of income were watch making, machining and time lock repairing for banks, he continued to develop his balance trade on the side. The Denver City Directory of 1879 lists William Ainsworth as a watch maker for A. B. Ingols Jewelry and in 1880 and 1881 he is listed as an owner in the Swain & Ainsworth Machine Shop on 474 Larimer Street. It was in 1879 while serving as a watch maker for A. B. Ingols that Ainsworth probably made his first balance. He began by buying a small hand planer and on this planer he machined the bed of a small engine lathe. He built the lathe in its entirety and then began the slow process of making his own taps and dies. He established his own standards of sizes and thread forms. It is also believed that he then constructed a milling machine. The first balance parts were turned out on the small lathe and miller with a great deal of hand work. The brass beams were laid out and sawed with a jeweler's saw and the balance cases were made of high grade African mahogany with a French polish finish. In 1882 Ainsworth had his watch making and balance shop at 248 16th Street and several years later he located his shop at 577 and 579 Lawrence St. This address eventually became his factory and home for many years. In 1887 a street re-numbering occurred and, although the factory and home remained in the same building at the same location, the address became 2151 Lawrence. Information regarding Ainsworth's early balances is, of course, quite scarce. A serial number record from #473 to #2027 is known, but it only provides a description; there are no dates. It is possible to date balance serial #1000 at 1898, which would mean that Ainsworth built one thousand balances between 1880 and 1898, or approximately 55 balances a year. Since in 1899 the company built approximately 100 balances, 55 a year does not seem unlikely. One of Ainsworth's outstanding contributions to the industry was his development of shortening the balance beam, which effectively quickened the assaying process. The firm of William Ainsworth Balance Company started in 1880 even though he continued with his watch repair and time lock service. Ainsworth balances were almost immediately preferred by the local assayers. In spite of this acceptance, however, the problem of building sufficient volume to support a family with this infant industry was a tough one and Ainsworth found it necessary to hire out his services to keep the business going. It may be this situation that caused him to be listed as a watch maker and machinist rather than a balance maker. William Ainsworth provided the experience and perhaps the motivation for a number of prospective balance manufacturers. Of the five prominent western balance companies, all but one of the owners had at least some part of their training with William Ainsworth. They were Elmer Smith and Fred Thompson who would establish Smith & Thompson Balance Company (later to become the Thompson Balance Company), Albert Dahlberg and Hugo Franow who would establish the Denver Balance Company, and George Keller who would establish the Keller Balance Company in Salt Lake City. The latter gave some training and opportunity to George Spiegel and Wilfred Huesser in their balance making endeavors. The Ainsworth Balance Company continued to prosper and around 1895, Mr. D. W. Brunton brought his newly patented Brunton Pocket Transit to William Ainsworth to manufacture. The first lot consisted of twenty-five instruments, and thus began the Brunton Pocket Transit business, which was to serve the company well into the 20th century. Around 1899, William's two sons joined him and the company became known as Ainsworth and Sons. Robert G. Ainsworth was born in Pennsylvania on January 1, 1878 and Alfred W. Ainsworth on October 30, 1884. Both got their early training in the Ainsworth factory and it was a natural course of events that led them to join the firm in 1899. The success of the Brunton Pocket Transit may have contributed to the decision of Ainsworth and Sons Company to build and market surveying instruments. In any event, the work was started on surveying instruments around 1904, but the first transits were not marketed until 1906. This continued until 1940, when the transit business was sold to Harry Glantz, who had been an instrument maker for Ainsworth. After that purchase, the transit business that had operated under the Ainsworth name became known as Rocky Mountain Instrument Company. Sometime around 1910, Ainsworth & Sons began a major shift from manufacturing assay balances to manufacturing analytical balances. William Ainsworth died January 1, 1917, leaving the management of the company in the hands of his two sons and his wife, Elma E. Ainsworth. From shortly before WW I until the 1930s the company went through a period of wide diversification. These included manufacture of a Dodge automobile transmission, spotlights, tire gauges, automobile signaling devices, perfume atomizers, toilet flush valves, moving picture machines, smoking pipes, furnace grates, valve-facing tools for automobiles, seismographs, mining carbide lamps, gunsights, and radio parts. Ainsworth and Sons were the sole manufacturers of the hard to find Arnold Carbide Candle (shown in my carbide hand lamp pics) patented by Ralph R. Arnold of Cripple Creek, CO in 1912. By 1934 the idea of wooden cased balances was abandoned and the Company began producing balances in metal cases. The Ainsworth and Sons Company was purchased in 1965 by Xavier Science Corporation, and in 1967 the plant was moved to the Denver Tech Center. During this time, ownership of the company went through several hands, including Tastee-Freeze Industries, Inc. of Chicago. More recently, the rights to the Ainsworth name have been purchased by the Denver Instrument Company of Denver. See John and Geraldine Shannon, The Assay Balance Its Evolution and the Histories of the Companies That Made Them, 1999 and John Shannon, Mining Artifact Collector #2, pp 30-31] The following short history of the New Jersey Zinc Company is a sad testament to the mining history of the US. The New Jersey Zinc Company was for many years the largest producer of zinc and zinc products in the United States. The company had its origins in northwestern New Jersey in 1848 when two companies were created to exploit the iron and zinc deposits at Franklin and Sterling Hill in Sussex County, New Jersey. The Sussex Zinc and Copper Mining and Manufacturing Corporation was incorporated in 1848 for the purpose of mining zinc, and the New Jersey Exploration and Mining Company was incorporated in 1849 for the purpose of mining iron. The founding partners were the same for both companies, and in 1852 the companies merged to form the New Jersey Zinc Corporation. The company adopted the horsehead, one of the state symbols of New Jersey, as its logo. Because of ambiguous deeds, overlapping claims, and misunderstanding over the nature of the ores at Franklin and Sterling Hill, mining companies in the district were in constant litigation. From 1868 to 1880, the New Jersey Zinc Company fought a legal battle with Moses Taylor's Franklin Iron Company, a dispute that was finally resolved in 1880 by merging the two companies into the New Jersey Zinc and Iron Company. In 1897, the remaining Franklin District companies were consolidated under the umbrella of the New Jersey Zinc Company, led by Stephen S. Palmer. The Palmer family controlled the company for 46 years until the death of Stephen's son Edgar in 1943, when the estate of Edgar Palmer was forced to sell its controlling interest in order to pay inheritance taxes. In 1966, the company agreed to merge with Gulf and Western Industries and become a subsidiary of that great conglomerate. The passage of environmental protection laws in the 1970's turned New Jersey Zinc's legacy of environmental pollution into a liability. In 1981, former officials of Gulf and Western's Natural Resources Division led a buyout of New Jersey Zinc and made it a subsidiary of Horsehead Industries, Inc, a reference to the company's logo adopted in 1852. Saddled with environmental cleanup liabilities, and struggling with cash flow due to record low prices in the early 2000's, Horsehead Industries filed for bankruptcy in 2002. AINSWORTH ASSAY BALANCE - Wm. Ainsworth assay button balance, serial #643, made about 1892, case is French polished mahogany from Gold Coast of Africa with two front drawers with ivory pulls, all brass hardware, button pans are German silver, counter balance sliding door with original lock and key, measures 20 in. wide, 10 in. deep and 16 in. high, 8 in. beam, marked Wm. AINSWORTH MAKER; 643; DENVER, COLO with two bubble levels, early balance made by Ainsworth prior to company name change to Ainsworth and Sons in 1899, unknown model number since it was made before first Ainsworth catalog in 1895, appears to be early version of No. 045 Silver Button Balance advertised in 1903 Henry Heil Chemical Company St. Louis, Mo. catalog (item #2601/20); acquired from the Standards Laboratory of the New Jersey Zinc Company (note the short history below). [While several types of balances were used in the fire-assaying process (see pulp balances elsewhere in my pics), the assay or button balance (terms are synonymous) is unique. Its only purpose was to weigh the button or small pellet of gold or silver which was the final result of the assaying process. The assay balance was designed to be very accurate with sensitivities of 0.01 to 0.02 milligrams. Although the internal workings of an assay balance and a pulp or analytical balance are different, the easiest way to tell them apart is the size of the pans. Assay balance pans vary from 1/4 to 5/8 in. in diameter while the pulp balance has 2 in. diameter pans or larger. The history of assay balance manufacturing in the western US begins with William Ainsworth, America’s premiere assay balance and analytical balance maker. Ainsworth was born January 22, 1850 in Lancashire, England. He, his mother and a sister Anne Elizabeth (born May 1842) came to America in 1853. In his teens, he obtained a job in the Elgin watch factory at Elgin, Illinois where his duties consisted of selecting, testing, installing and manipulating the hair springs of the watches, a very delicate and tedious job. He later worked for the Union Copper Distilling Company of Calumet in Cook County, Illinois where he was employed as a steam engineer and eventually Chief Engineer. In 1874, he moved to Black River Falls, Wisconsin, where he worked for J. W. Cole and Company as a watch maker. There he met and married Elma E. Eastman. It is evident through his work experiences that Ainsworth learned to be top-notch toolmaker and mechanical engineer. In 1875, the young couple moved west, traveled through Denver and settled in Central City, Colorado, where he turned to his watch making trade to earn a living, working for various jewelers there. This work led Ainsworth into contact with a variety of people, mostly miners and assayers, and it is believed that these associations eventually led him into the balance business. To help the assayers, he began repairing assay balances and in time learned the "secrets of the trade." In 1877 the Ainsworths moved to Denver. Although his primary sources of income were watch making, machining and time lock repairing for banks, he continued to develop his balance trade on the side. The Denver City Directory of 1879 lists William Ainsworth as a watch maker for A. B. Ingols Jewelry and in 1880 and 1881 he is listed as an owner in the Swain & Ainsworth Machine Shop on 474 Larimer Street. It was in 1879 while serving as a watch maker for A. B. Ingols that Ainsworth probably made his first balance. He began by buying a small hand planer and on this planer he machined the bed of a small engine lathe. He built the lathe in its entirety and then began the slow process of making his own taps and dies. He established his own standards of sizes and thread forms. It is also believed that he then constructed a milling machine. The first balance parts were turned out on the small lathe and miller with a great deal of hand work. The brass beams were laid out and sawed with a jeweler's saw and the balance cases were made of high grade African mahogany with a French polish finish. In 1882 Ainsworth had his watch making and balance shop at 248 16th Street and several years later he located his shop at 577 and 579 Lawrence St. This address eventually became his factory and home for many years. In 1887 a street re-numbering occurred and, although the factory and home remained in the same building at the same location, the address became 2151 Lawrence. Information regarding Ainsworth's early balances is, of course, quite scarce. A serial number record from #473 to #2027 is known, but it only provides a description; there are no dates. It is possible to date balance serial #1000 at 1898, which would mean that Ainsworth built one thousand balances between 1880 and 1898, or approximately 55 balances a year. Since in 1899 the company built approximately 100 balances, 55 a year does not seem unlikely. One of Ainsworth's outstanding contributions to the industry was his development of shortening the balance beam, which effectively quickened the assaying process. The firm of William Ainsworth Balance Company started in 1880 even though he continued with his watch repair and time lock service. Ainsworth balances were almost immediately preferred by the local assayers. In spite of this acceptance, however, the problem of building sufficient volume to support a family with this infant industry was a tough one and Ainsworth found it necessary to hire out his services to keep the business going. It may be this situation that caused him to be listed as a watch maker and machinist rather than a balance maker. William Ainsworth provided the experience and perhaps the motivation for a number of prospective balance manufacturers. Of the five prominent western balance companies, all but one of the owners had at least some part of their training with William Ainsworth. They were Elmer Smith and Fred Thompson who would establish Smith & Thompson Balance Company (later to become the Thompson Balance Company), Albert Dahlberg and Hugo Franow who would establish the Denver Balance Company, and George Keller who would establish the Keller Balance Company in Salt Lake City. The latter gave some training and opportunity to George Spiegel and Wilfred Huesser in their balance making endeavors. The Ainsworth Balance Company continued to prosper and around 1895, Mr. D. W. Brunton brought his newly patented Brunton Pocket Transit to William Ainsworth to manufacture. The first lot consisted of twenty-five instruments, and thus began the Brunton Pocket Transit business, which was to serve the company well into the 20th century. Around 1899, William's two sons joined him and the company became known as Ainsworth and Sons. Robert G. Ainsworth was born in Pennsylvania on January 1, 1878 and Alfred W. Ainsworth on October 30, 1884. Both got their early training in the Ainsworth factory and it was a natural course of events that led them to join the firm in 1899. The success of the Brunton Pocket Transit may have contributed to the decision of Ainsworth and Sons Company to build and market surveying instruments. In any event, the work was started on surveying instruments around 1904, but the first transits were not marketed until 1906. This continued until 1940, when the transit business was sold to Harry Glantz, who had been an instrument maker for Ainsworth. After that purchase, the transit business that had operated under the Ainsworth name became known as Rocky Mountain Instrument Company. Sometime around 1910, Ainsworth & Sons began a major shift from manufacturing assay balances to manufacturing analytical balances. William Ainsworth died January 1, 1917, leaving the management of the company in the hands of his two sons and his wife, Elma E. Ainsworth. From shortly before WW I until the 1930s the company went through a period of wide diversification. These included manufacture of a Dodge automobile transmission, spotlights, tire gauges, automobile signaling devices, perfume atomizers, toilet flush valves, moving picture machines, smoking pipes, furnace grates, valve-facing tools for automobiles, seismographs, mining carbide lamps, gunsights, and radio parts. Ainsworth and Sons were the sole manufacturers of the hard to find Arnold Carbide Candle (shown in my carbide hand lamp pics) patented by Ralph R. Arnold of Cripple Creek, CO in 1912. By 1934 the idea of wooden cased balances was abandoned and the Company began producing balances in metal cases. The Ainsworth and Sons Company was purchased in 1965 by Xavier Science Corporation, and in 1967 the plant was moved to the Denver Tech Center. During this time, ownership of the company went through several hands, including Tastee-Freeze Industries, Inc. of Chicago. More recently, the rights to the Ainsworth name have been purchased by the Denver Instrument Company of Denver. See John and Geraldine Shannon, The Assay Balance Its Evolution and the Histories of the Companies That Made Them, 1999 and John Shannon, Mining Artifact Collector #2, pp 30-31] The following short history of the New Jersey Zinc Company is a sad testament to the mining history of the US. The New Jersey Zinc Company was for many years the largest producer of zinc and zinc products in the United States. The company had its origins in northwestern New Jersey in 1848 when two companies were created to exploit the iron and zinc deposits at Franklin and Sterling Hill in Sussex County, New Jersey. The Sussex Zinc and Copper Mining and Manufacturing Corporation was incorporated in 1848 for the purpose of mining zinc, and the New Jersey Exploration and Mining Company was incorporated in 1849 for the purpose of mining iron. The founding partners were the same for both companies, and in 1852 the companies merged to form the New Jersey Zinc Corporation. The company adopted the horsehead, one of the state symbols of New Jersey, as its logo. Because of ambiguous deeds, overlapping claims, and misunderstanding over the nature of the ores at Franklin and Sterling Hill, mining companies in the district were in constant litigation. From 1868 to 1880, the New Jersey Zinc Company fought a legal battle with Moses Taylor's Franklin Iron Company, a dispute that was finally resolved in 1880 by merging the two companies into the New Jersey Zinc and Iron Company. In 1897, the remaining Franklin District companies were consolidated under the umbrella of the New Jersey Zinc Company, led by Stephen S. Palmer. The Palmer family controlled the company for 46 years until the death of Stephen's son Edgar in 1943, when the estate of Edgar Palmer was forced to sell its controlling interest in order to pay inheritance taxes. In 1966, the company agreed to merge with Gulf and Western Industries and become a subsidiary of that great conglomerate. The passage of environmental protection laws in the 1970's turned New Jersey Zinc's legacy of environmental pollution into a liability. In 1981, former officials of Gulf and Western's Natural Resources Division led a buyout of New Jersey Zinc and made it a subsidiary of Horsehead Industries, Inc, a reference to the company's logo adopted in 1852. Saddled with environmental cleanup liabilities, and struggling with cash flow due to record low prices in the early 2000's, Horsehead Industries filed for bankruptcy in 2002. slides/Ainsworth Assay Balance.JPG slides/Ainsworth Assay Balance Workings.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 AINSWORTH ASSAY BALANCE - Wm. Ainsworth assay button balance, serial #643, made about 1892, case is French polished mahogany from Gold Coast of Africa with two front drawers with ivory pulls, all brass hardware, button pans are German silver, counter balance sliding door with original lock and key, measures 20 in. wide, 10 in. deep and 16 in. high, 8 in. beam, marked Wm. AINSWORTH MAKER; 643; DENVER, COLO with two bubble levels, early balance made by Ainsworth prior to company name change to Ainsworth and Sons in 1899, unknown model number since it was made before first Ainsworth catalog in 1895, appears to be early version of No. 045 Silver Button Balance advertised in 1903 Henry Heil Chemical Company St. Louis, Mo. catalog (item #2601/20). [While several types of balances were used in the fire-assaying process (see pulp balances elsewhere in my pics), the assay or button balance (terms are synonymous) is unique. Its only purpose was to weigh the button or small pellet of gold or silver which was the final result of the assaying process. The assay balance was designed to be very accurate with sensitivities of 0.01 to 0.02 milligrams. Although the internal workings of an assay balance and a pulp or analytical balance are different, the easiest way to tell them apart is the size of the pans. Assay balance pans vary from 1/4 to 5/8 in. in diameter while the pulp balance has 2 in. diameter pans or larger. The history of assay balance manufacturing in the western US begins with William Ainsworth, America’s premiere assay balance and analytical balance maker. Ainsworth was born January 22, 1850 in Lancashire, England. He, his mother and a sister Anne Elizabeth (born May 1842) came to America in 1853. In his teens, he obtained a job in the Elgin watch factory at Elgin, Illinois where his duties consisted of selecting, testing, installing and manipulating the hair springs of the watches, a very delicate and tedious job. He later worked for the Union Copper Distilling Company of Calumet in Cook County, Illinois where he was employed as a steam engineer and eventually Chief Engineer. In 1874, he moved to Black River Falls, Wisconsin, where he worked for J. W. Cole and Company as a watch maker. There he met and married Elma E. Eastman. It is evident through his work experiences that Ainsworth learned to be top-notch toolmaker and mechanical engineer. In 1875, the young couple moved west, traveled through Denver and settled in Central City, Colorado, where he turned to his watch making trade to earn a living, working for various jewelers there. This work led Ainsworth into contact with a variety of people, mostly miners and assayers, and it is believed that these associations eventually led him into the balance business. To help the assayers, he began repairing assay balances and in time learned the "secrets of the trade." In 1877 the Ainsworths moved to Denver. Although his primary sources of income were watch making, machining and time lock repairing for banks, he continued to develop his balance trade on the side. The Denver City Directory of 1879 lists William Ainsworth as a watch maker for A. B. Ingols Jewelry and in 1880 and 1881 he is listed as an owner in the Swain & Ainsworth Machine Shop on 474 Larimer Street. It was in 1879 while serving as a watch maker for A. B. Ingols that Ainsworth probably made his first balance. He began by buying a small hand planer and on this planer he machined the bed of a small engine lathe. He built the lathe in its entirety and then began the slow process of making his own taps and dies. He established his own standards of sizes and thread forms. It is also believed that he then constructed a milling machine. The first balance parts were turned out on the small lathe and miller with a great deal of hand work. The brass beams were laid out and sawed with a jeweler's saw and the balance cases were made of high grade African mahogany with a French polish finish. In 1882 Ainsworth had his watch making and balance shop at 248 16th Street and several years later he located his shop at 577 and 579 Lawrence St. This address eventually became his factory and home for many years. In 1887 a street re-numbering occurred and, although the factory and home remained in the same building at the same location, the address became 2151 Lawrence. Information regarding Ainsworth's early balances is, of course, quite scarce. A serial number record from #473 to #2027 is known, but it only provides a description; there are no dates. It is possible to date balance serial #1000 at 1898, which would mean that Ainsworth built one thousand balances between 1880 and 1898, or approximately 55 balances a year. Since in 1899 the company built approximately 100 balances, 55 a year does not seem unlikely. One of Ainsworth's outstanding contributions to the industry was his development of shortening the balance beam, which effectively quickened the assaying process. The firm of William Ainsworth Balance Company started in 1880 even though he continued with his watch repair and time lock service. Ainsworth balances were almost immediately preferred by the local assayers. In spite of this acceptance, however, the problem of building sufficient volume to support a family with this infant industry was a tough one and Ainsworth found it necessary to hire out his services to keep the business going. It may be this situation that caused him to be listed as a watch maker and machinist rather than a balance maker. William Ainsworth provided the experience and perhaps the motivation for a number of prospective balance manufacturers. Of the five prominent western balance companies, all but one of the owners had at least some part of their training with William Ainsworth. They were Elmer Smith and Fred Thompson who would establish Smith & Thompson Balance Company (later to become the Thompson Balance Company), Albert Dahlberg and Hugo Franow who would establish the Denver Balance Company, and George Keller who would establish the Keller Balance Company in Salt Lake City. The latter gave some training and opportunity to George Spiegel and Wilfred Huesser in their balance making endeavors. The Ainsworth Balance Company continued to prosper and around 1895, Mr. D. W. Brunton brought his newly patented Brunton Pocket Transit to William Ainsworth to manufacture. The first lot consisted of twenty-five instruments, and thus began the Brunton Pocket Transit business, which was to serve the company well into the 20th century. Around 1899, William's two sons joined him and the company became known as Ainsworth and Sons. Robert G. Ainsworth was born in Pennsylvania on January 1, 1878 and Alfred W. Ainsworth on October 30, 1884. Both got their early training in the Ainsworth factory and it was a natural course of events that led them to join the firm in 1899. The success of the Brunton Pocket Transit may have contributed to the decision of Ainsworth and Sons Company to build and market surveying instruments. In any event, the work was started on surveying instruments around 1904, but the first transits were not marketed until 1906. This continued until 1940, when the transit business was sold to Harry Glantz, who had been an instrument maker for Ainsworth. After that purchase, the transit business that had operated under the Ainsworth name became known as Rocky Mountain Instrument Company. Sometime around 1910, Ainsworth & Sons began a major shift from manufacturing assay balances to manufacturing analytical balances. William Ainsworth died January 1, 1917, leaving the management of the company in the hands of his two sons and his wife, Elma E. Ainsworth. From shortly before WW I until the 1930s the company went through a period of wide diversification. These included manufacture of a Dodge automobile transmission, spotlights, tire gauges, automobile signaling devices, perfume atomizers, toilet flush valves, moving picture machines, smoking pipes, furnace grates, valve-facing tools for automobiles, seismographs, mining carbide lamps, gunsights, and radio parts. Ainsworth and Sons were the sole manufacturers of the hard to find Arnold Carbide Candle (shown in my carbide hand lamp pics) patented by Ralph R. Arnold of Cripple Creek, CO in 1912. By 1934 the idea of wooden cased balances was abandoned and the Company began producing balances in metal cases. The Ainsworth and Sons Company was purchased in 1965 by Xavier Science Corporation, and in 1967 the plant was moved to the Denver Tech Center. During this time, ownership of the company went through several hands, including Tastee-Freeze Industries, Inc. of Chicago. More recently, the rights to the Ainsworth name have been purchased by the Denver Instrument Company of Denver. See John and Geraldine Shannon, The Assay Balance Its Evolution and the Histories of the Companies That Made Them, 1999 and John Shannon, Mining Artifact Collector #2, pp 30-31] AINSWORTH ASSAY BALANCE - Wm. Ainsworth assay button balance, serial #643, made about 1892, case is French polished mahogany from Gold Coast of Africa with two front drawers with ivory pulls, all brass hardware, button pans are German silver, counter balance sliding door with original lock and key, measures 20 in. wide, 10 in. deep and 16 in. high, 8 in. beam, marked Wm. AINSWORTH MAKER; 643; DENVER, COLO with two bubble levels, early balance made by Ainsworth prior to company name change to Ainsworth and Sons in 1899, unknown model number since it was made before first Ainsworth catalog in 1895, appears to be early version of No. 045 Silver Button Balance advertised in 1903 Henry Heil Chemical Company St. Louis, Mo. catalog (item #2601/20). [While several types of balances were used in the fire-assaying process (see pulp balances elsewhere in my pics), the assay or button balance (terms are synonymous) is unique. Its only purpose was to weigh the button or small pellet of gold or silver which was the final result of the assaying process. The assay balance was designed to be very accurate with sensitivities of 0.01 to 0.02 milligrams. Although the internal workings of an assay balance and a pulp or analytical balance are different, the easiest way to tell them apart is the size of the pans. Assay balance pans vary from 1/4 to 5/8 in. in diameter while the pulp balance has 2 in. diameter pans or larger. The history of assay balance manufacturing in the western US begins with William Ainsworth, America’s premiere assay balance and analytical balance maker. Ainsworth was born January 22, 1850 in Lancashire, England. He, his mother and a sister Anne Elizabeth (born May 1842) came to America in 1853. In his teens, he obtained a job in the Elgin watch factory at Elgin, Illinois where his duties consisted of selecting, testing, installing and manipulating the hair springs of the watches, a very delicate and tedious job. He later worked for the Union Copper Distilling Company of Calumet in Cook County, Illinois where he was employed as a steam engineer and eventually Chief Engineer. In 1874, he moved to Black River Falls, Wisconsin, where he worked for J. W. Cole and Company as a watch maker. There he met and married Elma E. Eastman. It is evident through his work experiences that Ainsworth learned to be top-notch toolmaker and mechanical engineer. In 1875, the young couple moved west, traveled through Denver and settled in Central City, Colorado, where he turned to his watch making trade to earn a living, working for various jewelers there. This work led Ainsworth into contact with a variety of people, mostly miners and assayers, and it is believed that these associations eventually led him into the balance business. To help the assayers, he began repairing assay balances and in time learned the "secrets of the trade." In 1877 the Ainsworths moved to Denver. Although his primary sources of income were watch making, machining and time lock repairing for banks, he continued to develop his balance trade on the side. The Denver City Directory of 1879 lists William Ainsworth as a watch maker for A. B. Ingols Jewelry and in 1880 and 1881 he is listed as an owner in the Swain & Ainsworth Machine Shop on 474 Larimer Street. It was in 1879 while serving as a watch maker for A. B. Ingols that Ainsworth probably made his first balance. He began by buying a small hand planer and on this planer he machined the bed of a small engine lathe. He built the lathe in its entirety and then began the slow process of making his own taps and dies. He established his own standards of sizes and thread forms. It is also believed that he then constructed a milling machine. The first balance parts were turned out on the small lathe and miller with a great deal of hand work. The brass beams were laid out and sawed with a jeweler's saw and the balance cases were made of high grade African mahogany with a French polish finish. In 1882 Ainsworth had his watch making and balance shop at 248 16th Street and several years later he located his shop at 577 and 579 Lawrence St. This address eventually became his factory and home for many years. In 1887 a street re-numbering occurred and, although the factory and home remained in the same building at the same location, the address became 2151 Lawrence. Information regarding Ainsworth's early balances is, of course, quite scarce. A serial number record from #473 to #2027 is known, but it only provides a description; there are no dates. It is possible to date balance serial #1000 at 1898, which would mean that Ainsworth built one thousand balances between 1880 and 1898, or approximately 55 balances a year. Since in 1899 the company built approximately 100 balances, 55 a year does not seem unlikely. One of Ainsworth's outstanding contributions to the industry was his development of shortening the balance beam, which effectively quickened the assaying process. The firm of William Ainsworth Balance Company started in 1880 even though he continued with his watch repair and time lock service. Ainsworth balances were almost immediately preferred by the local assayers. In spite of this acceptance, however, the problem of building sufficient volume to support a family with this infant industry was a tough one and Ainsworth found it necessary to hire out his services to keep the business going. It may be this situation that caused him to be listed as a watch maker and machinist rather than a balance maker. William Ainsworth provided the experience and perhaps the motivation for a number of prospective balance manufacturers. Of the five prominent western balance companies, all but one of the owners had at least some part of their training with William Ainsworth. They were Elmer Smith and Fred Thompson who would establish Smith & Thompson Balance Company (later to become the Thompson Balance Company), Albert Dahlberg and Hugo Franow who would establish the Denver Balance Company, and George Keller who would establish the Keller Balance Company in Salt Lake City. The latter gave some training and opportunity to George Spiegel and Wilfred Huesser in their balance making endeavors. The Ainsworth Balance Company continued to prosper and around 1895, Mr. D. W. Brunton brought his newly patented Brunton Pocket Transit to William Ainsworth to manufacture. The first lot consisted of twenty-five instruments, and thus began the Brunton Pocket Transit business, which was to serve the company well into the 20th century. Around 1899, William's two sons joined him and the company became known as Ainsworth and Sons. Robert G. Ainsworth was born in Pennsylvania on January 1, 1878 and Alfred W. Ainsworth on October 30, 1884. Both got their early training in the Ainsworth factory and it was a natural course of events that led them to join the firm in 1899. The success of the Brunton Pocket Transit may have contributed to the decision of Ainsworth and Sons Company to build and market surveying instruments. In any event, the work was started on surveying instruments around 1904, but the first transits were not marketed until 1906. This continued until 1940, when the transit business was sold to Harry Glantz, who had been an instrument maker for Ainsworth. After that purchase, the transit business that had operated under the Ainsworth name became known as Rocky Mountain Instrument Company. Sometime around 1910, Ainsworth & Sons began a major shift from manufacturing assay balances to manufacturing analytical balances. William Ainsworth died January 1, 1917, leaving the management of the company in the hands of his two sons and his wife, Elma E. Ainsworth. From shortly before WW I until the 1930s the company went through a period of wide diversification. These included manufacture of a Dodge automobile transmission, spotlights, tire gauges, automobile signaling devices, perfume atomizers, toilet flush valves, moving picture machines, smoking pipes, furnace grates, valve-facing tools for automobiles, seismographs, mining carbide lamps, gunsights, and radio parts. Ainsworth and Sons were the sole manufacturers of the hard to find Arnold Carbide Candle (shown in my carbide hand lamp pics) patented by Ralph R. Arnold of Cripple Creek, CO in 1912. By 1934 the idea of wooden cased balances was abandoned and the Company began producing balances in metal cases. The Ainsworth and Sons Company was purchased in 1965 by Xavier Science Corporation, and in 1967 the plant was moved to the Denver Tech Center. During this time, ownership of the company went through several hands, including Tastee-Freeze Industries, Inc. of Chicago. More recently, the rights to the Ainsworth name have been purchased by the Denver Instrument Company of Denver. See John and Geraldine Shannon, The Assay Balance Its Evolution and the Histories of the Companies That Made Them, 1999 and John Shannon, Mining Artifact Collector #2, pp 30-31] slides/Ainsworth Assay Balance Workings.JPG slides/Ainsworth Assay Balance Marking.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 AINSWORTH ASSAY BALANCE - Wm. Ainsworth assay button balance, serial #643, made about 1892, case is French polished mahogany from Gold Coast of Africa with two front drawers with ivory pulls, all brass hardware, button pans are German silver, counter balance sliding door with original lock and key, measures 20 in. wide, 10 in. deep and 16 in. high, 8 in. beam, marked Wm. AINSWORTH MAKER; 643; DENVER, COLO with two bubble levels, early balance made by Ainsworth prior to company name change to Ainsworth and Sons in 1899, unknown model number since it was made before first Ainsworth catalog in 1895, appears to be early version of No. 045 Silver Button Balance advertised in 1903 Henry Heil Chemical Company St. Louis, Mo. catalog (item #2601/20). [While several types of balances were used in the fire-assaying process (see pulp balances elsewhere in my pics), the assay or button balance (terms are synonymous) is unique. Its only purpose was to weigh the button or small pellet of gold or silver which was the final result of the assaying process. The assay balance was designed to be very accurate with sensitivities of 0.01 to 0.02 milligrams. Although the internal workings of an assay balance and a pulp or analytical balance are different, the easiest way to tell them apart is the size of the pans. Assay balance pans vary from 1/4 to 5/8 in. in diameter while the pulp balance has 2 in. diameter pans or larger. The history of assay balance manufacturing in the western US begins with William Ainsworth, America’s premiere assay balance and analytical balance maker. Ainsworth was born January 22, 1850 in Lancashire, England. He, his mother and a sister Anne Elizabeth (born May 1842) came to America in 1853. In his teens, he obtained a job in the Elgin watch factory at Elgin, Illinois where his duties consisted of selecting, testing, installing and manipulating the hair springs of the watches, a very delicate and tedious job. He later worked for the Union Copper Distilling Company of Calumet in Cook County, Illinois where he was employed as a steam engineer and eventually Chief Engineer. In 1874, he moved to Black River Falls, Wisconsin, where he worked for J. W. Cole and Company as a watch maker. There he met and married Elma E. Eastman. It is evident through his work experiences that Ainsworth learned to be top-notch toolmaker and mechanical engineer. In 1875, the young couple moved west, traveled through Denver and settled in Central City, Colorado, where he turned to his watch making trade to earn a living, working for various jewelers there. This work led Ainsworth into contact with a variety of people, mostly miners and assayers, and it is believed that these associations eventually led him into the balance business. To help the assayers, he began repairing assay balances and in time learned the "secrets of the trade." In 1877 the Ainsworths moved to Denver. Although his primary sources of income were watch making, machining and time lock repairing for banks, he continued to develop his balance trade on the side. The Denver City Directory of 1879 lists William Ainsworth as a watch maker for A. B. Ingols Jewelry and in 1880 and 1881 he is listed as an owner in the Swain & Ainsworth Machine Shop on 474 Larimer Street. It was in 1879 while serving as a watch maker for A. B. Ingols that Ainsworth probably made his first balance. He began by buying a small hand planer and on this planer he machined the bed of a small engine lathe. He built the lathe in its entirety and then began the slow process of making his own taps and dies. He established his own standards of sizes and thread forms. It is also believed that he then constructed a milling machine. The first balance parts were turned out on the small lathe and miller with a great deal of hand work. The brass beams were laid out and sawed with a jeweler's saw and the balance cases were made of high grade African mahogany with a French polish finish. In 1882 Ainsworth had his watch making and balance shop at 248 16th Street and several years later he located his shop at 577 and 579 Lawrence St. This address eventually became his factory and home for many years. In 1887 a street re-numbering occurred and, although the factory and home remained in the same building at the same location, the address became 2151 Lawrence. Information regarding Ainsworth's early balances is, of course, quite scarce. A serial number record from #473 to #2027 is known, but it only provides a description; there are no dates. It is possible to date balance serial #1000 at 1898, which would mean that Ainsworth built one thousand balances between 1880 and 1898, or approximately 55 balances a year. Since in 1899 the company built approximately 100 balances, 55 a year does not seem unlikely. One of Ainsworth's outstanding contributions to the industry was his development of shortening the balance beam, which effectively quickened the assaying process. The firm of William Ainsworth Balance Company started in 1880 even though he continued with his watch repair and time lock service. Ainsworth balances were almost immediately preferred by the local assayers. In spite of this acceptance, however, the problem of building sufficient volume to support a family with this infant industry was a tough one and Ainsworth found it necessary to hire out his services to keep the business going. It may be this situation that caused him to be listed as a watch maker and machinist rather than a balance maker. William Ainsworth provided the experience and perhaps the motivation for a number of prospective balance manufacturers. Of the five prominent western balance companies, all but one of the owners had at least some part of their training with William Ainsworth. They were Elmer Smith and Fred Thompson who would establish Smith & Thompson Balance Company (later to become the Thompson Balance Company), Albert Dahlberg and Hugo Franow who would establish the Denver Balance Company, and George Keller who would establish the Keller Balance Company in Salt Lake City. The latter gave some training and opportunity to George Spiegel and Wilfred Huesser in their balance making endeavors. The Ainsworth Balance Company continued to prosper and around 1895, Mr. D. W. Brunton brought his newly patented Brunton Pocket Transit to William Ainsworth to manufacture. The first lot consisted of twenty-five instruments, and thus began the Brunton Pocket Transit business, which was to serve the company well into the 20th century. Around 1899, William's two sons joined him and the company became known as Ainsworth and Sons. Robert G. Ainsworth was born in Pennsylvania on January 1, 1878 and Alfred W. Ainsworth on October 30, 1884. Both got their early training in the Ainsworth factory and it was a natural course of events that led them to join the firm in 1899. The success of the Brunton Pocket Transit may have contributed to the decision of Ainsworth and Sons Company to build and market surveying instruments. In any event, the work was started on surveying instruments around 1904, but the first transits were not marketed until 1906. This continued until 1940, when the transit business was sold to Harry Glantz, who had been an instrument maker for Ainsworth. After that purchase, the transit business that had operated under the Ainsworth name became known as Rocky Mountain Instrument Company. Sometime around 1910, Ainsworth & Sons began a major shift from manufacturing assay balances to manufacturing analytical balances. William Ainsworth died January 1, 1917, leaving the management of the company in the hands of his two sons and his wife, Elma E. Ainsworth. From shortly before WW I until the 1930s the company went through a period of wide diversification. These included manufacture of a Dodge automobile transmission, spotlights, tire gauges, automobile signaling devices, perfume atomizers, toilet flush valves, moving picture machines, smoking pipes, furnace grates, valve-facing tools for automobiles, seismographs, mining carbide lamps, gunsights, and radio parts. Ainsworth and Sons were the sole manufacturers of the hard to find Arnold Carbide Candle (shown in my carbide hand lamp pics) patented by Ralph R. Arnold of Cripple Creek, CO in 1912. By 1934 the idea of wooden cased balances was abandoned and the Company began producing balances in metal cases. The Ainsworth and Sons Company was purchased in 1965 by Xavier Science Corporation, and in 1967 the plant was moved to the Denver Tech Center. During this time, ownership of the company went through several hands, including Tastee-Freeze Industries, Inc. of Chicago. More recently, the rights to the Ainsworth name have been purchased by the Denver Instrument Company of Denver. See John and Geraldine Shannon, The Assay Balance Its Evolution and the Histories of the Companies That Made Them, 1999 and John Shannon, Mining Artifact Collector #2, pp 30-31] AINSWORTH ASSAY BALANCE - Wm. Ainsworth assay button balance, serial #643, made about 1892, case is French polished mahogany from Gold Coast of Africa with two front drawers with ivory pulls, all brass hardware, button pans are German silver, counter balance sliding door with original lock and key, measures 20 in. wide, 10 in. deep and 16 in. high, 8 in. beam, marked Wm. AINSWORTH MAKER; 643; DENVER, COLO with two bubble levels, early balance made by Ainsworth prior to company name change to Ainsworth and Sons in 1899, unknown model number since it was made before first Ainsworth catalog in 1895, appears to be early version of No. 045 Silver Button Balance advertised in 1903 Henry Heil Chemical Company St. Louis, Mo. catalog (item #2601/20). [While several types of balances were used in the fire-assaying process (see pulp balances elsewhere in my pics), the assay or button balance (terms are synonymous) is unique. Its only purpose was to weigh the button or small pellet of gold or silver which was the final result of the assaying process. The assay balance was designed to be very accurate with sensitivities of 0.01 to 0.02 milligrams. Although the internal workings of an assay balance and a pulp or analytical balance are different, the easiest way to tell them apart is the size of the pans. Assay balance pans vary from 1/4 to 5/8 in. in diameter while the pulp balance has 2 in. diameter pans or larger. The history of assay balance manufacturing in the western US begins with William Ainsworth, America’s premiere assay balance and analytical balance maker. Ainsworth was born January 22, 1850 in Lancashire, England. He, his mother and a sister Anne Elizabeth (born May 1842) came to America in 1853. In his teens, he obtained a job in the Elgin watch factory at Elgin, Illinois where his duties consisted of selecting, testing, installing and manipulating the hair springs of the watches, a very delicate and tedious job. He later worked for the Union Copper Distilling Company of Calumet in Cook County, Illinois where he was employed as a steam engineer and eventually Chief Engineer. In 1874, he moved to Black River Falls, Wisconsin, where he worked for J. W. Cole and Company as a watch maker. There he met and married Elma E. Eastman. It is evident through his work experiences that Ainsworth learned to be top-notch toolmaker and mechanical engineer. In 1875, the young couple moved west, traveled through Denver and settled in Central City, Colorado, where he turned to his watch making trade to earn a living, working for various jewelers there. This work led Ainsworth into contact with a variety of people, mostly miners and assayers, and it is believed that these associations eventually led him into the balance business. To help the assayers, he began repairing assay balances and in time learned the "secrets of the trade." In 1877 the Ainsworths moved to Denver. Although his primary sources of income were watch making, machining and time lock repairing for banks, he continued to develop his balance trade on the side. The Denver City Directory of 1879 lists William Ainsworth as a watch maker for A. B. Ingols Jewelry and in 1880 and 1881 he is listed as an owner in the Swain & Ainsworth Machine Shop on 474 Larimer Street. It was in 1879 while serving as a watch maker for A. B. Ingols that Ainsworth probably made his first balance. He began by buying a small hand planer and on this planer he machined the bed of a small engine lathe. He built the lathe in its entirety and then began the slow process of making his own taps and dies. He established his own standards of sizes and thread forms. It is also believed that he then constructed a milling machine. The first balance parts were turned out on the small lathe and miller with a great deal of hand work. The brass beams were laid out and sawed with a jeweler's saw and the balance cases were made of high grade African mahogany with a French polish finish. In 1882 Ainsworth had his watch making and balance shop at 248 16th Street and several years later he located his shop at 577 and 579 Lawrence St. This address eventually became his factory and home for many years. In 1887 a street re-numbering occurred and, although the factory and home remained in the same building at the same location, the address became 2151 Lawrence. Information regarding Ainsworth's early balances is, of course, quite scarce. A serial number record from #473 to #2027 is known, but it only provides a description; there are no dates. It is possible to date balance serial #1000 at 1898, which would mean that Ainsworth built one thousand balances between 1880 and 1898, or approximately 55 balances a year. Since in 1899 the company built approximately 100 balances, 55 a year does not seem unlikely. One of Ainsworth's outstanding contributions to the industry was his development of shortening the balance beam, which effectively quickened the assaying process. The firm of William Ainsworth Balance Company started in 1880 even though he continued with his watch repair and time lock service. Ainsworth balances were almost immediately preferred by the local assayers. In spite of this acceptance, however, the problem of building sufficient volume to support a family with this infant industry was a tough one and Ainsworth found it necessary to hire out his services to keep the business going. It may be this situation that caused him to be listed as a watch maker and machinist rather than a balance maker. William Ainsworth provided the experience and perhaps the motivation for a number of prospective balance manufacturers. Of the five prominent western balance companies, all but one of the owners had at least some part of their training with William Ainsworth. They were Elmer Smith and Fred Thompson who would establish Smith & Thompson Balance Company (later to become the Thompson Balance Company), Albert Dahlberg and Hugo Franow who would establish the Denver Balance Company, and George Keller who would establish the Keller Balance Company in Salt Lake City. The latter gave some training and opportunity to George Spiegel and Wilfred Huesser in their balance making endeavors. The Ainsworth Balance Company continued to prosper and around 1895, Mr. D. W. Brunton brought his newly patented Brunton Pocket Transit to William Ainsworth to manufacture. The first lot consisted of twenty-five instruments, and thus began the Brunton Pocket Transit business, which was to serve the company well into the 20th century. Around 1899, William's two sons joined him and the company became known as Ainsworth and Sons. Robert G. Ainsworth was born in Pennsylvania on January 1, 1878 and Alfred W. Ainsworth on October 30, 1884. Both got their early training in the Ainsworth factory and it was a natural course of events that led them to join the firm in 1899. The success of the Brunton Pocket Transit may have contributed to the decision of Ainsworth and Sons Company to build and market surveying instruments. In any event, the work was started on surveying instruments around 1904, but the first transits were not marketed until 1906. This continued until 1940, when the transit business was sold to Harry Glantz, who had been an instrument maker for Ainsworth. After that purchase, the transit business that had operated under the Ainsworth name became known as Rocky Mountain Instrument Company. Sometime around 1910, Ainsworth & Sons began a major shift from manufacturing assay balances to manufacturing analytical balances. William Ainsworth died January 1, 1917, leaving the management of the company in the hands of his two sons and his wife, Elma E. Ainsworth. From shortly before WW I until the 1930s the company went through a period of wide diversification. These included manufacture of a Dodge automobile transmission, spotlights, tire gauges, automobile signaling devices, perfume atomizers, toilet flush valves, moving picture machines, smoking pipes, furnace grates, valve-facing tools for automobiles, seismographs, mining carbide lamps, gunsights, and radio parts. Ainsworth and Sons were the sole manufacturers of the hard to find Arnold Carbide Candle (shown in my carbide hand lamp pics) patented by Ralph R. Arnold of Cripple Creek, CO in 1912. By 1934 the idea of wooden cased balances was abandoned and the Company began producing balances in metal cases. The Ainsworth and Sons Company was purchased in 1965 by Xavier Science Corporation, and in 1967 the plant was moved to the Denver Tech Center. During this time, ownership of the company went through several hands, including Tastee-Freeze Industries, Inc. of Chicago. More recently, the rights to the Ainsworth name have been purchased by the Denver Instrument Company of Denver. See John and Geraldine Shannon, The Assay Balance Its Evolution and the Histories of the Companies That Made Them, 1999 and John Shannon, Mining Artifact Collector #2, pp 30-31] slides/Ainsworth Assay Balance Marking.JPG slides/Angels Mining Corporate Seal.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 ANGELS GOLD MINING COMPANY EMBOSSER - The Angels Gold Mining Co. Inc. embosser, dated Aug. 9, 1901, California, company active in lode mining in Angels Camp, CA ANGELS GOLD MINING COMPANY EMBOSSER - The Angels Gold Mining Co. Inc. embosser, dated Aug. 9, 1901, California, company active in lode mining in Angels Camp, CA slides/Angels Mining Corporate Seal.JPG slides/Argonaut Mine Bell Sign pic1.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 ARGONAUT MINING COMPANY BELL SIGN - Rare original ca.1920s cloth bell sign for the Argonaut Mining Co., Jackson, CA, with wood glassed frame and water hood, sign 35 3/8 in. tall and 13 3/8 in. wide without frame, with well-known mining supply firm E.D. Bullard, San Francisco, CA marking [see more about Bullard below], acquired from Ted Bobrink (Bell signals have been in use for communication in shaft mining since the mid-1800s. Any mine worked from a vertical or inclined shaft used bell signals to provide a means to communicate with the hoist engineer on top. Bell signals were used to lift or lower miners, lift ore, and move material to and from the surface. The earliest bell signal signs were wood but they deteriorated quickly, especially in wet mines. Later, porcelanized steel and painted tin signs came into use followed by cloth in the 1920s and then paper. Each state had its own signal rules, adding to the confusion, and some rules were specific to individual mines. Each mine was equipped with one bell sign at each level and one at the headframe. As mines became worked out, the bell signs were lost to the elements and/or flood waters and have become scarce to the collecting community and highly prized. The sign shown here is a rare example of a surviving cloth sign with the name of a specific mine on it. The Argonaut mine at Jackson, CA is one of the most famous mines of the California Mother Load, being discovered in 1850 by two miners, James Hager and William Tudor. Serious development started in 1893 when it was purchased by the Argonaut Mining Company. It operated until 1942, reaching a vertical depth of 5,570 ft. via a 63 degree shaft and produced more than $25 million in gold. The Argonaut along with the nearby Kennedy mine are registered as California Historical Landmark #786. The Argonaut mine is also infamous for being the site of one of the worst mining disasters in California history. On August 27, 1922, 47 miners mostly immigrants from Italy, Spain and Serbia were trapped 4,650 feet below ground by a fire. It took 2 ½ days to extinguish the fire and nearly 3 weeks to get to where the miners were trapped. None survived. The cause of the fire was never determined. The mine disaster is detailed in the book 47 Down: The 1922 Argonaut Gold Mine Disaster by O. Henry Mace. See also Bobrink, Mining Artifact Collector #1, p 25) [More about E. D. Bullard... Founded in 1898, E.D. Bullard Company continues as a leading manufacturer of high quality personal protective equipment and systems that are marketed worldwide. Product lines include thermal imagers, hard hats, firefighter and rescue helmets, supplied air respirators, powered air-purifying respirators, and air quality equipment. Bullard is now a fourth generation family-owned enterprise. The company, headquartered in Cynthiana, Kentucky, is led by President and CEO Richard C. Miller. Bullard traces its heritage back to 1898. Founded in San Francisco by Edward Dickinson Bullard, the company originally supplied carbide lamps and other mining equipment to gold and copper miners in California, Nevada, Arizona and across the western U. S. Most collectors of mining artifacts are familiar with the Bullard name on catalogs, lamp brochures (some shown on my website), and advertisements. When his son, E.W. Bullard, returned from World War I, he used his experience with his doughboy army helmet to design a protective headgear for miners. This “hard boiled” hat, introduced in 1919, represented the first of many innovative designs that have led Bullard to its prominent position in head protection for industrial and emergency response applications. During the 1930s, while the Golden Gate Bridge was being constructed in San Francisco, Bridge engineer Joseph B. Strauss contacted Bullard to request that the company adapt its hats to protect bridge workers. Bullard not only supplied hard hats for this famous project, but its engineers also designed an original supplied air respirator for workers responsible for blasting the steelwork prior to the application of the Bridge’s International Orange paint. Bullard went on to design innovative supplied-air respiratory protection solutions for such key industries as pharmaceutical manufacturing and automotive refinishing. Following the development of the hard hat, Bullard engineers designed the Company’s first fire helmet in 1930. The company quickly became a technology leader in this industry, developing and introducing the first fiberglass fire helmet in 1947, the first NFPA-approved thermoplastic fire helmet in 1983, and the first ratchet headband used in a fire helmet in 1986. Beginning in 1972, the Company moved its production facilities from Sausalito, California, to Cynthiana, Kentucky where it continues to mine gold from a whole different industry.] ARGONAUT MINING COMPANY BELL SIGN - Rare original ca.1920s cloth bell sign for the Argonaut Mining Co., Jackson, CA, with wood glassed frame and water hood, sign 35 3/8 in. tall and 13 3/8 in. wide without frame, with well-known mining supply firm E.D. Bullard, San Francisco, CA marking [see more about Bullard below], acquired from Ted Bobrink (Bell signals have been in use for communication in shaft mining since the mid-1800s. Any mine worked from a vertical or inclined shaft used bell signals to provide a means to communicate with the hoist engineer on top. Bell signals were used to lift or lower miners, lift ore, and move material to and from the surface. The earliest bell signal signs were wood but they deteriorated quickly, especially in wet mines. Later, porcelanized steel and painted tin signs came into use followed by cloth in the 1920s and then paper. Each state had its own signal rules, adding to the confusion, and some rules were specific to individual mines. Each mine was equipped with one bell sign at each level and one at the headframe. As mines became worked out, the bell signs were lost to the elements and/or flood waters and have become scarce to the collecting community and highly prized. The sign shown here is a rare example of a surviving cloth sign with the name of a specific mine on it. The Argonaut mine at Jackson, CA is one of the most famous mines of the California Mother Load, being discovered in 1850 by two miners, James Hager and William Tudor. Serious development started in 1893 when it was purchased by the Argonaut Mining Company. It operated until 1942, reaching a vertical depth of 5,570 ft. via a 63 degree shaft and produced more than $25 million in gold. The Argonaut along with the nearby Kennedy mine are registered as California Historical Landmark #786. The Argonaut mine is also infamous for being the site of one of the worst mining disasters in California history. On August 27, 1922, 47 miners mostly immigrants from Italy, Spain and Serbia were trapped 4,650 feet below ground by a fire. It took 2 ½ days to extinguish the fire and nearly 3 weeks to get to where the miners were trapped. None survived. The cause of the fire was never determined. The mine disaster is detailed in the book 47 Down: The 1922 Argonaut Gold Mine Disaster by O. Henry Mace. See also Bobrink, Mining Artifact Collector #1, p 25) [More about E. D. Bullard... Founded in 1898, E.D. Bullard Company continues as a leading manufacturer of high quality personal protective equipment and systems that are marketed worldwide. Product lines include thermal imagers, hard hats, firefighter and rescue helmets, supplied air respirators, powered air-purifying respirators, and air quality equipment. Bullard is now a fourth generation family-owned enterprise. The company, headquartered in Cynthiana, Kentucky, is led by President and CEO Richard C. Miller. Bullard traces its heritage back to 1898. Founded in San Francisco by Edward Dickinson Bullard, the company originally supplied carbide lamps and other mining equipment to gold and copper miners in California, Nevada, Arizona and across the western U. S. Most collectors of mining artifacts are familiar with the Bullard name on catalogs, lamp brochures (some shown on my website), and advertisements. When his son, E.W. Bullard, returned from World War I, he used his experience with his doughboy army helmet to design a protective headgear for miners. This “hard boiled” hat, introduced in 1919, represented the first of many innovative designs that have led Bullard to its prominent position in head protection for industrial and emergency response applications. During the 1930s, while the Golden Gate Bridge was being constructed in San Francisco, Bridge engineer Joseph B. Strauss contacted Bullard to request that the company adapt its hats to protect bridge workers. Bullard not only supplied hard hats for this famous project, but its engineers also designed an original supplied air respirator for workers responsible for blasting the steelwork prior to the application of the Bridge’s International Orange paint. Bullard went on to design innovative supplied-air respiratory protection solutions for such key industries as pharmaceutical manufacturing and automotive refinishing. Following the development of the hard hat, Bullard engineers designed the Company’s first fire helmet in 1930. The company quickly became a technology leader in this industry, developing and introducing the first fiberglass fire helmet in 1947, the first NFPA-approved thermoplastic fire helmet in 1983, and the first ratchet headband used in a fire helmet in 1986. Beginning in 1972, the Company moved its production facilities from Sausalito, California, to Cynthiana, Kentucky where it continues to mine gold from a whole different industry.] slides/Argonaut Mine Bell Sign pic1.JPG slides/Argonaut Mine Bell Sign pic2.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 ARGONAUT MINING COMPANY BELL SIGN - Rare original ca.1920s cloth bell sign for the Argonaut Mining Co., Jackson, CA, with wood glassed frame and water hood, sign 35 3/8 in. tall and 13 3/8 in. wide without frame, with well-known mining supply firm E.D. Bullard, San Francisco, CA marking [see more about Bullard below], acquired from Ted Bobrink (Bell signals have been in use for communication in shaft mining since the mid-1800s. Any mine worked from a vertical or inclined shaft used bell signals to provide a means to communicate with the hoist engineer on top. Bell signals were used to lift or lower miners, lift ore, and move material to and from the surface. The earliest bell signal signs were wood but they deteriorated quickly, especially in wet mines. Later, porcelanized steel and painted tin signs came into use followed by cloth in the 1920s and then paper. Each state had its own signal rules, adding to the confusion, and some rules were specific to individual mines. Each mine was equipped with one bell sign at each level and one at the headframe. As mines became worked out, the bell signs were lost to the elements and/or flood waters and have become scarce to the collecting community and highly prized. The sign shown here is a rare example of a surviving cloth sign with the name of a specific mine on it. The Argonaut mine at Jackson, CA is one of the most famous mines of the California Mother Load, being discovered in 1850 by two miners, James Hager and William Tudor. Serious development started in 1893 when it was purchased by the Argonaut Mining Company. It operated until 1942, reaching a vertical depth of 5,570 ft. via a 63 degree shaft and produced more than $25 million in gold. The Argonaut along with the nearby Kennedy mine are registered as California Historical Landmark #786. The Argonaut mine is also infamous for being the site of one of the worst mining disasters in California history. On August 27, 1922, 47 miners mostly immigrants from Italy, Spain and Serbia were trapped 4,650 feet below ground by a fire. It took 2 ½ days to extinguish the fire and nearly 3 weeks to get to where the miners were trapped. None survived. The cause of the fire was never determined. The mine disaster is detailed in the book 47 Down: The 1922 Argonaut Gold Mine Disaster by O. Henry Mace. See also Bobrink, Mining Artifact Collector #1, p 25) [More about E. D. Bullard... Founded in 1898, E.D. Bullard Company continues as a leading manufacturer of high quality personal protective equipment and systems that are marketed worldwide. Product lines include thermal imagers, hard hats, firefighter and rescue helmets, supplied air respirators, powered air-purifying respirators, and air quality equipment. Bullard is now a fourth generation family-owned enterprise. The company, headquartered in Cynthiana, Kentucky, is led by President and CEO Richard C. Miller. Bullard traces its heritage back to 1898. Founded in San Francisco by Edward Dickinson Bullard, the company originally supplied carbide lamps and other mining equipment to gold and copper miners in California, Nevada, Arizona and across the western U. S. Most collectors of mining artifacts are familiar with the Bullard name on catalogs, lamp brochures (some shown on my website), and advertisements. When his son, E.W. Bullard, returned from World War I, he used his experience with his doughboy army helmet to design a protective headgear for miners. This “hard boiled” hat, introduced in 1919, represented the first of many innovative designs that have led Bullard to its prominent position in head protection for industrial and emergency response applications. During the 1930s, while the Golden Gate Bridge was being constructed in San Francisco, Bridge engineer Joseph B. Strauss contacted Bullard to request that the company adapt its hats to protect bridge workers. Bullard not only supplied hard hats for this famous project, but its engineers also designed an original supplied air respirator for workers responsible for blasting the steelwork prior to the application of the Bridge’s International Orange paint. Bullard went on to design innovative supplied-air respiratory protection solutions for such key industries as pharmaceutical manufacturing and automotive refinishing. Following the development of the hard hat, Bullard engineers designed the Company’s first fire helmet in 1930. The company quickly became a technology leader in this industry, developing and introducing the first fiberglass fire helmet in 1947, the first NFPA-approved thermoplastic fire helmet in 1983, and the first ratchet headband used in a fire helmet in 1986. Beginning in 1972, the Company moved its production facilities from Sausalito, California, to Cynthiana, Kentucky where it continues to mine gold from a whole different industry.] ARGONAUT MINING COMPANY BELL SIGN - Rare original ca.1920s cloth bell sign for the Argonaut Mining Co., Jackson, CA, with wood glassed frame and water hood, sign 35 3/8 in. tall and 13 3/8 in. wide without frame, with well-known mining supply firm E.D. Bullard, San Francisco, CA marking [see more about Bullard below], acquired from Ted Bobrink (Bell signals have been in use for communication in shaft mining since the mid-1800s. Any mine worked from a vertical or inclined shaft used bell signals to provide a means to communicate with the hoist engineer on top. Bell signals were used to lift or lower miners, lift ore, and move material to and from the surface. The earliest bell signal signs were wood but they deteriorated quickly, especially in wet mines. Later, porcelanized steel and painted tin signs came into use followed by cloth in the 1920s and then paper. Each state had its own signal rules, adding to the confusion, and some rules were specific to individual mines. Each mine was equipped with one bell sign at each level and one at the headframe. As mines became worked out, the bell signs were lost to the elements and/or flood waters and have become scarce to the collecting community and highly prized. The sign shown here is a rare example of a surviving cloth sign with the name of a specific mine on it. The Argonaut mine at Jackson, CA is one of the most famous mines of the California Mother Load, being discovered in 1850 by two miners, James Hager and William Tudor. Serious development started in 1893 when it was purchased by the Argonaut Mining Company. It operated until 1942, reaching a vertical depth of 5,570 ft. via a 63 degree shaft and produced more than $25 million in gold. The Argonaut along with the nearby Kennedy mine are registered as California Historical Landmark #786. The Argonaut mine is also infamous for being the site of one of the worst mining disasters in California history. On August 27, 1922, 47 miners mostly immigrants from Italy, Spain and Serbia were trapped 4,650 feet below ground by a fire. It took 2 ½ days to extinguish the fire and nearly 3 weeks to get to where the miners were trapped. None survived. The cause of the fire was never determined. The mine disaster is detailed in the book 47 Down: The 1922 Argonaut Gold Mine Disaster by O. Henry Mace. See also Bobrink, Mining Artifact Collector #1, p 25) [More about E. D. Bullard... Founded in 1898, E.D. Bullard Company continues as a leading manufacturer of high quality personal protective equipment and systems that are marketed worldwide. Product lines include thermal imagers, hard hats, firefighter and rescue helmets, supplied air respirators, powered air-purifying respirators, and air quality equipment. Bullard is now a fourth generation family-owned enterprise. The company, headquartered in Cynthiana, Kentucky, is led by President and CEO Richard C. Miller. Bullard traces its heritage back to 1898. Founded in San Francisco by Edward Dickinson Bullard, the company originally supplied carbide lamps and other mining equipment to gold and copper miners in California, Nevada, Arizona and across the western U. S. Most collectors of mining artifacts are familiar with the Bullard name on catalogs, lamp brochures (some shown on my website), and advertisements. When his son, E.W. Bullard, returned from World War I, he used his experience with his doughboy army helmet to design a protective headgear for miners. This “hard boiled” hat, introduced in 1919, represented the first of many innovative designs that have led Bullard to its prominent position in head protection for industrial and emergency response applications. During the 1930s, while the Golden Gate Bridge was being constructed in San Francisco, Bridge engineer Joseph B. Strauss contacted Bullard to request that the company adapt its hats to protect bridge workers. Bullard not only supplied hard hats for this famous project, but its engineers also designed an original supplied air respirator for workers responsible for blasting the steelwork prior to the application of the Bridge’s International Orange paint. Bullard went on to design innovative supplied-air respiratory protection solutions for such key industries as pharmaceutical manufacturing and automotive refinishing. Following the development of the hard hat, Bullard engineers designed the Company’s first fire helmet in 1930. The company quickly became a technology leader in this industry, developing and introducing the first fiberglass fire helmet in 1947, the first NFPA-approved thermoplastic fire helmet in 1983, and the first ratchet headband used in a fire helmet in 1986. Beginning in 1972, the Company moved its production facilities from Sausalito, California, to Cynthiana, Kentucky where it continues to mine gold from a whole different industry.] slides/Argonaut Mine Bell Sign pic2.JPG slides/Assay Mould.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 ASSAY MOULD 2 X 3 - Cast iron assay pouring button mould with 6 conical depressions each 2 in. dia and 1 3/4 in. deep for crucible or scorification assays, marked 55J, overall dimensions 11 1/4 in. L x 4 3/4 in. W with 4 in. handle ASSAY MOULD 2 X 3 - Cast iron assay pouring button mould with 6 conical depressions each 2 in. dia and 1 3/4 in. deep for crucible or scorification assays, marked 55J, overall dimensions 11 1/4 in. L x 4 3/4 in. W with 4 in. handle slides/Assay Mould.JPG slides/Assay Button Mould.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 ASSAY MOULD 3 X 4 - Cast iron assay pouring button mould with 12 conical depressions each 2 1/8 in. dia. and 1 ¼ in. deep for crucible or scorification assays, unmarked, overall dimensions 10 5/8 in. L x 7 ¼ in. W, found in Amador City, CA area and purchased out of inventory from a closed antique store ASSAY MOULD 3 X 4 - Cast iron assay pouring button mould with 12 conical depressions each 2 1/8 in. dia. and 1 ¼ in. deep for crucible or scorification assays, unmarked, overall dimensions 10 5/8 in. L x 7 ¼ in. W, found in Amador City, CA area and purchased out of inventory from a closed antique store slides/Assay Button Mould.JPG slides/Assay Pouring Mould.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 ASSAY MOULD 1 X 3 - Cast iron assay pouring mould with 3 conical depressions each 2 in. dia and 1 3/4 in. deep, for lead or scorification assays, unmarked, overall dimensions 13 1/4 in. L x 3 in.W with 4 in. wooden handle ASSAY MOULD 1 X 3 - Cast iron assay pouring mould with 3 conical depressions each 2 in. dia and 1 3/4 in. deep, for lead or scorification assays, unmarked, overall dimensions 13 1/4 in. L x 3 in.W with 4 in. wooden handle slides/Assay Pouring Mould.JPG slides/Brunton Pocket Transit Ad 1901 Mines and Minerals.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 BRUNTON POCKET TRANSIT - Ad from Wm. Ainsworth & Sons, sole manufacturers of the Brunton Pocket Transit, in a 1901 Mines and Minerals magazine BRUNTON POCKET TRANSIT - Ad from Wm. Ainsworth & Sons, sole manufacturers of the Brunton Pocket Transit, in a 1901 Mines and Minerals magazine slides/Brunton Pocket Transit Ad 1901 Mines and Minerals.JPG slides/Brunton Pocket Transit.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 BRUNTON POCKET TRANSIT - Brunton pocket transit, aluminum housing, quadrantal model, made by Wm. Ainsworth and Sons, Denver, CO, with leather case, Serial # 38741 (est. mfg date 1946) marked NATURAL SINES D. W. BRUNTON’S POCKET TRANSIT TRADE MARK REG. U.S. PAT. OFF. Wm. AINSWORTH & SONS DENVER, COLO; from the estate of a Colorado mining/economic geologist; patented by David W. Brunton of Aspen, CO as patent No. 526,021 and awarded on Sept. 18, 1894. SEE THE BRUNTON PATENT IN THE FOLLOWING PICS BRUNTON POCKET TRANSIT - Brunton pocket transit, aluminum housing, quadrantal model, made by Wm. Ainsworth and Sons, Denver, CO, with leather case, Serial # 38741 (est. mfg date 1946) marked NATURAL SINES D. W. BRUNTON’S POCKET TRANSIT TRADE MARK REG. U.S. PAT. OFF. Wm. AINSWORTH & SONS DENVER, COLO; from the estate of a Colorado mining/economic geologist; patented by David W. Brunton of Aspen, CO as patent No. 526,021 and awarded on Sept. 18, 1894. SEE THE BRUNTON PATENT IN THE FOLLOWING PICS slides/Brunton Pocket Transit.JPG slides/Brunton Pocket Transit Patent I.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 slides/Brunton Pocket Transit Patent I.JPG slides/Brunton Pocket Transit Patent II.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 slides/Brunton Pocket Transit Patent II.JPG slides/Bullard Hard Boiled Hat Ad 1931 Hendrie & Bolthoff Catalog.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 BULLARD HARDBOILED HAT AD - Advertisement for the E. D. Bullard Co. trademarked and patented hardboiled miner's hat in the 1931 Hendrie & Bolthoff Catalog No. 102 BULLARD HARDBOILED HAT AD - Advertisement for the E. D. Bullard Co. trademarked and patented hardboiled miner's hat in the 1931 Hendrie & Bolthoff Catalog No. 102 slides/Bullard Hard Boiled Hat Ad 1931 Hendrie & Bolthoff Catalog.jpg slides/Bullard Salesman Sample Hard Boiled Hat.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 BULLARD SALESMAN SAMPLE MINER'S HARD BOILED HAT - Salesman sample of Bullard miner’s Hard Boiled hard hat; miniature example of first miner’s hard helmet and first industrial hard hat; paper label marked HARD-BOILED, BULLARD-DAVIS INCORPORATED, NEW YORK SAN FRANCISCO, complete with stitched trimming all around, leather interior sweat band and net suspension liner with tie string; 6 1/8 long x 4 3/4 wide x 3 in. high; as new condition (Credit for the invention of the industrial hard hat goes to the E. D. Bullard Company. Founded in 1898 in San Francisco by Edward Dickinson Bullard, the Bullard Company has been a manufacturer of high-quality personal-protective equipment for over 100 years. Bullard sold carbide lamps and mining equipment to copper and gold miners in California, Nevada and Arizona at the turn of the century. At the time, the typical hat worn by the miners was a soft derby similar to a baseball cap with a small hard-leather and shellac brim. Bullard started development of a protective hat that could protect miners from falling objects. His son E. W. Bullard returned from WWI with his M1917 Brodie steel helmet that provided the inspiration for the first miners’ hard hat. The Bullard “Hard-Boiled Hat” made of steamed canvas, glue and black paint was introduced in 1919. With the addition of a built in suspension device, the Hard-Boiled Hat became the first commercially-available, industrial head-protection device. Edward W. Bullard filed a patent application for the miners’ safety hat on May 21, 1928 that was awarded as patent No. 1,776,249 on Sept. 23, 1930. A second application by Edward W. Bullard covering the internal suspension device was awarded as patent No. 1,770,376 on July 15, 1930. In 1933 construction began on the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California. This was the first construction site in the U.S. where construction workers were required to wear hard hats while on the job site. The Bullard Company, now headquartered in Cynthiana, Kentucky, continues in business today.) BULLARD SALESMAN SAMPLE MINER'S HARD BOILED HAT - Salesman sample of Bullard miner’s Hard Boiled hard hat; miniature example of first miner’s hard helmet and first industrial hard hat; paper label marked HARD-BOILED, BULLARD-DAVIS INCORPORATED, NEW YORK SAN FRANCISCO, complete with stitched trimming all around, leather interior sweat band and net suspension liner with tie string; 6 1/8 long x 4 3/4 wide x 3 in. high; as new condition (Credit for the invention of the industrial hard hat goes to the E. D. Bullard Company. Founded in 1898 in San Francisco by Edward Dickinson Bullard, the Bullard Company has been a manufacturer of high-quality personal-protective equipment for over 100 years. Bullard sold carbide lamps and mining equipment to copper and gold miners in California, Nevada and Arizona at the turn of the century. At the time, the typical hat worn by the miners was a soft derby similar to a baseball cap with a small hard-leather and shellac brim. Bullard started development of a protective hat that could protect miners from falling objects. His son E. W. Bullard returned from WWI with his M1917 Brodie steel helmet that provided the inspiration for the first miners’ hard hat. The Bullard “Hard-Boiled Hat” made of steamed canvas, glue and black paint was introduced in 1919. With the addition of a built in suspension device, the Hard-Boiled Hat became the first commercially-available, industrial head-protection device. Edward W. Bullard filed a patent application for the miners’ safety hat on May 21, 1928 that was awarded as patent No. 1,776,249 on Sept. 23, 1930. A second application by Edward W. Bullard covering the internal suspension device was awarded as patent No. 1,770,376 on July 15, 1930. In 1933 construction began on the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California. This was the first construction site in the U.S. where construction workers were required to wear hard hats while on the job site. The Bullard Company, now headquartered in Cynthiana, Kentucky, continues in business today.) slides/Bullard Salesman Sample Hard Boiled Hat.jpg slides/Bullard Salesman Sample Hard Boiled Hat Marking.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 BULLARD SALESMAN SAMPLE MINER'S HARD BOILED HAT - Salesman sample of Bullard miner’s Hard Boiled hard hat; miniature example of first miner’s hard helmet and first industrial hard hat; paper label marked HARD-BOILED, BULLARD-DAVIS INCORPORATED, NEW YORK SAN FRANCISCO, complete with stitched trimming all around, leather interior sweat band and net suspension liner with tie string; 6 1/8 long x 4 3/4 wide x 3 in. high; as new condition (Credit for the invention of the industrial hard hat goes to the E. D. Bullard Company. Founded in 1898 in San Francisco by Edward Dickinson Bullard, the Bullard Company has been a manufacturer of high-quality personal-protective equipment for over 100 years. Bullard sold carbide lamps and mining equipment to copper and gold miners in California, Nevada and Arizona at the turn of the century. At the time, the typical hat worn by the miners was a soft derby similar to a baseball cap with a small hard-leather and shellac brim. Bullard started development of a protective hat that could protect miners from falling objects. His son E. W. Bullard returned from WWI with his M1917 Brodie steel helmet that provided the inspiration for the first miners’ hard hat. The Bullard “Hard-Boiled Hat” made of steamed canvas, glue and black paint was introduced in 1919. With the addition of a built in suspension device, the Hard-Boiled Hat became the first commercially-available, industrial head-protection device. Edward W. Bullard filed a patent application for the miners’ safety hat on May 21, 1928 that was awarded as patent No. 1,776,249 on Sept. 23, 1930. A second application by Edward W. Bullard covering the internal suspension device was awarded as patent No. 1,770,376 on July 15, 1930. In 1933 construction began on the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California. This was the first construction site in the U.S. where construction workers were required to wear hard hats while on the job site. The Bullard Company, now headquartered in Cynthiana, Kentucky, continues in business today.) BULLARD SALESMAN SAMPLE MINER'S HARD BOILED HAT - Salesman sample of Bullard miner’s Hard Boiled hard hat; miniature example of first miner’s hard helmet and first industrial hard hat; paper label marked HARD-BOILED, BULLARD-DAVIS INCORPORATED, NEW YORK SAN FRANCISCO, complete with stitched trimming all around, leather interior sweat band and net suspension liner with tie string; 6 1/8 long x 4 3/4 wide x 3 in. high; as new condition (Credit for the invention of the industrial hard hat goes to the E. D. Bullard Company. Founded in 1898 in San Francisco by Edward Dickinson Bullard, the Bullard Company has been a manufacturer of high-quality personal-protective equipment for over 100 years. Bullard sold carbide lamps and mining equipment to copper and gold miners in California, Nevada and Arizona at the turn of the century. At the time, the typical hat worn by the miners was a soft derby similar to a baseball cap with a small hard-leather and shellac brim. Bullard started development of a protective hat that could protect miners from falling objects. His son E. W. Bullard returned from WWI with his M1917 Brodie steel helmet that provided the inspiration for the first miners’ hard hat. The Bullard “Hard-Boiled Hat” made of steamed canvas, glue and black paint was introduced in 1919. With the addition of a built in suspension device, the Hard-Boiled Hat became the first commercially-available, industrial head-protection device. Edward W. Bullard filed a patent application for the miners’ safety hat on May 21, 1928 that was awarded as patent No. 1,776,249 on Sept. 23, 1930. A second application by Edward W. Bullard covering the internal suspension device was awarded as patent No. 1,770,376 on July 15, 1930. In 1933 construction began on the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California. This was the first construction site in the U.S. where construction workers were required to wear hard hats while on the job site. The Bullard Company, now headquartered in Cynthiana, Kentucky, continues in business today.) slides/Bullard Salesman Sample Hard Boiled Hat Marking.jpg slides/Bullard Hard Boiled Hats.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 BULLARD HARD BOILED HARD HATS - The full size hard hat on the left measures 12 3/4 in. x 8 1/2 in. x 6 1/4 in. high and has a paper label identifying it as a genuine Bullard Hard Boiled Hat manufactured by the E. D. Bullard Company of San Francisco. It also has the Hard Boiled trademark along with Tuff Nut. The label is marked Patent Pending. The miniature hat on the right is a Bullard Hard Boiled salesman sample hat also marked with the Hard Boiled trademark label. BULLARD HARD BOILED HARD HATS - The full size hard hat on the left measures 12 3/4 in. x 8 1/2 in. x 6 1/4 in. high and has a paper label identifying it as a genuine Bullard Hard Boiled Hat manufactured by the E. D. Bullard Company of San Francisco. It also has the Hard Boiled trademark along with Tuff Nut. The label is marked Patent Pending. The miniature hat on the right is a Bullard Hard Boiled salesman sample hat also marked with the Hard Boiled trademark label. slides/Bullard Hard Boiled Hats.jpg slides/Bullard Full Size Hard Boiled Hat Marking.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 BULLARD FULL SIZE HARD BOILED HAT MARKING BULLARD FULL SIZE HARD BOILED HAT MARKING slides/Bullard Full Size Hard Boiled Hat Marking.jpg slides/Bullard Hard Boiled Hat Patent I.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 BULLARD FIRST MINER"S SAFETY HAT PATENT BULLARD FIRST MINER"S SAFETY HAT PATENT slides/Bullard Hard Boiled Hat Patent I.jpg slides/Bullard Hard Boiled Hat Patent IIa.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 BULLARD SECOND SAFETY HAT PATENT SHOWING INTERNAL SUSPENSION BULLARD SECOND SAFETY HAT PATENT SHOWING INTERNAL SUSPENSION slides/Bullard Hard Boiled Hat Patent IIa.jpg slides/Bullard Hard Boiled Hat Patent IIb.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 BULLARD SECOND SAFETY HAT PATENT SHOWING INTERNAL SUSPENSION BULLARD SECOND SAFETY HAT PATENT SHOWING INTERNAL SUSPENSION slides/Bullard Hard Boiled Hat Patent IIb.jpg slides/Butte Letter Opener Front.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 BUTTE ADVERTISING LETTER OPENER - All copper mining theme letter opener, embossed handle on both sides showing two miners with carbide lamps, picks and an ore bucket, blade inscribed with script BUTTE MONTANA, marked HIGHT & FAIRFIELD CO, 9 3/8 in. long [Octavius Hight and John W. Fairfield were entrepreneurs living in Butte from the 1880s through the early 1900s. Together they owned 57 acres of patented mining claims in Jefferson and Silver Bow Counties in 1892. An optometrist by training, Hight had interests in a number of ventures. One of those ventures is the Hight & Fairfield jewelry business. Watches, opera glasses and fine china plates, all marked with the “Hight & Fairfield, Butte City, Montana” marking are known. It is presumed this letter opener is an advertising article for the company for either their mining or jewelry business. A similar letter opener is shown on pg 17 of Antique Mining Equipment and Collectibles by Pearson and Bommarito.] BUTTE ADVERTISING LETTER OPENER - All copper mining theme letter opener, embossed handle on both sides showing two miners with carbide lamps, picks and an ore bucket, blade inscribed with script BUTTE MONTANA, marked HIGHT & FAIRFIELD CO, 9 3/8 in. long [Octavius Hight and John W. Fairfield were entrepreneurs living in Butte from the 1880s through the early 1900s. Together they owned 57 acres of patented mining claims in Jefferson and Silver Bow Counties in 1892. An optometrist by training, Hight had interests in a number of ventures. One of those ventures is the Hight & Fairfield jewelry business. Watches, opera glasses and fine china plates, all marked with the “Hight & Fairfield, Butte City, Montana” marking are known. It is presumed this letter opener is an advertising article for the company for either their mining or jewelry business. A similar letter opener is shown on pg 17 of Antique Mining Equipment and Collectibles by Pearson and Bommarito.] slides/Butte Letter Opener Front.JPG slides/Butte Letter Opener Back.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 BUTTE ADVERTISING LETTER OPENER - All copper mining theme letter opener, embossed handle on both sides showing two miners with carbide lamps, picks and an ore bucket, blade inscribed with script BUTTE MONTANA, marked HIGHT & FAIRFIELD CO, 9 3/8 in. long [Octavius Hight and John W. Fairfield were entrepreneurs living in Butte from the 1880s through the early 1900s. Together they owned 57 acres of patented mining claims in Jefferson and Silver Bow Counties in 1892. An optometrist by training, Hight had interests in a number of ventures. One of those ventures is the Hight & Fairfield jewelry business. Watches, opera glasses and fine china plates, all marked with the “Hight & Fairfield, Butte City, Montana” marking are known. It is presumed this letter opener is an advertising article for the company for either their mining or jewelry business. A similar letter opener is shown on pg 17 of Antique Mining Equipment and Collectibles by Pearson and Bommarito.] BUTTE ADVERTISING LETTER OPENER - All copper mining theme letter opener, embossed handle on both sides showing two miners with carbide lamps, picks and an ore bucket, blade inscribed with script BUTTE MONTANA, marked HIGHT & FAIRFIELD CO, 9 3/8 in. long [Octavius Hight and John W. Fairfield were entrepreneurs living in Butte from the 1880s through the early 1900s. Together they owned 57 acres of patented mining claims in Jefferson and Silver Bow Counties in 1892. An optometrist by training, Hight had interests in a number of ventures. One of those ventures is the Hight & Fairfield jewelry business. Watches, opera glasses and fine china plates, all marked with the “Hight & Fairfield, Butte City, Montana” marking are known. It is presumed this letter opener is an advertising article for the company for either their mining or jewelry business. A similar letter opener is shown on pg 17 of Antique Mining Equipment and Collectibles by Pearson and Bommarito.] slides/Butte Letter Opener Back.JPG slides/Butte Letter Opener Closeup.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 BUTTE ADVERTISING LETTER OPENER - All copper mining theme letter opener, embossed handle on both sides showing two miners with carbide lamps, picks and an ore bucket, blade inscribed with script BUTTE MONTANA, marked HIGHT & FAIRFIELD CO, 9 3/8 in. long [Octavius Hight and John W. Fairfield were entrepreneurs living in Butte from the 1880s through the early 1900s. Together they owned 57 acres of patented mining claims in Jefferson and Silver Bow Counties in 1892. An optometrist by training, Hight had interests in a number of ventures. One of those ventures is the Hight & Fairfield jewelry business. Watches, opera glasses and fine china plates, all marked with the “Hight & Fairfield, Butte City, Montana” marking are known. It is presumed this letter opener is an advertising article for the company for either their mining or jewelry business. A similar letter opener is shown on pg 17 of Antique Mining Equipment and Collectibles by Pearson and Bommarito.] BUTTE ADVERTISING LETTER OPENER - All copper mining theme letter opener, embossed handle on both sides showing two miners with carbide lamps, picks and an ore bucket, blade inscribed with script BUTTE MONTANA, marked HIGHT & FAIRFIELD CO, 9 3/8 in. long [Octavius Hight and John W. Fairfield were entrepreneurs living in Butte from the 1880s through the early 1900s. Together they owned 57 acres of patented mining claims in Jefferson and Silver Bow Counties in 1892. An optometrist by training, Hight had interests in a number of ventures. One of those ventures is the Hight & Fairfield jewelry business. Watches, opera glasses and fine china plates, all marked with the “Hight & Fairfield, Butte City, Montana” marking are known. It is presumed this letter opener is an advertising article for the company for either their mining or jewelry business. A similar letter opener is shown on pg 17 of Antique Mining Equipment and Collectibles by Pearson and Bommarito.] slides/Butte Letter Opener Closeup.JPG slides/Butte Letter Opener Marking.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 BUTTE ADVERTISING LETTER OPENER - All copper mining theme letter opener, embossed handle on both sides showing two miners with carbide lamps, picks and an ore bucket, blade inscribed with script BUTTE MONTANA, marked HIGHT & FAIRFIELD CO, 9 3/8 in. long [Octavius Hight and John W. Fairfield were entrepreneurs living in Butte from the 1880s through the early 1900s. Together they owned 57 acres of patented mining claims in Jefferson and Silver Bow Counties in 1892. An optometrist by training, Hight had interests in a number of ventures. One of those ventures is the Hight & Fairfield jewelry business. Watches, opera glasses and fine china plates, all marked with the “Hight & Fairfield, Butte City, Montana” marking are known. It is presumed this letter opener is an advertising article for the company for either their mining or jewelry business. A similar letter opener is shown on pg 17 of Antique Mining Equipment and Collectibles by Pearson and Bommarito.] BUTTE ADVERTISING LETTER OPENER - All copper mining theme letter opener, embossed handle on both sides showing two miners with carbide lamps, picks and an ore bucket, blade inscribed with script BUTTE MONTANA, marked HIGHT & FAIRFIELD CO, 9 3/8 in. long [Octavius Hight and John W. Fairfield were entrepreneurs living in Butte from the 1880s through the early 1900s. Together they owned 57 acres of patented mining claims in Jefferson and Silver Bow Counties in 1892. An optometrist by training, Hight had interests in a number of ventures. One of those ventures is the Hight & Fairfield jewelry business. Watches, opera glasses and fine china plates, all marked with the “Hight & Fairfield, Butte City, Montana” marking are known. It is presumed this letter opener is an advertising article for the company for either their mining or jewelry business. A similar letter opener is shown on pg 17 of Antique Mining Equipment and Collectibles by Pearson and Bommarito.] slides/Butte Letter Opener Marking.JPG slides/Catalpa Mining Co Leadville.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 CATALPA MINING COMPANY STOCK CERTIFICATE LEADVILLE - Catalpa Mining Co. 100 shares, January 21, 1881, uncancelled, 7 in. x 11 ¼ in., owned Catalpa and Crescent mines on Carbonate Hill, Leadville, CO, vignette of miners working underground, signed by President J. P. Whitney CATALPA MINING COMPANY STOCK CERTIFICATE LEADVILLE - Catalpa Mining Co. 100 shares, January 21, 1881, uncancelled, 7 in. x 11 ¼ in., owned Catalpa and Crescent mines on Carbonate Hill, Leadville, CO, vignette of miners working underground, signed by President J. P. Whitney slides/Catalpa Mining Co Leadville.jpg slides/Colorado and Pikes Peak Consolidated Mining Cripple Creek.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 COLORADO AND PIKES PEAK MINING COMPANY STOCK CERTIFICATE CRIPPLE CREEK - The Colorado and Pike's Peak Consolidated Mining Company of Cripple Creek, Colorado, 500 shares owned by Jessie E. Bond, June 9, 1900, uncancelled, 8 1/8 in. x 10 1/4 in., signed by President Chas. G. Adams, with gold embossed seal dated 1896, vignette of eagle with shield and arrows and decorative border COLORADO AND PIKES PEAK MINING COMPANY STOCK CERTIFICATE CRIPPLE CREEK - The Colorado and Pike's Peak Consolidated Mining Company of Cripple Creek, Colorado, 500 shares owned by Jessie E. Bond, June 9, 1900, uncancelled, 8 1/8 in. x 10 1/4 in., signed by President Chas. G. Adams, with gold embossed seal dated 1896, vignette of eagle with shield and arrows and decorative border slides/Colorado and Pikes Peak Consolidated Mining Cripple Creek.JPG slides/Colorado Bureau of Mines Bell Sign.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 COLORADO BUREAU OF MINES BELL SIGN - Original mid-1930s cloth bell sign for the Bureau of Mines, State of Colorado, sign is 34 in. tall and 13 in. wide, bottom marked “Approved, Walter E. Scott, Jr., Commissioner of Mines,” black on a white background, extensive use of bold lettering makes this sign somewhat unique and attractive, sign printed by Bradford-Robinson Printing Co, Denver, lower left corner has a small union label for Allied Printing Trades Council, Denver, Colo., Walter E. Scott was Mines Commissioner from 1934 to 1947, sign was found in the Diamond Tunnel in Silver Plume, Colorado, ex-Steve Rush collection (see Bobrink article in Mining Artifact Collector # 3, p 34) COLORADO BUREAU OF MINES BELL SIGN - Original mid-1930s cloth bell sign for the Bureau of Mines, State of Colorado, sign is 34 in. tall and 13 in. wide, bottom marked “Approved, Walter E. Scott, Jr., Commissioner of Mines,” black on a white background, extensive use of bold lettering makes this sign somewhat unique and attractive, sign printed by Bradford-Robinson Printing Co, Denver, lower left corner has a small union label for Allied Printing Trades Council, Denver, Colo., Walter E. Scott was Mines Commissioner from 1934 to 1947, sign was found in the Diamond Tunnel in Silver Plume, Colorado, ex-Steve Rush collection (see Bobrink article in Mining Artifact Collector # 3, p 34) slides/Colorado Bureau of Mines Bell Sign.JPG slides/Cupel Mould.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 CUPEL MOULD - Brass cupel mould, 5 1/8 in. high, plunger dia. 1 1/4 in., cylinder height 1 3/8 in. and outside dia. 1 7/8 in., shown with bone-ash cupel recovered from the mill house of the Nabesna Mine, Chisana District, Valdez-Cordova Borough, Alaska by my good Alaskan friend Neil Tysver (The final process of assaying gold and silver ore is called cupellation, the object of which is to remove base metals such as lead and copper as oxides while leaving the remaining gold and silver in a metal state called a button. It is performed in a muffle furnace in a porous vessel called a cupel which is usually made of bone ash. The process of manufacturing a cupel is as follows. Finely ground bone ash is moistened with water and thoroughly kneaded so that the mass is of uniform consistency throughout and free of lumps. The material is best worked by rubbing between the hands. The bone ash is sufficiently wet when it coheres by gently squeezing it in the hand. Generally, bone ash requires the addition of about one-twelfth its weight of water. Small quantities of cupels can be made by hand in a cupel mould as shown in the pic. This device is usually made of iron or brass, as this one, and consists of a hollow cylinder and a plunger with a concave bottom that fits in the cylinder to compress the bone ash and shape the top of the cupel. In forming the cupel, the cylinder is filled with the moistened bone ash and the plunger is placed in the cylinder and is compressed by three or four sharp blows from a wooden mallet. The plunger should be rotated one-half turn to free it and smooth the face of the cupel which can then be removed by carefully sliding it out of the cylinder and left to dry. Cupels vary in size according to the weight of the lead button being cupelled. A cupel should be capable of absorbing its own weight of molten litharge. A cupel of 1 in. top diameter can absorb 8 grams of litharge while a 1 1/2 inch top diameter can absorb 28 grams. See Ernest Smith, The Sampling and Assay of the Precious Metals, 1913, J. B. Lippincott Co., Philadelphia) CUPEL MOULD - Brass cupel mould, 5 1/8 in. high, plunger dia. 1 1/4 in., cylinder height 1 3/8 in. and outside dia. 1 7/8 in., shown with bone-ash cupel recovered from the mill house of the Nabesna Mine, Chisana District, Valdez-Cordova Borough, Alaska by my good Alaskan friend Neil Tysver (The final process of assaying gold and silver ore is called cupellation, the object of which is to remove base metals such as lead and copper as oxides while leaving the remaining gold and silver in a metal state called a button. It is performed in a muffle furnace in a porous vessel called a cupel which is usually made of bone ash. The process of manufacturing a cupel is as follows. Finely ground bone ash is moistened with water and thoroughly kneaded so that the mass is of uniform consistency throughout and free of lumps. The material is best worked by rubbing between the hands. The bone ash is sufficiently wet when it coheres by gently squeezing it in the hand. Generally, bone ash requires the addition of about one-twelfth its weight of water. Small quantities of cupels can be made by hand in a cupel mould as shown in the pic. This device is usually made of iron or brass, as this one, and consists of a hollow cylinder and a plunger with a concave bottom that fits in the cylinder to compress the bone ash and shape the top of the cupel. In forming the cupel, the cylinder is filled with the moistened bone ash and the plunger is placed in the cylinder and is compressed by three or four sharp blows from a wooden mallet. The plunger should be rotated one-half turn to free it and smooth the face of the cupel which can then be removed by carefully sliding it out of the cylinder and left to dry. Cupels vary in size according to the weight of the lead button being cupelled. A cupel should be capable of absorbing its own weight of molten litharge. A cupel of 1 in. top diameter can absorb 8 grams of litharge while a 1 1/2 inch top diameter can absorb 28 grams. See Ernest Smith, The Sampling and Assay of the Precious Metals, 1913, J. B. Lippincott Co., Philadelphia) slides/Cupel Mould.JPG slides/Cupel Mould II.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 CUPEL MOULD - Brass cupel mould, 5 1/8 in. high, plunger dia. 1 1/4 in., cylinder height 1 3/8 in. and outside dia. 1 7/8 in., shown with bone-ash cupel recovered from the mill house of the Nabesna Mine, Chisana District, Valdez-Cordova Borough, Alaska by my good Alaskan friend Neil Tysver (The final process of assaying gold and silver ore is called cupellation, the object of which is to remove base metals such as lead and copper as oxides while leaving the remaining gold and silver in a metal state called a button. It is performed in a muffle furnace in a porous vessel called a cupel which is usually made of bone ash. The process of manufacturing a cupel is as follows. Finely ground bone ash is moistened with water and thoroughly kneaded so that the mass is of uniform consistency throughout and free of lumps. The material is best worked by rubbing between the hands. The bone ash is sufficiently wet when it coheres by gently squeezing it in the hand. Generally, bone ash requires the addition of about one-twelfth its weight of water. Small quantities of cupels can be made by hand in a cupel mould as shown in the pic. This device is usually made of iron or brass, as this one, and consists of a hollow cylinder and a plunger with a concave bottom that fits in the cylinder to compress the bone ash and shape the top of the cupel. In forming the cupel, the cylinder is filled with the moistened bone ash and the plunger is placed in the cylinder and is compressed by three or four sharp blows from a wooden mallet. The plunger should be rotated one-half turn to free it and smooth the face of the cupel which can then be removed by carefully sliding it out of the cylinder and left to dry. Cupels vary in size according to the weight of the lead button being cupelled. A cupel should be capable of absorbing its own weight of molten litharge. A cupel of 1 in. top diameter can absorb 8 grams of litharge while a 1 1/2 inch top diameter can absorb 28 grams. See Ernest Smith, The Sampling and Assay of the Precious Metals, 1913, J. B. Lippincott Co., Philadelphia) CUPEL MOULD - Brass cupel mould, 5 1/8 in. high, plunger dia. 1 1/4 in., cylinder height 1 3/8 in. and outside dia. 1 7/8 in., shown with bone-ash cupel recovered from the mill house of the Nabesna Mine, Chisana District, Valdez-Cordova Borough, Alaska by my good Alaskan friend Neil Tysver (The final process of assaying gold and silver ore is called cupellation, the object of which is to remove base metals such as lead and copper as oxides while leaving the remaining gold and silver in a metal state called a button. It is performed in a muffle furnace in a porous vessel called a cupel which is usually made of bone ash. The process of manufacturing a cupel is as follows. Finely ground bone ash is moistened with water and thoroughly kneaded so that the mass is of uniform consistency throughout and free of lumps. The material is best worked by rubbing between the hands. The bone ash is sufficiently wet when it coheres by gently squeezing it in the hand. Generally, bone ash requires the addition of about one-twelfth its weight of water. Small quantities of cupels can be made by hand in a cupel mould as shown in the pic. This device is usually made of iron or brass, as this one, and consists of a hollow cylinder and a plunger with a concave bottom that fits in the cylinder to compress the bone ash and shape the top of the cupel. In forming the cupel, the cylinder is filled with the moistened bone ash and the plunger is placed in the cylinder and is compressed by three or four sharp blows from a wooden mallet. The plunger should be rotated one-half turn to free it and smooth the face of the cupel which can then be removed by carefully sliding it out of the cylinder and left to dry. Cupels vary in size according to the weight of the lead button being cupelled. A cupel should be capable of absorbing its own weight of molten litharge. A cupel of 1 in. top diameter can absorb 8 grams of litharge while a 1 1/2 inch top diameter can absorb 28 grams. See Ernest Smith, The Sampling and Assay of the Precious Metals, 1913, J. B. Lippincott Co., Philadelphia) slides/Cupel Mould II.JPG slides/Cupel Mould Ad 1899 John Taylor & Co Catalogue.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 CUPEL MOULD AD - Ad in 1899 John Taylor & Co. catalogue showing the 1 1/4 in. diameter brass cupel mould for $2.25. CUPEL MOULD AD - Ad in 1899 John Taylor & Co. catalogue showing the 1 1/4 in. diameter brass cupel mould for $2.25. slides/Cupel Mould Ad 1899 John Taylor & Co Catalogue.JPG slides/3 and 4 in Davis Anemometers.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 3 AND 4 IN. DAVIS ANEMOMETERS - Biram anemometers were typically offered in 3, 4 and 6 in. dia. options although custom sizes were also available. The two pictured here were both built by the Davis Instrument Co. of Baltimore, MD. The actual diameters for the one on the left is 3 1/4 in and 4 1/4 for the one on the right. Although several manufacturers made anemometers, the Biram anemometers all share a similar configuration and operation. As noted in the 1912 Mine and Smelter Supply Company Catalog No. 24, "portable airmeters (the vane assembly is at a right angle to the dial) and Biram anemometers (as shown here) are for the measurement of air currents in mines, tunnels, etc. The indications are obtained by the means of a delicately poised fan-wheel, the recordings being commenced by the long or central hand, which traverses the outer circumference of the main dial, showing the passage of 100 feet of air in a complete revolution. The usual way of taking a test is to place the instrument in the current in a number of different positions; take the number of feet that have passed during a certain time, for instance, say one minute; then divide the total by the number of readings and obtain the average; multiply that by the square of the opening or channel, and the result is the velocity of air, in feet, passing in a given time." 3 AND 4 IN. DAVIS ANEMOMETERS - Biram anemometers were typically offered in 3, 4 and 6 in. dia. options although custom sizes were also available. The two pictured here were both built by the Davis Instrument Co. of Baltimore, MD. The actual diameters for the one on the left is 3 1/4 in and 4 1/4 for the one on the right. Although several manufacturers made anemometers, the Biram anemometers all share a similar configuration and operation. As noted in the 1912 Mine and Smelter Supply Company Catalog No. 24, "portable airmeters (the vane assembly is at a right angle to the dial) and Biram anemometers (as shown here) are for the measurement of air currents in mines, tunnels, etc. The indications are obtained by the means of a delicately poised fan-wheel, the recordings being commenced by the long or central hand, which traverses the outer circumference of the main dial, showing the passage of 100 feet of air in a complete revolution. The usual way of taking a test is to place the instrument in the current in a number of different positions; take the number of feet that have passed during a certain time, for instance, say one minute; then divide the total by the number of readings and obtain the average; multiply that by the square of the opening or channel, and the result is the velocity of air, in feet, passing in a given time." slides/3 and 4 in Davis Anemometers.JPG slides/3 in Davis Anemometer Front.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 3 IN. DAVIS ANEMOMETER - Mining anemometer, 3 1/4 in. dia. to outer edge of frame with 1 5/8 in. dia. glass-covered dial with tens, and two smaller dials for hundreds and thousands counters, marked DAVIS INSTRUMENT MFG. CO. BALTIMORE MD, with counter on/off lever and counter reset thumbwheel, frame is all brass and includes 8 aluminum vanes (The anemometer was invented and named by Benjamin Biram in 1844. Biram was house steward to the Earl Fitzwilliam of Wentworth Woodhouse who owned a number of collieries in South Yorkshire, England. John Davis & Son Ltd. of Derby manufactured the first Biram anemometer in 1845. The anemometer is an instrument designed to measure the flow or speed of air and was used in the ventilation of mine shafts. As shown, a vaned propeller is attached to a dial that records the number of turns that it makes over a period of time and converts this reading into a measurement of air speed. In deep coal mines, the gases given off by the coal can accumulate in the mine passages and become concentrated. When this happens, the slightest spark can set off an explosion. To prevent this happening, big fans are used at the pit top to draw fresh air around the mine and take the gas away to the surface. Anemometers were used by the Mine Deputies every day to check that there was a sufficient flow of fresh air throughout the whole mine. This anemometer was manufacturered by the Davis Instrument Mfg. Co. of Baltimore. A discussion of the John Davis & Son Ltd. company of Derby, England is included with a Davis safety lamp in my safety lamp section. The Davis Instrument Mfg. Co. was started by Herbert Davis, one of seven sons of John Davis, in 1912. Herbert had been contracted by the John Davis & Son Ltd. to establish a branch office in the US to sell Davis Derby products. The venture proved to be extremely successful with Herbert and later his son Alfred managing the company into the late 1960s until Alfred's death. The company was sold to new owners and continues in business today. Early anemometers are highly prized by both mining artifact and scientific instrument collectors. See David J. Hind, Davis Derby-A History of Engineering, Mining History: The Bulletin of the Peak Mines Historical Society, Vol. 14, No. 2, Winter 1999) 3 IN. DAVIS ANEMOMETER - Mining anemometer, 3 1/4 in. dia. to outer edge of frame with 1 5/8 in. dia. glass-covered dial with tens, and two smaller dials for hundreds and thousands counters, marked DAVIS INSTRUMENT MFG. CO. BALTIMORE MD, with counter on/off lever and counter reset thumbwheel, frame is all brass and includes 8 aluminum vanes (The anemometer was invented and named by Benjamin Biram in 1844. Biram was house steward to the Earl Fitzwilliam of Wentworth Woodhouse who owned a number of collieries in South Yorkshire, England. John Davis & Son Ltd. of Derby manufactured the first Biram anemometer in 1845. The anemometer is an instrument designed to measure the flow or speed of air and was used in the ventilation of mine shafts. As shown, a vaned propeller is attached to a dial that records the number of turns that it makes over a period of time and converts this reading into a measurement of air speed. In deep coal mines, the gases given off by the coal can accumulate in the mine passages and become concentrated. When this happens, the slightest spark can set off an explosion. To prevent this happening, big fans are used at the pit top to draw fresh air around the mine and take the gas away to the surface. Anemometers were used by the Mine Deputies every day to check that there was a sufficient flow of fresh air throughout the whole mine. This anemometer was manufacturered by the Davis Instrument Mfg. Co. of Baltimore. A discussion of the John Davis & Son Ltd. company of Derby, England is included with a Davis safety lamp in my safety lamp section. The Davis Instrument Mfg. Co. was started by Herbert Davis, one of seven sons of John Davis, in 1912. Herbert had been contracted by the John Davis & Son Ltd. to establish a branch office in the US to sell Davis Derby products. The venture proved to be extremely successful with Herbert and later his son Alfred managing the company into the late 1960s until Alfred's death. The company was sold to new owners and continues in business today. Early anemometers are highly prized by both mining artifact and scientific instrument collectors. See David J. Hind, Davis Derby-A History of Engineering, Mining History: The Bulletin of the Peak Mines Historical Society, Vol. 14, No. 2, Winter 1999) slides/3 in Davis Anemometer Front.JPG slides/3 in Davis Anemometer Back.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 3 IN. DAVIS ANEMOMETER - Mining anemometer, 3 1/4 in. dia. to outer edge of frame with 1 5/8 in. dia. glass-covered dial with tens, and two smaller dials for hundreds and thousands counters, marked DAVIS INSTRUMENT MFG. CO. BALTIMORE MD, with counter on/off lever and counter reset thumbwheel, frame is all brass and includes 8 aluminum vanes (The anemometer was invented and named by Benjamin Biram in 1844. Biram was house steward to the Earl Fitzwilliam of Wentworth Woodhouse who owned a number of collieries in South Yorkshire, England. John Davis & Son Ltd. of Derby manufactured the first Biram anemometer in 1845. The anemometer is an instrument designed to measure the flow or speed of air and was used in the ventilation of mine shafts. As shown, a vaned propeller is attached to a dial that records the number of turns that it makes over a period of time and converts this reading into a measurement of air speed. In deep coal mines, the gases given off by the coal can accumulate in the mine passages and become concentrated. When this happens, the slightest spark can set off an explosion. To prevent this happening, big fans are used at the pit top to draw fresh air around the mine and take the gas away to the surface. Anemometers were used by the Mine Deputies every day to check that there was a sufficient flow of fresh air throughout the whole mine. This anemometer was manufacturered by the Davis Instrument Mfg. Co. of Baltimore. A discussion of the John Davis & Son Ltd. company of Derby, England is included with a Davis safety lamp in my safety lamp section. The Davis Instrument Mfg. Co. was started by Herbert Davis, one of seven sons of John Davis, in 1912. Herbert had been contracted by the John Davis & Son Ltd. to establish a branch office in the US to sell Davis Derby products. The venture proved to be extremely successful with Herbert and later his son Alfred managing the company into the late 1960s until Alfred's death. The company was sold to new owners and continues in business today. Early anemometers are highly prized by both mining artifact and scientific instrument collectors. See David J. Hind, Davis Derby-A History of Engineering, Mining History: The Bulletin of the Peak Mines Historical Society, Vol. 14, No. 2, Winter 1999) 3 IN. DAVIS ANEMOMETER - Mining anemometer, 3 1/4 in. dia. to outer edge of frame with 1 5/8 in. dia. glass-covered dial with tens, and two smaller dials for hundreds and thousands counters, marked DAVIS INSTRUMENT MFG. CO. BALTIMORE MD, with counter on/off lever and counter reset thumbwheel, frame is all brass and includes 8 aluminum vanes (The anemometer was invented and named by Benjamin Biram in 1844. Biram was house steward to the Earl Fitzwilliam of Wentworth Woodhouse who owned a number of collieries in South Yorkshire, England. John Davis & Son Ltd. of Derby manufactured the first Biram anemometer in 1845. The anemometer is an instrument designed to measure the flow or speed of air and was used in the ventilation of mine shafts. As shown, a vaned propeller is attached to a dial that records the number of turns that it makes over a period of time and converts this reading into a measurement of air speed. In deep coal mines, the gases given off by the coal can accumulate in the mine passages and become concentrated. When this happens, the slightest spark can set off an explosion. To prevent this happening, big fans are used at the pit top to draw fresh air around the mine and take the gas away to the surface. Anemometers were used by the Mine Deputies every day to check that there was a sufficient flow of fresh air throughout the whole mine. This anemometer was manufacturered by the Davis Instrument Mfg. Co. of Baltimore. A discussion of the John Davis & Son Ltd. company of Derby, England is included with a Davis safety lamp in my safety lamp section. The Davis Instrument Mfg. Co. was started by Herbert Davis, one of seven sons of John Davis, in 1912. Herbert had been contracted by the John Davis & Son Ltd. to establish a branch office in the US to sell Davis Derby products. The venture proved to be extremely successful with Herbert and later his son Alfred managing the company into the late 1960s until Alfred's death. The company was sold to new owners and continues in business today. Early anemometers are highly prized by both mining artifact and scientific instrument collectors. See David J. Hind, Davis Derby-A History of Engineering, Mining History: The Bulletin of the Peak Mines Historical Society, Vol. 14, No. 2, Winter 1999) slides/3 in Davis Anemometer Back.JPG slides/4 in Davis Anemometer.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 4 IN. DAVIS ANEMOMETER - Mining anemometer, 4 1/4 in. dia. to outer edge of frame with 1 7/8 in. dia. glass-covered dial with tens, hundreds and thousands counters, marked DAVIS INSTRUMENT MFG. CO. BALTIMORE MARYLAND MADE IN THE USA STANDARD, with counter on/off and counter reset levers, frame is brass with black paint and includes 8 aluminum vanes (The anemometer was invented and named by Benjamin Biram in 1844. Biram was house steward to the Earl Fitzwilliam of Wentworth Woodhouse who owned a number of collieries in South Yorkshire, England. John Davis & Son Ltd. of Derby manufactured the first Biram anemometer in 1845. The anemometer is an instrument designed to measure the flow or speed of air and was used in the ventilation of mine shafts. As shown, a vaned propeller is attached to a dial that records the number of turns that it makes over a period of time and converts this reading into a measurement of air speed. In deep coal mines, the gases given off by the coal can accumulate in the mine passages and become concentrated. When this happens, the slightest spark can set off an explosion. To prevent this happening, big fans are used at the pit top to draw fresh air around the mine and take the gas away to the surface. Anemometers were used by the Mine Deputies every day to check that there was a sufficient flow of fresh air throughout the whole mine. This anemometer was manufacturered by the Davis Instrument Mfg. Co. of Baltimore. A discussion of the John Davis & Son Ltd. company of Derby, England is included with a Davis safety lamp in my safety lamp section. The Davis Instrument Mfg. Co. was started by Herbert Davis, one of seven sons of John Davis, in 1912. Herbert had been contracted by the John Davis & Son Ltd. to establish a branch office in the US to sell Davis Derby products. The venture proved to be extremely successful with Herbert and later his son Alfred managing the company into the late 1960s until Alfred's death. The company was sold to new owners and continues in business today. Early anemometers are highly prized by both mining artifact and scientific instrument collectors. See David J. Hind, Davis Derby-A History of Engineering, Mining History: The Bulletin of the Peak Mines Historical Society, Vol. 14, No. 2, Winter 1999) 4 IN. DAVIS ANEMOMETER - Mining anemometer, 4 1/4 in. dia. to outer edge of frame with 1 7/8 in. dia. glass-covered dial with tens, hundreds and thousands counters, marked DAVIS INSTRUMENT MFG. CO. BALTIMORE MARYLAND MADE IN THE USA STANDARD, with counter on/off and counter reset levers, frame is brass with black paint and includes 8 aluminum vanes (The anemometer was invented and named by Benjamin Biram in 1844. Biram was house steward to the Earl Fitzwilliam of Wentworth Woodhouse who owned a number of collieries in South Yorkshire, England. John Davis & Son Ltd. of Derby manufactured the first Biram anemometer in 1845. The anemometer is an instrument designed to measure the flow or speed of air and was used in the ventilation of mine shafts. As shown, a vaned propeller is attached to a dial that records the number of turns that it makes over a period of time and converts this reading into a measurement of air speed. In deep coal mines, the gases given off by the coal can accumulate in the mine passages and become concentrated. When this happens, the slightest spark can set off an explosion. To prevent this happening, big fans are used at the pit top to draw fresh air around the mine and take the gas away to the surface. Anemometers were used by the Mine Deputies every day to check that there was a sufficient flow of fresh air throughout the whole mine. This anemometer was manufacturered by the Davis Instrument Mfg. Co. of Baltimore. A discussion of the John Davis & Son Ltd. company of Derby, England is included with a Davis safety lamp in my safety lamp section. The Davis Instrument Mfg. Co. was started by Herbert Davis, one of seven sons of John Davis, in 1912. Herbert had been contracted by the John Davis & Son Ltd. to establish a branch office in the US to sell Davis Derby products. The venture proved to be extremely successful with Herbert and later his son Alfred managing the company into the late 1960s until Alfred's death. The company was sold to new owners and continues in business today. Early anemometers are highly prized by both mining artifact and scientific instrument collectors. See David J. Hind, Davis Derby-A History of Engineering, Mining History: The Bulletin of the Peak Mines Historical Society, Vol. 14, No. 2, Winter 1999) slides/4 in Davis Anemometer.JPG slides/Fancy Ore Pick.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 FANCY ORE PICK - Fancy hand forged ore/clay/railroad type pick, 18 in. long, with detailed file work and ornate details, appears to be a presentation piece, with captins to show scale; typical railroad, clay and ore picks were at least 22-23 in. long and had a chisel tip at one end and a pointed tip at the other as does this pick; however, this pick is 4-5 in. shorter and appears to be hand forged and worked as a decorative piece that never saw a chunk of ore; a unique piece that I wish could talk FANCY ORE PICK - Fancy hand forged ore/clay/railroad type pick, 18 in. long, with detailed file work and ornate details, appears to be a presentation piece, with captins to show scale; typical railroad, clay and ore picks were at least 22-23 in. long and had a chisel tip at one end and a pointed tip at the other as does this pick; however, this pick is 4-5 in. shorter and appears to be hand forged and worked as a decorative piece that never saw a chunk of ore; a unique piece that I wish could talk slides/Fancy Ore Pick.JPG slides/Findley Mine Cripple Creek.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 FINDLEY GOLD MINING EMBOSSER AND STOCK CERTIFICATE CRIPPLE CREEK - This is a very difficult to put together combination of the Findley Gold Mining Co., Colorado embosser and a stock certificate with the stamped embosser seal; a page out of Hill's 1900 Official Manual of the Cripple Creek District provides details on the Findley Mine; the embosser is marked on bottom Patented May 8, 1883 and Oct. 9, 1883 [Findley operated the Findley and Shurtloff mines located on Bull Hill at Cripple Creek, CO – see Lindgren USGS paper 54]; the stock certificate of The Findley Gold Mining Company stock certificate #2518, 1000 shares, owned by Lindley and Greenwood, dated Dec. 28, 1899, cancelled Mar. 7, 1902, seal embossed with company seal; signed by Geo. Lindley, Pres. FINDLEY GOLD MINING EMBOSSER AND STOCK CERTIFICATE CRIPPLE CREEK - This is a very difficult to put together combination of the Findley Gold Mining Co., Colorado embosser and a stock certificate with the stamped embosser seal; a page out of Hill's 1900 Official Manual of the Cripple Creek District provides details on the Findley Mine; the embosser is marked on bottom Patented May 8, 1883 and Oct. 9, 1883 [Findley operated the Findley and Shurtloff mines located on Bull Hill at Cripple Creek, CO – see Lindgren USGS paper 54]; the stock certificate of The Findley Gold Mining Company stock certificate #2518, 1000 shares, owned by Lindley and Greenwood, dated Dec. 28, 1899, cancelled Mar. 7, 1902, seal embossed with company seal; signed by Geo. Lindley, Pres. slides/Findley Mine Cripple Creek.JPG slides/Fox Copper Mining Corporate Seal.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 FOX COPPER MINING CORPORATE SEAL EMBOSSER - Lion's head corporate seal embosser marked FOX COPPER MINING AND MILLING COMPANY INCORPORATED, JULY 1909, MULLAN, IDAHO, 11 in. tall [The Fox Copper Mining and Milling Co. was formed in 1909 with O. W. Carter as president, Wm. Schierding as vice-president and Wm. G. Newbury as secretary-treasurer. The company office was in Mullan, Idaho but the mine office was in Saltese, Missoula Co., Montana about 16 miles east. Nine claims were filed on land circa 6 miles east of Saltese having a vein of 15 ft. estimated width carrying argentiferous and auriferous chalcopyrite, giving assays up to 27% copper, 17 oz. silver and $5 gold per ton. Development was by 2 tunnels and a 64 ft. shaft near the portal of the lower tunnel. A one-mile flume furnished water under a 230 ft. head to a water-wheel actuating a 4-drill air-compressor. This information was obtained from the 1910-1911 edition of The Copper Handbook by Horace J. Stevens. However, the 1912-1913 edition of The Copper Handbook by Walter Weed notes that no additional information was received from the company and that requesting letters went unanswered. It is unknown what became of the company but an early demise seems likely.] FOX COPPER MINING CORPORATE SEAL EMBOSSER - Lion's head corporate seal embosser marked FOX COPPER MINING AND MILLING COMPANY INCORPORATED, JULY 1909, MULLAN, IDAHO, 11 in. tall [The Fox Copper Mining and Milling Co. was formed in 1909 with O. W. Carter as president, Wm. Schierding as vice-president and Wm. G. Newbury as secretary-treasurer. The company office was in Mullan, Idaho but the mine office was in Saltese, Missoula Co., Montana about 16 miles east. Nine claims were filed on land circa 6 miles east of Saltese having a vein of 15 ft. estimated width carrying argentiferous and auriferous chalcopyrite, giving assays up to 27% copper, 17 oz. silver and $5 gold per ton. Development was by 2 tunnels and a 64 ft. shaft near the portal of the lower tunnel. A one-mile flume furnished water under a 230 ft. head to a water-wheel actuating a 4-drill air-compressor. This information was obtained from the 1910-1911 edition of The Copper Handbook by Horace J. Stevens. However, the 1912-1913 edition of The Copper Handbook by Walter Weed notes that no additional information was received from the company and that requesting letters went unanswered. It is unknown what became of the company but an early demise seems likely.] slides/Fox Copper Mining Corporate Seal.JPG slides/Free Coinage Gold Mining Co Cripple Creek.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 FREE COINAGE GOLD MINING STOCK CERTIFICATE CRIPPLE CREEK - Free Coinage Gold Mining Co. 500 shares, January 1893, hand cancel April 5, 1893, 8 in. x 10 ¼ in., owned Pinto, Rising Sun, Bison #2, and Pueblo on Bull Hill, Cripple Creek, CO, certificate signed by S. J. Altman, President who later had town of Altman named after him as highest incorporated town in the world FREE COINAGE GOLD MINING STOCK CERTIFICATE CRIPPLE CREEK - Free Coinage Gold Mining Co. 500 shares, January 1893, hand cancel April 5, 1893, 8 in. x 10 ¼ in., owned Pinto, Rising Sun, Bison #2, and Pueblo on Bull Hill, Cripple Creek, CO, certificate signed by S. J. Altman, President who later had town of Altman named after him as highest incorporated town in the world slides/Free Coinage Gold Mining Co Cripple Creek.jpg slides/Funk Bros Patent Pick.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 FUNK BROS. PICK HEAD - Steel coal pick head, 8 ¼ in. from tip to tip, marked FUNK BROS. CHICAGO HEIGHTS ILL and 114 on pick head (The Funk Bros. catalog ca. 1906 features this pick as the Funk Bros Patent Pick and No. 114 as a square drawn cutting pick of solid one-piece steel; the catalog arguably notes that “this is the best patent pick ever put on the market;” the pick serves as an interesting tangential piece to the rare Funk Bros. marked carbide lamp eagerly sought by collectors; in 1913, Grier Bros. began to manufacture a lamp that was virtually identical to a lamp made by Baldwin; the imitation lamp was also privately labeled for other mine supply companies, including The Hardsocg Co., What Cheer Tool Co. and Funk Bros. Mfg. Co. In 1914, Baldwin sued Grier Bros. for patent infringement, won the suit and forced Grier Bros. to modify the lamp, thus establishing the rarity of these private label lamps; see Thorpe, Carbide Light, pp 180-181) FUNK BROS. PICK HEAD - Steel coal pick head, 8 ¼ in. from tip to tip, marked FUNK BROS. CHICAGO HEIGHTS ILL and 114 on pick head (The Funk Bros. catalog ca. 1906 features this pick as the Funk Bros Patent Pick and No. 114 as a square drawn cutting pick of solid one-piece steel; the catalog arguably notes that “this is the best patent pick ever put on the market;” the pick serves as an interesting tangential piece to the rare Funk Bros. marked carbide lamp eagerly sought by collectors; in 1913, Grier Bros. began to manufacture a lamp that was virtually identical to a lamp made by Baldwin; the imitation lamp was also privately labeled for other mine supply companies, including The Hardsocg Co., What Cheer Tool Co. and Funk Bros. Mfg. Co. In 1914, Baldwin sued Grier Bros. for patent infringement, won the suit and forced Grier Bros. to modify the lamp, thus establishing the rarity of these private label lamps; see Thorpe, Carbide Light, pp 180-181) slides/Funk Bros Patent Pick.JPG slides/Gem Oil Cadger.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 GEM OIL FLASK - Steel flask for holding lubricating oil for the drilling machines in the mines, 4 ¼ in. dia, marked GEM MFG. CO. PITTSBURGH, PA, ex-Henry Pohs Collection GEM OIL FLASK - Steel flask for holding lubricating oil for the drilling machines in the mines, 4 ¼ in. dia, marked GEM MFG. CO. PITTSBURGH, PA, ex-Henry Pohs Collection slides/Gem Oil Cadger.JPG slides/Gold Scale.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 GOLD SCALE - Antique scale with walnut cabinet, cabinet 9in W x 2 ¼in H, brass scale 10in H, found in Shasta, CA area GOLD SCALE - Antique scale with walnut cabinet, cabinet 9in W x 2 ¼in H, brass scale 10in H, found in Shasta, CA area slides/Gold Scale.JPG slides/Calkins 20 oz Mold.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 CALKINS 20 OZ SILVER MOLD - Iron gold and silver bar mold, marked THE CALKINS CO. L A. CAL along edge with 20 OZ S. on lower edge, outside measurements 5 1/2 in. long by 2 7/8 in. across top and 1 3/4 in. high, inside 3 in. by 1 3/4 in. by 1 1/4 in. deep, weighs 3 lbs. (The Calkins Co. of Los Angeles, CA was a supplier of assaying equipment around the turn of the century. The 1909 Calkins Company catalog, pg. 160 lists this mold with a capacity of 20 oz. silver or 48 oz. gold and cost $0.50.) CALKINS 20 OZ SILVER MOLD - Iron gold and silver bar mold, marked THE CALKINS CO. L A. CAL along edge with 20 OZ S. on lower edge, outside measurements 5 1/2 in. long by 2 7/8 in. across top and 1 3/4 in. high, inside 3 in. by 1 3/4 in. by 1 1/4 in. deep, weighs 3 lbs. (The Calkins Co. of Los Angeles, CA was a supplier of assaying equipment around the turn of the century. The 1909 Calkins Company catalog, pg. 160 lists this mold with a capacity of 20 oz. silver or 48 oz. gold and cost $0.50.) slides/Calkins 20 oz Mold.JPG slides/Calkins 20 oz Mold and Lamp.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 CALKINS 20 OZ SILVER MOLD - Iron gold and silver bar mold, marked THE CALKINS CO. L A. CAL along edge with 20 OZ S. on lower edge, outside measurements 5 1/2 in. long by 2 7/8 in. across top and 1 3/4 in. high, inside 3 in. by 1 3/4 in. by 1 1/4 in. deep, weighs 3 lbs., carbide cap lamp shown for scale (The Calkins Co. of Los Angeles, CA was a supplier of assaying equipment around the turn of the century. The 1909 Calkins Company catalog, pg. 160 lists this mold with a capacity of 20 oz. silver or 48 oz. gold and cost $0.50.) CALKINS 20 OZ SILVER MOLD - Iron gold and silver bar mold, marked THE CALKINS CO. L A. CAL along edge with 20 OZ S. on lower edge, outside measurements 5 1/2 in. long by 2 7/8 in. across top and 1 3/4 in. high, inside 3 in. by 1 3/4 in. by 1 1/4 in. deep, weighs 3 lbs., carbide cap lamp shown for scale (The Calkins Co. of Los Angeles, CA was a supplier of assaying equipment around the turn of the century. The 1909 Calkins Company catalog, pg. 160 lists this mold with a capacity of 20 oz. silver or 48 oz. gold and cost $0.50.) slides/Calkins 20 oz Mold and Lamp.JPG slides/Gold-Silver Mold - Calkins Marking.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 CALKINS COMPANY MOLD - Iron gold and silver bar mold, marked THE CALKINS CO. L A. CAL along top edge with 40-OZ S. on lower edge, outside measurements: 7 1/2 in. long by 2 3/4 in. across top and 2 in. high; inside: 4 1/16 in. by 1 11/16 in. by 1 1/2 in. deep, weighs 4 lbs. [The Calkins Co. of Los Angeles, CA was a supplier of assaying equipment around the turn of the century. This mold was purchased by the previous owner at The Barn Antiques, Saratoga, CA on 1/19/64. Both the 1909 Calkins Company Catalogue, pg. 160, and the 1911 Justinian Caire catalog, pg. 185, list this mold with a capacity of 40 oz. silver or 96 oz. gold at a cost of $0.75. Scans of the 1909 Calkins Company Catalogue are shown in my catalog section. The Los Angeles Business Directories show The Calkins Co. was formed shortly after 1900 with Justinian Caire of San Francisco as president, Charles Weir as vice president, and H. J. Parsons as the store manager. The listings show the company sold assayers supplies, chemicals, and zinc shavings and was located at 348 N. Main St. in Los Angeles in 1909. The 1920 Los Angeles Business Directory lists the address at that time at 934 S. Main St. As shown in the next pic, a letterhead for the Justinian Caire Co. of San Francisco on a letter dated March 10, 1909 to Mr. A. A. Heeser of the Mendocino Beacon and signed by Justinian Caire also lists The Calkins Co. on the letterhead suggesting ownership of the company by the Caire Co.] CALKINS COMPANY MOLD - Iron gold and silver bar mold, marked THE CALKINS CO. L A. CAL along top edge with 40-OZ S. on lower edge, outside measurements: 7 1/2 in. long by 2 3/4 in. across top and 2 in. high; inside: 4 1/16 in. by 1 11/16 in. by 1 1/2 in. deep, weighs 4 lbs. [The Calkins Co. of Los Angeles, CA was a supplier of assaying equipment around the turn of the century. This mold was purchased by the previous owner at The Barn Antiques, Saratoga, CA on 1/19/64. Both the 1909 Calkins Company Catalogue, pg. 160, and the 1911 Justinian Caire catalog, pg. 185, list this mold with a capacity of 40 oz. silver or 96 oz. gold at a cost of $0.75. Scans of the 1909 Calkins Company Catalogue are shown in my catalog section. The Los Angeles Business Directories show The Calkins Co. was formed shortly after 1900 with Justinian Caire of San Francisco as president, Charles Weir as vice president, and H. J. Parsons as the store manager. The listings show the company sold assayers supplies, chemicals, and zinc shavings and was located at 348 N. Main St. in Los Angeles in 1909. The 1920 Los Angeles Business Directory lists the address at that time at 934 S. Main St. As shown in the next pic, a letterhead for the Justinian Caire Co. of San Francisco on a letter dated March 10, 1909 to Mr. A. A. Heeser of the Mendocino Beacon and signed by Justinian Caire also lists The Calkins Co. on the letterhead suggesting ownership of the company by the Caire Co.] slides/Gold-Silver Mold - Calkins Marking.JPG slides/Justinian Caire Co..html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 slides/Justinian Caire Co..jpg slides/Gold-Silver Mold - Calkins.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 CALKINS COMPANY MOLD - Iron gold and silver bar mold, marked THE CALKINS CO. L A. CAL along top edge with 40-OZ S. on lower edge, outside measurements: 7 1/2 in. long by 2 3/4 in. across top and 2 in. high; inside: 4 1/16 in. by 1 11/16 in. by 1 1/2 in. deep, weighs 4 lbs., carbide cap lamp shown for scale [The Calkins Co. of Los Angeles, CA was a supplier of assaying equipment around the turn of the century. This mold was purchased by the previous owner at The Barn Antiques, Saratoga, CA on 1/19/64. Both the 1909 Calkins Company Catalogue, pg. 160, and the 1911 Justinian Caire catalog, pg. 185, list this mold with a capacity of 40 oz. silver or 96 oz. gold at a cost of $0.75. Scans of the 1909 Calkins Company Catalogue are shown in my catalog section. The Los Angeles Business Directories show The Calkins Co. was formed shortly after 1900 with Justinian Caire of San Francisco as president, Charles Weir as vice president, and H. J. Parsons as the store manager. The listings show the company sold assayers supplies, chemicals, and zinc shavings and was located at 348 N. Main St. in Los Angeles in 1909. The 1920 Los Angeles Business Directory lists the address at that time at 934 S. Main St. As shown in the next pic, a letterhead for the Justinian Caire Co. of San Francisco on a letter dated March 10, 1909 to Mr. A. A. Heeser of the Mendocino Beacon and signed by Justinian Caire also lists The Calkins Co. on the letterhead suggesting ownership of the company by the Caire Co.] CALKINS COMPANY MOLD - Iron gold and silver bar mold, marked THE CALKINS CO. L A. CAL along top edge with 40-OZ S. on lower edge, outside measurements: 7 1/2 in. long by 2 3/4 in. across top and 2 in. high; inside: 4 1/16 in. by 1 11/16 in. by 1 1/2 in. deep, weighs 4 lbs., carbide cap lamp shown for scale [The Calkins Co. of Los Angeles, CA was a supplier of assaying equipment around the turn of the century. This mold was purchased by the previous owner at The Barn Antiques, Saratoga, CA on 1/19/64. Both the 1909 Calkins Company Catalogue, pg. 160, and the 1911 Justinian Caire catalog, pg. 185, list this mold with a capacity of 40 oz. silver or 96 oz. gold at a cost of $0.75. Scans of the 1909 Calkins Company Catalogue are shown in my catalog section. The Los Angeles Business Directories show The Calkins Co. was formed shortly after 1900 with Justinian Caire of San Francisco as president, Charles Weir as vice president, and H. J. Parsons as the store manager. The listings show the company sold assayers supplies, chemicals, and zinc shavings and was located at 348 N. Main St. in Los Angeles in 1909. The 1920 Los Angeles Business Directory lists the address at that time at 934 S. Main St. As shown in the next pic, a letterhead for the Justinian Caire Co. of San Francisco on a letter dated March 10, 1909 to Mr. A. A. Heeser of the Mendocino Beacon and signed by Justinian Caire also lists The Calkins Co. on the letterhead suggesting ownership of the company by the Caire Co.] slides/Gold-Silver Mold - Calkins.JPG slides/F W Braun & Co 1901 Mines and Minerals.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 F W BRAUN & CO AD - Ad in the 1901 Mines and Minerals Magazine for the F W Braun & Co. ore crushers and pulverizers for assaying work F W BRAUN & CO AD - Ad in the 1901 Mines and Minerals Magazine for the F W Braun & Co. ore crushers and pulverizers for assaying work slides/F W Braun & Co 1901 Mines and Minerals.JPG slides/Gold-Silver Mold - Braun Marking.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 F. W. BRAUN MOLD - Iron gold and silver bar mold, marked F. W. BRAUN. along top edge with 140 OZ S. 260 OZ G., outside measurements 10 5/8 in. long by 4 1/2 in. across top and 3 in. deep, inside 5 3/4 in. by 3 3/8 in. by 2 1/4 in. deep, weighs 13 lbs., traces of silver on inside (The F. W. Braun and Co. of Los Angeles, CA was a major supplier of ore processing equipment including crushers, molds, etc. around the turn of the century.) F. W. BRAUN MOLD - Iron gold and silver bar mold, marked F. W. BRAUN. along top edge with 140 OZ S. 260 OZ G., outside measurements 10 5/8 in. long by 4 1/2 in. across top and 3 in. deep, inside 5 3/4 in. by 3 3/8 in. by 2 1/4 in. deep, weighs 13 lbs., traces of silver on inside (The F. W. Braun and Co. of Los Angeles, CA was a major supplier of ore processing equipment including crushers, molds, etc. around the turn of the century.) slides/Gold-Silver Mold - Braun Marking.JPG slides/Gold-Silver Mold - Braun.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 F. W. BRAUN MOLD - Iron gold and silver bar mold, marked F. W. BRAUN. along top edge with 140 OZ S. 260 OZ G., outside measurements 10 5/8 in. long by 4 1/2 in. across top and 3 in. deep, inside 5 3/4 in. by 3 3/8 in. by 2 1/4 in. deep, weighs 13 lbs., traces of silver on inside, carbide cap lamp shown for scale (The F. W. Braun and Co. of Los Angeles, CA was a major supplier of ore processing equipment including crushers, molds, etc. around the turn of the century.) F. W. BRAUN MOLD - Iron gold and silver bar mold, marked F. W. BRAUN. along top edge with 140 OZ S. 260 OZ G., outside measurements 10 5/8 in. long by 4 1/2 in. across top and 3 in. deep, inside 5 3/4 in. by 3 3/8 in. by 2 1/4 in. deep, weighs 13 lbs., traces of silver on inside, carbide cap lamp shown for scale (The F. W. Braun and Co. of Los Angeles, CA was a major supplier of ore processing equipment including crushers, molds, etc. around the turn of the century.) slides/Gold-Silver Mold - Braun.JPG slides/Gold-Silver Mold - Foundry Marked.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 FOUNDRY MARKED MOLD - Iron gold and silver bar mold, marked on bottom with foundry mold number 596 863 31, no markings on top or sides, outside measurements 14 3/4 in. long by 5 1/8 in. across top and 4 1/2 in. deep, inside 9 1/4 in. long by 4 1/8 in. wide by 3 3/4 in. deep, weighs 25 lbs., shown with carbide cap lamp for scale (acquired from an antique sale in Placerville, CA in 1990s) FOUNDRY MARKED MOLD - Iron gold and silver bar mold, marked on bottom with foundry mold number 596 863 31, no markings on top or sides, outside measurements 14 3/4 in. long by 5 1/8 in. across top and 4 1/2 in. deep, inside 9 1/4 in. long by 4 1/8 in. wide by 3 3/4 in. deep, weighs 25 lbs., shown with carbide cap lamp for scale (acquired from an antique sale in Placerville, CA in 1990s) slides/Gold-Silver Mold - Foundry Marked.JPG slides/John Taylor & Co May 1902 Engineering and Mining Journal.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 JOHN TAYLOR ASSAYERS SUPPLY AD - Ad for the John Taylor & Co Mine and Mill Supplies in the May 1902 Engineering and Mining Journal JOHN TAYLOR ASSAYERS SUPPLY AD - Ad for the John Taylor & Co Mine and Mill Supplies in the May 1902 Engineering and Mining Journal slides/John Taylor & Co May 1902 Engineering and Mining Journal.JPG slides/Gold-Silver Mold - Taylor.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 JOHN TAYLOR & COMPANY MOLD - Iron gold and silver ingot mold, marked JOHN TAYLOR & CO. S. F. 1000 OZ. on side of mold, inside measurements 11 1/4 in. long by 5 in. across top and 5 in. deep, outside measurements 18 1/2 in. long by 7 in. wide by 6 1/8 in. high, weighs 70 lbs., carbide cap lamp shown for scale (John Taylor & Co. of San Francisco, CA was a major supplier of assayer, mine and mill supplies during the California Gold Rush period; established in 1852, the company first shows up in the 1852-53 San Francisco Business Directory; the company was incorporated in California in Oct. 1895; a June 1899 mining supply catalog, seventh edition, for the John Taylor & Co. is in the collections of the University of California Berkeley Library and is shown in the catalog section of my website (this mold is listed as 1000 oz. of gold and 683 oz. of silver on p 66); located in the Union Foundry Block, corner of First and Mission Streets, San Francisco, Taylor as well as J. Caire of San Francisco were major mining hardware suppliers that fueled the needs of the Mother Lode from the mid 1800s to early 1900s) JOHN TAYLOR & COMPANY MOLD - Iron gold and silver ingot mold, marked JOHN TAYLOR & CO. S. F. 1000 OZ. on side of mold, inside measurements 11 1/4 in. long by 5 in. across top and 5 in. deep, outside measurements 18 1/2 in. long by 7 in. wide by 6 1/8 in. high, weighs 70 lbs., carbide cap lamp shown for scale (John Taylor & Co. of San Francisco, CA was a major supplier of assayer, mine and mill supplies during the California Gold Rush period; established in 1852, the company first shows up in the 1852-53 San Francisco Business Directory; the company was incorporated in California in Oct. 1895; a June 1899 mining supply catalog, seventh edition, for the John Taylor & Co. is in the collections of the University of California Berkeley Library and is shown in the catalog section of my website (this mold is listed as 1000 oz. of gold and 683 oz. of silver on p 66); located in the Union Foundry Block, corner of First and Mission Streets, San Francisco, Taylor as well as J. Caire of San Francisco were major mining hardware suppliers that fueled the needs of the Mother Lode from the mid 1800s to early 1900s) slides/Gold-Silver Mold - Taylor.JPG slides/Goodwin Mining Candles.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 GOODWIN MINING CANDLE BOX END - Side of a miners candle box marked GOODWIN M’F’G CO. STEARIC WAX MINING CANDLES ST. LOUIS, MO. USA, circa 1890s, 9 in. H x 16 in. L; found in lower level of a very dry underground gold/silver mine in the Reveille Range, southwest of Tonapah, Nevada in the late 1970s; Goodwin was a very large supplier of mining candles in the western US; Goodwin candles were very hard and supplied in both 8 and 10 in. lengths, wrapped 6 to a bundle in 20# and 40# boxes; see article in Mining Artifact Collector #1, p 12; shown with highgrader candlestick GOODWIN MINING CANDLE BOX END - Side of a miners candle box marked GOODWIN M’F’G CO. STEARIC WAX MINING CANDLES ST. LOUIS, MO. USA, circa 1890s, 9 in. H x 16 in. L; found in lower level of a very dry underground gold/silver mine in the Reveille Range, southwest of Tonapah, Nevada in the late 1970s; Goodwin was a very large supplier of mining candles in the western US; Goodwin candles were very hard and supplied in both 8 and 10 in. lengths, wrapped 6 to a bundle in 20# and 40# boxes; see article in Mining Artifact Collector #1, p 12; shown with highgrader candlestick slides/Goodwin Mining Candles.JPG slides/Gurley Transit.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 GURLEY SURVEYOR'S TRANSIT - Wood cased W. and L. E. Gurley surveyor's transit with labels and plumb bob, from Montana mining engineer’s estate, excellent working condition GURLEY SURVEYOR'S TRANSIT - Wood cased W. and L. E. Gurley surveyor's transit with labels and plumb bob, from Montana mining engineer’s estate, excellent working condition slides/Gurley Transit.JPG slides/Hardscog Coal Pick.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 HARDSOCG COAL MINERS SEAM PICK - Original ca. 1890s low seam coal miners pick, 14 in. head with 18 in. original hickory handle, stamped HARDSOCG COAL MINERS SEAM PICK, stamped on handle guard HARDSOCG 186, acquired from Ted Bobrink (shown with Dupont No. 3 Reliable Blasting Machine) HARDSOCG COAL MINERS SEAM PICK - Original ca. 1890s low seam coal miners pick, 14 in. head with 18 in. original hickory handle, stamped HARDSOCG COAL MINERS SEAM PICK, stamped on handle guard HARDSOCG 186, acquired from Ted Bobrink (shown with Dupont No. 3 Reliable Blasting Machine) slides/Hardscog Coal Pick.JPG slides/Hercules Match Safe Front.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 HERCULES POWDER MATCH SAFE - Hercules Powder celluloid advertising match safe, marked HERCULES POWDER on front with company symbol and 5 boxes of explosives and one cap tin on back, B. CARROLL CHICAGO on one edge and HERCULES POWDER CO. PITTSBURGH, PA. on other edge, brass top and bottom with match striker, 2 5/8 in. tall x 1 1/2 in. wide x 3/8 in. thick (During their hundred year history (1840-1940) match safes were constructed in every conceivable material and combination of materials. They were ingeniously made in a spectacular variety of shapes. The match safe’s vital and central purpose, however, has remained the same; the provision of a secure container for strike-anywhere friction matches together with a striking surface. The first container for friction matches appeared some time after their invention in the 1830’s and commercial availability in stores soon thereafter. The exact date of invention is disputed but it is generally agreed that the inventor was an English chemist who was so indifferent to his invention that he failed to patent it. Friction matches caught on rapidly and were manufactured for the general public all over Europe and North America. The match was an important technical advance in its time. Friction matches contained phosphorus and were hazardous (they could explode in one’s pocket) so they required protection in a fire-proof container that could be easily carried. Early on many of these little cases became jewelry-like and masterfully made though the majority remained utilitarian and commercial such as the celluloid advertising safe shown here. The finest match safes were made from gold or silver in designs characteristic of the period. When new lighting devices were invented, the match safe did not immediately disappear but went through certain alterations first. Safety matches (matches whose heads would not ignite without coming in contact with chemicals embedded in a roughened striker strip) had been around for years but became more popular when books of safety matches were introduced. Liquid fuel lighters became popular around World War I and soon displaced matches to some extent and the match safe altogether. The last traditional match safes were made in the 1930’s and their use ceased prior to World War II. See Karl Koenig, "Pocket Match Safes," Silver Magazine, March/April 2000) HERCULES POWDER MATCH SAFE - Hercules Powder celluloid advertising match safe, marked HERCULES POWDER on front with company symbol and 5 boxes of explosives and one cap tin on back, B. CARROLL CHICAGO on one edge and HERCULES POWDER CO. PITTSBURGH, PA. on other edge, brass top and bottom with match striker, 2 5/8 in. tall x 1 1/2 in. wide x 3/8 in. thick (During their hundred year history (1840-1940) match safes were constructed in every conceivable material and combination of materials. They were ingeniously made in a spectacular variety of shapes. The match safe’s vital and central purpose, however, has remained the same; the provision of a secure container for strike-anywhere friction matches together with a striking surface. The first container for friction matches appeared some time after their invention in the 1830’s and commercial availability in stores soon thereafter. The exact date of invention is disputed but it is generally agreed that the inventor was an English chemist who was so indifferent to his invention that he failed to patent it. Friction matches caught on rapidly and were manufactured for the general public all over Europe and North America. The match was an important technical advance in its time. Friction matches contained phosphorus and were hazardous (they could explode in one’s pocket) so they required protection in a fire-proof container that could be easily carried. Early on many of these little cases became jewelry-like and masterfully made though the majority remained utilitarian and commercial such as the celluloid advertising safe shown here. The finest match safes were made from gold or silver in designs characteristic of the period. When new lighting devices were invented, the match safe did not immediately disappear but went through certain alterations first. Safety matches (matches whose heads would not ignite without coming in contact with chemicals embedded in a roughened striker strip) had been around for years but became more popular when books of safety matches were introduced. Liquid fuel lighters became popular around World War I and soon displaced matches to some extent and the match safe altogether. The last traditional match safes were made in the 1930’s and their use ceased prior to World War II. See Karl Koenig, "Pocket Match Safes," Silver Magazine, March/April 2000) slides/Hercules Match Safe Front.JPG slides/Hercules Match Safe Back.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 HERCULES POWDER MATCH SAFE - Hercules Powder celluloid advertising match safe, marked HERCULES POWDER on front with company symbol and 5 boxes of explosives and one cap tin on back, B. CARROLL CHICAGO on one edge and HERCULES POWDER CO. PITTSBURGH, PA. on other edge, brass top and bottom with match striker, 2 5/8 in. tall x 1 1/2 in. wide x 3/8 in. thick (During their hundred year history (1840-1940) match safes were constructed in every conceivable material and combination of materials. They were ingeniously made in a spectacular variety of shapes. The match safe’s vital and central purpose, however, has remained the same; the provision of a secure container for strike-anywhere friction matches together with a striking surface. The first container for friction matches appeared some time after their invention in the 1830’s and commercial availability in stores soon thereafter. The exact date of invention is disputed but it is generally agreed that the inventor was an English chemist who was so indifferent to his invention that he failed to patent it. Friction matches caught on rapidly and were manufactured for the general public all over Europe and North America. The match was an important technical advance in its time. Friction matches contained phosphorus and were hazardous (they could explode in one’s pocket) so they required protection in a fire-proof container that could be easily carried. Early on many of these little cases became jewelry-like and masterfully made though the majority remained utilitarian and commercial such as the celluloid advertising safe shown here. The finest match safes were made from gold or silver in designs characteristic of the period. When new lighting devices were invented, the match safe did not immediately disappear but went through certain alterations first. Safety matches (matches whose heads would not ignite without coming in contact with chemicals embedded in a roughened striker strip) had been around for years but became more popular when books of safety matches were introduced. Liquid fuel lighters became popular around World War I and soon displaced matches to some extent and the match safe altogether. The last traditional match safes were made in the 1930’s and their use ceased prior to World War II. See Karl Koenig, "Pocket Match Safes," Silver Magazine, March/April 2000) HERCULES POWDER MATCH SAFE - Hercules Powder celluloid advertising match safe, marked HERCULES POWDER on front with company symbol and 5 boxes of explosives and one cap tin on back, B. CARROLL CHICAGO on one edge and HERCULES POWDER CO. PITTSBURGH, PA. on other edge, brass top and bottom with match striker, 2 5/8 in. tall x 1 1/2 in. wide x 3/8 in. thick (During their hundred year history (1840-1940) match safes were constructed in every conceivable material and combination of materials. They were ingeniously made in a spectacular variety of shapes. The match safe’s vital and central purpose, however, has remained the same; the provision of a secure container for strike-anywhere friction matches together with a striking surface. The first container for friction matches appeared some time after their invention in the 1830’s and commercial availability in stores soon thereafter. The exact date of invention is disputed but it is generally agreed that the inventor was an English chemist who was so indifferent to his invention that he failed to patent it. Friction matches caught on rapidly and were manufactured for the general public all over Europe and North America. The match was an important technical advance in its time. Friction matches contained phosphorus and were hazardous (they could explode in one’s pocket) so they required protection in a fire-proof container that could be easily carried. Early on many of these little cases became jewelry-like and masterfully made though the majority remained utilitarian and commercial such as the celluloid advertising safe shown here. The finest match safes were made from gold or silver in designs characteristic of the period. When new lighting devices were invented, the match safe did not immediately disappear but went through certain alterations first. Safety matches (matches whose heads would not ignite without coming in contact with chemicals embedded in a roughened striker strip) had been around for years but became more popular when books of safety matches were introduced. Liquid fuel lighters became popular around World War I and soon displaced matches to some extent and the match safe altogether. The last traditional match safes were made in the 1930’s and their use ceased prior to World War II. See Karl Koenig, "Pocket Match Safes," Silver Magazine, March/April 2000) slides/Hercules Match Safe Back.JPG slides/Hercules Match Safe Side.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 HERCULES POWDER MATCH SAFE - Hercules Powder celluloid advertising match safe, marked HERCULES POWDER on front with company symbol and 5 boxes of explosives and one cap tin on back, B. CARROLL CHICAGO on one edge and HERCULES POWDER CO. PITTSBURGH, PA. on other edge, brass top and bottom with match striker, 2 5/8 in. tall x 1 1/2 in. wide x 3/8 in. thick (During their hundred year history (1840-1940) match safes were constructed in every conceivable material and combination of materials. They were ingeniously made in a spectacular variety of shapes. The match safe’s vital and central purpose, however, has remained the same; the provision of a secure container for strike-anywhere friction matches together with a striking surface. The first container for friction matches appeared some time after their invention in the 1830’s and commercial availability in stores soon thereafter. The exact date of invention is disputed but it is generally agreed that the inventor was an English chemist who was so indifferent to his invention that he failed to patent it. Friction matches caught on rapidly and were manufactured for the general public all over Europe and North America. The match was an important technical advance in its time. Friction matches contained phosphorus and were hazardous (they could explode in one’s pocket) so they required protection in a fire-proof container that could be easily carried. Early on many of these little cases became jewelry-like and masterfully made though the majority remained utilitarian and commercial such as the celluloid advertising safe shown here. The finest match safes were made from gold or silver in designs characteristic of the period. When new lighting devices were invented, the match safe did not immediately disappear but went through certain alterations first. Safety matches (matches whose heads would not ignite without coming in contact with chemicals embedded in a roughened striker strip) had been around for years but became more popular when books of safety matches were introduced. Liquid fuel lighters became popular around World War I and soon displaced matches to some extent and the match safe altogether. The last traditional match safes were made in the 1930’s and their use ceased prior to World War II. See Karl Koenig, "Pocket Match Safes," Silver Magazine, March/April 2000) HERCULES POWDER MATCH SAFE - Hercules Powder celluloid advertising match safe, marked HERCULES POWDER on front with company symbol and 5 boxes of explosives and one cap tin on back, B. CARROLL CHICAGO on one edge and HERCULES POWDER CO. PITTSBURGH, PA. on other edge, brass top and bottom with match striker, 2 5/8 in. tall x 1 1/2 in. wide x 3/8 in. thick (During their hundred year history (1840-1940) match safes were constructed in every conceivable material and combination of materials. They were ingeniously made in a spectacular variety of shapes. The match safe’s vital and central purpose, however, has remained the same; the provision of a secure container for strike-anywhere friction matches together with a striking surface. The first container for friction matches appeared some time after their invention in the 1830’s and commercial availability in stores soon thereafter. The exact date of invention is disputed but it is generally agreed that the inventor was an English chemist who was so indifferent to his invention that he failed to patent it. Friction matches caught on rapidly and were manufactured for the general public all over Europe and North America. The match was an important technical advance in its time. Friction matches contained phosphorus and were hazardous (they could explode in one’s pocket) so they required protection in a fire-proof container that could be easily carried. Early on many of these little cases became jewelry-like and masterfully made though the majority remained utilitarian and commercial such as the celluloid advertising safe shown here. The finest match safes were made from gold or silver in designs characteristic of the period. When new lighting devices were invented, the match safe did not immediately disappear but went through certain alterations first. Safety matches (matches whose heads would not ignite without coming in contact with chemicals embedded in a roughened striker strip) had been around for years but became more popular when books of safety matches were introduced. Liquid fuel lighters became popular around World War I and soon displaced matches to some extent and the match safe altogether. The last traditional match safes were made in the 1930’s and their use ceased prior to World War II. See Karl Koenig, "Pocket Match Safes," Silver Magazine, March/April 2000) slides/Hercules Match Safe Side.JPG slides/Joshua Hendy Ad May 1902 Engineering and Mining Journal.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 JOSHUA HENDY AD - Ad for the Joshua Hendy Machine Works in the May 1902 Engineering and Mining Journal. The Joshua Hendy Machine Works was destroyed in the great San Francisco earthquake and fire in 1906 after which the company facilities were rebuilt in 1907 and renamed the Joshua Hendy Iron Works. JOSHUA HENDY AD - Ad for the Joshua Hendy Machine Works in the May 1902 Engineering and Mining Journal. The Joshua Hendy Machine Works was destroyed in the great San Francisco earthquake and fire in 1906 after which the company facilities were rebuilt in 1907 and renamed the Joshua Hendy Iron Works. slides/Joshua Hendy Ad May 1902 Engineering and Mining Journal.JPG slides/Hendy Matteson Car Brass Tag.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 JOSHUA HENDY MATTESON CAR TAG - Original brass ore care tag embossed IMPROVED MATTESON CAR, PAT. JULY-23-1907 AUG-17-1907, OTHER PAT. PENDING, SIZE NO E 55, MANUFACTURED BY JOSHUA HENDY IRON WORKS, SAN FRANCISCO, CAL. U.S.A. 6 in. long, 3 1/8 in. high in oval shape (Born in Cornwall, England in 1822, Joshua Hendy came to the United States in 1836. He learned the machinist’s trade and in 1849 he traveled to California. He found work as a mechanic in the newly constructed boiler shops of San Francisco. In 1856 he started the Joshua Hendy Machine Works at 49-51 Fremont St. in San Francisco. By the 1860’s he was repairing milling and mining equipment and built a foundry to cast component parts for various types of machinery. Because the hard rock mines of California were booming, most of his repair work was done on mining equipment, especially the stamp mills used for crushing ore. In 1874 he invented, patented and started producing the Challenge Automatic Ore Feeder for stamp mills. This feeder, which ran off the main shaft of the mill automatically opened and closed the hopper to feed a continuous and consistent amount of ore to the stamp heads, thus maximizing production and minimizing damage. From 1880 to 1885 he patented several improvements, bought out many other patents and soon controlled the ore feeder market. The Joshua Hendy Machine Works built feeders under its own name, and built the feeders for almost all other mill manufacturers. In 1882 he incorporated the business with his nephew Samuel J. Hendy as president of the firm. During the 1880’s the company built ore concentrators, elevators, crushers, and hydraulic monitors. By 1888 Samuel's brother John became plant superintendent, and the Machine Works was building stamp mills, crushers, ore cars, hoists, buckets, skips, steam engines, pumps and many other types of mining equipment used all over the west. On October 19, 1891 Joshua Hendy died at the age of 74. Samuel Hendy took over the business, and expanded production in casting, forging and riveting iron. The Machine Works continued to expand its manufacturing, producing ever larger and more modern mining equipment. In 1906 major changes occurred. Samuel died in the spring of that year, so his brother John took over the day to day running of the business. When the great San Francisco earthquake and fire hit in April, everything in the manufacturing area of the city was destroyed. The Iron Works had already outgrown its facilities on Fremont St, so John decided that since he had to rebuild from scratch, he would keep the offices there, but moved the company’s manufacturing to a large tract of land south of San Francisco at Murphy’s Station near Sunnyvale, where he could expand the plant even more. It is most likely that at this time the name of the business was changed to the Joshua Hendy Iron Works. In Sunnyvale, the business had room to grow, and continued on strongly through the years, even during the depression of the 1930’s. When WWII hit, and the mines were shut down by government decree, the Iron Works built ship components and ship engines for the war effort. After the war, the mining industry was finally starting to wane, so the Iron Works continued by building marine engines. In 1947 the Joshua Hendy Iron Works was sold to Westinghouse Corp., who continued to use it for a manufacturing plant. In 1996, Westinghouse sold the plant to Northrop Grumman, which renamed it Northrop Grumman Marine Systems and still has a facility there in Sunnyvale to this day. The Joshua Hendy Iron Works was producing the patented Matteson ore car at the newly constructed plant in Sunnyvale after 1907. Walter Carlos Matteson was born in Stockton, CA on March 22, 1856. He learned his father’s blacksmith trade, working for his father for eight years. He later started a carriage and plow shop which burned down in 1885 after which he became a foreman at the Shaw Plow Works in Stockton. He married Mary Eggleston in 1876 and had two children. Walter Matteson would go on to become a prolific inventor with several patents to his name including three specifically for ore cars. His first ore car patent No. 713,321 was filed on May 20, 1902 and was awarded on Nov. 11, 1902 for an improved door locking mechanism that is either locked or released as the car is tilted. His second and third ore car patents are noted on the pictured car tag. Patent No. 860,817 was awarded on July 23, 1907 for a compound dumping hinge and automatic door bar. Patent No. 864,321 was awarded on Aug. 27, 1907 for improvements to the car axle to minimize wear on the bearings. Interestingly, the patent date of Aug. 17, 1907 shown on the car tag is incorrect being 10 days earlier than the award date.) JOSHUA HENDY MATTESON CAR TAG - Original brass ore care tag embossed IMPROVED MATTESON CAR, PAT. JULY-23-1907 AUG-17-1907, OTHER PAT. PENDING, SIZE NO E 55, MANUFACTURED BY JOSHUA HENDY IRON WORKS, SAN FRANCISCO, CAL. U.S.A. 6 in. long, 3 1/8 in. high in oval shape (Born in Cornwall, England in 1822, Joshua Hendy came to the United States in 1836. He learned the machinist’s trade and in 1849 he traveled to California. He found work as a mechanic in the newly constructed boiler shops of San Francisco. In 1856 he started the Joshua Hendy Machine Works at 49-51 Fremont St. in San Francisco. By the 1860’s he was repairing milling and mining equipment and built a foundry to cast component parts for various types of machinery. Because the hard rock mines of California were booming, most of his repair work was done on mining equipment, especially the stamp mills used for crushing ore. In 1874 he invented, patented and started producing the Challenge Automatic Ore Feeder for stamp mills. This feeder, which ran off the main shaft of the mill automatically opened and closed the hopper to feed a continuous and consistent amount of ore to the stamp heads, thus maximizing production and minimizing damage. From 1880 to 1885 he patented several improvements, bought out many other patents and soon controlled the ore feeder market. The Joshua Hendy Machine Works built feeders under its own name, and built the feeders for almost all other mill manufacturers. In 1882 he incorporated the business with his nephew Samuel J. Hendy as president of the firm. During the 1880’s the company built ore concentrators, elevators, crushers, and hydraulic monitors. By 1888 Samuel's brother John became plant superintendent, and the Machine Works was building stamp mills, crushers, ore cars, hoists, buckets, skips, steam engines, pumps and many other types of mining equipment used all over the west. On October 19, 1891 Joshua Hendy died at the age of 74. Samuel Hendy took over the business, and expanded production in casting, forging and riveting iron. The Machine Works continued to expand its manufacturing, producing ever larger and more modern mining equipment. In 1906 major changes occurred. Samuel died in the spring of that year, so his brother John took over the day to day running of the business. When the great San Francisco earthquake and fire hit in April, everything in the manufacturing area of the city was destroyed. The Iron Works had already outgrown its facilities on Fremont St, so John decided that since he had to rebuild from scratch, he would keep the offices there, but moved the company’s manufacturing to a large tract of land south of San Francisco at Murphy’s Station near Sunnyvale, where he could expand the plant even more. It is most likely that at this time the name of the business was changed to the Joshua Hendy Iron Works. In Sunnyvale, the business had room to grow, and continued on strongly through the years, even during the depression of the 1930’s. When WWII hit, and the mines were shut down by government decree, the Iron Works built ship components and ship engines for the war effort. After the war, the mining industry was finally starting to wane, so the Iron Works continued by building marine engines. In 1947 the Joshua Hendy Iron Works was sold to Westinghouse Corp., who continued to use it for a manufacturing plant. In 1996, Westinghouse sold the plant to Northrop Grumman, which renamed it Northrop Grumman Marine Systems and still has a facility there in Sunnyvale to this day. The Joshua Hendy Iron Works was producing the patented Matteson ore car at the newly constructed plant in Sunnyvale after 1907. Walter Carlos Matteson was born in Stockton, CA on March 22, 1856. He learned his father’s blacksmith trade, working for his father for eight years. He later started a carriage and plow shop which burned down in 1885 after which he became a foreman at the Shaw Plow Works in Stockton. He married Mary Eggleston in 1876 and had two children. Walter Matteson would go on to become a prolific inventor with several patents to his name including three specifically for ore cars. His first ore car patent No. 713,321 was filed on May 20, 1902 and was awarded on Nov. 11, 1902 for an improved door locking mechanism that is either locked or released as the car is tilted. His second and third ore car patents are noted on the pictured car tag. Patent No. 860,817 was awarded on July 23, 1907 for a compound dumping hinge and automatic door bar. Patent No. 864,321 was awarded on Aug. 27, 1907 for improvements to the car axle to minimize wear on the bearings. Interestingly, the patent date of Aug. 17, 1907 shown on the car tag is incorrect being 10 days earlier than the award date.) slides/Hendy Matteson Car Brass Tag.JPG slides/Matteson Patent I.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 MATTESON ORE CAR PATENT I MATTESON ORE CAR PATENT I slides/Matteson Patent I.JPG slides/Matteson Patent II.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 MATTESON ORE CAR PATENT II MATTESON ORE CAR PATENT II slides/Matteson Patent II.JPG slides/Matteson Patent III.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 MATTESON ORE CAR PATENT III MATTESON ORE CAR PATENT III slides/Matteson Patent III.JPG slides/Justrite Pay Envelope Front.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 JUSTRITE PAY ENVELOPE - Pay envelope with Justrite advertising, 3 1/8 in. wide and 5 1/2 in. long, ca. 1929 based on the lamps advertised, from my good Alaska friend Neil Tysver JUSTRITE PAY ENVELOPE - Pay envelope with Justrite advertising, 3 1/8 in. wide and 5 1/2 in. long, ca. 1929 based on the lamps advertised, from my good Alaska friend Neil Tysver slides/Justrite Pay Envelope Front.JPG slides/Justrite Pay Envelope Back.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 JUSTRITE PAY ENVELOPE - Pay envelope with Justrite advertising, 3 1/8 in. wide and 5 1/2 in. long, ca. 1929 based on the lamps advertised, from my good Alaska friend Neil Tysver JUSTRITE PAY ENVELOPE - Pay envelope with Justrite advertising, 3 1/8 in. wide and 5 1/2 in. long, ca. 1929 based on the lamps advertised, from my good Alaska friend Neil Tysver slides/Justrite Pay Envelope Back.JPG slides/Justrite Pocket Lighter.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 JUSTRITE LIGHTER - Nickel plated Justrite lighter, 2 in. tall, 5/8 in. dia with striker on the top marked PAT. FEB 21.22 OTHERS PEND. MADE IN USA; bottom marked TRADEMARK JUSTRITE CHICAGO USA (see Eureka Vol. 5 p. 6 for story on mine lamp lighters not listed in Justrite catalogs) JUSTRITE LIGHTER - Nickel plated Justrite lighter, 2 in. tall, 5/8 in. dia with striker on the top marked PAT. FEB 21.22 OTHERS PEND. MADE IN USA; bottom marked TRADEMARK JUSTRITE CHICAGO USA (see Eureka Vol. 5 p. 6 for story on mine lamp lighters not listed in Justrite catalogs) slides/Justrite Pocket Lighter.JPG slides/Herman Kohlbusch May 1902 Engineering and Mining Journal.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 HERMAN KOHLBUSCH BALANCES - Ad for Herman Kohlbusch balances and weights in the May 1902 Engineering and Mining Journal HERMAN KOHLBUSCH BALANCES - Ad for Herman Kohlbusch balances and weights in the May 1902 Engineering and Mining Journal slides/Herman Kohlbusch May 1902 Engineering and Mining Journal.JPG slides/Kohlbusch Scale I.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 KOHLBUSCH PORTABLE DIAMOND SCALE - Portable diamond scale, complete with 8 karat weights (64, 32, 16, 8, 4, 3, 2, ½), marked H. Kohlbusch, New York, walnut case 6 x 2 ½ in (The story of the Herman Kohlbusch Balance Company is an interesting testimonial to the success of an early balance manufacturing firm. C. Herman Kohlbusch Sr. and his wife emigrated to the U.S. from Saxony, Germany in 1851 when he was 29 years of age. He established the Herman Kohlbusch Balance Company in 1859 after apparently serving an apprenticeship with balance maker Becker & Sons in New Rochelle, New York. The New York Business Directory first lists his name as a balance manufacturer in 1884-85. The earliest American balance company catalog that has been found is an 1888 catalog issued by Herman Kohlbusch, Sr. in which he offers 2 models of enclosed assay balances, a small boxed portable assay scale and a pocket assay scale as shown here. Of particular interest is the pocket assay scale. This little pocket scale is seen in literally all the scientific supply catalogs from 1888 to as late as 1943 making it a unique and distinctive Kohlbusch product for over 50 years. The 1888 catalog lists it as either a pocket assay scale, pocket diamond scale or pocket surgeon's scale with the accompanying weights being the only possible way to identify which is which. Carat weights were included with the diamond scale while gram or assay ton weights were used with the assay scale. The surgeon's scale included either grains, drams or scruples weights. Herman Sr's eldest son Charles was listed as involved with the firm until 1892 and son Herman Jr. continued with the firm until his death in 1904, just weeks after Herman Sr's death in 1903. Charles' eldest son Edgar continued as a manufacturer of scales and weights as late as 1920 under the firm name of Herman Kohlbusch, Sr. Sometime in the mid 1920s, the firm's name was changed to Seederer-Kohlbusch with the logo SEKO, Inc. Continuing in business as SEKO, the Seederer-Kohlbusch, Inc. company was purchased by Lectra Service of Englewood, NJ in 1978. See Shannon, The Assay Balance, pp 56-88) KOHLBUSCH PORTABLE DIAMOND SCALE - Portable diamond scale, complete with 8 karat weights (64, 32, 16, 8, 4, 3, 2, ½), marked H. Kohlbusch, New York, walnut case 6 x 2 ½ in (The story of the Herman Kohlbusch Balance Company is an interesting testimonial to the success of an early balance manufacturing firm. C. Herman Kohlbusch Sr. and his wife emigrated to the U.S. from Saxony, Germany in 1851 when he was 29 years of age. He established the Herman Kohlbusch Balance Company in 1859 after apparently serving an apprenticeship with balance maker Becker & Sons in New Rochelle, New York. The New York Business Directory first lists his name as a balance manufacturer in 1884-85. The earliest American balance company catalog that has been found is an 1888 catalog issued by Herman Kohlbusch, Sr. in which he offers 2 models of enclosed assay balances, a small boxed portable assay scale and a pocket assay scale as shown here. Of particular interest is the pocket assay scale. This little pocket scale is seen in literally all the scientific supply catalogs from 1888 to as late as 1943 making it a unique and distinctive Kohlbusch product for over 50 years. The 1888 catalog lists it as either a pocket assay scale, pocket diamond scale or pocket surgeon's scale with the accompanying weights being the only possible way to identify which is which. Carat weights were included with the diamond scale while gram or assay ton weights were used with the assay scale. The surgeon's scale included either grains, drams or scruples weights. Herman Sr's eldest son Charles was listed as involved with the firm until 1892 and son Herman Jr. continued with the firm until his death in 1904, just weeks after Herman Sr's death in 1903. Charles' eldest son Edgar continued as a manufacturer of scales and weights as late as 1920 under the firm name of Herman Kohlbusch, Sr. Sometime in the mid 1920s, the firm's name was changed to Seederer-Kohlbusch with the logo SEKO, Inc. Continuing in business as SEKO, the Seederer-Kohlbusch, Inc. company was purchased by Lectra Service of Englewood, NJ in 1978. See Shannon, The Assay Balance, pp 56-88) slides/Kohlbusch Scale I.JPG slides/Kohlbusch Scale II.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 KOHLBUSCH PORTABLE ASSAY SCALE I - Pocket assay scale, complete with 20 gram weights, marked H. Kohlbusch, New York, walnut case 6 x 2 ½ in., with metal tag NY City Approved, Type 17, Serial Y-2 (The story of the Herman Kohlbusch Balance Company is an interesting testimonial to the success of an early balance manufacturing firm. C. Herman Kohlbusch Sr. and his wife emigrated to the U.S. from Saxony, Germany in 1851 when he was 29 years of age. He established the Herman Kohlbusch Balance Company in 1859 after apparently serving an apprenticeship with balance maker Becker & Sons in New Rochelle, New York. The New York Business Directory first lists his name as a balance manufacturer in 1884-85. The earliest American balance company catalog that has been found is an 1888 catalog issued by Herman Kohlbusch, Sr. in which he offers 2 models of enclosed assay balances, a small boxed portable assay scale and a pocket assay scale as shown here. Of particular interest is the pocket assay scale. This little pocket scale is seen in literally all the scientific supply catalogs from 1888 to as late as 1943 making it a unique and distinctive Kohlbusch product for over 50 years. The 1888 catalog lists it as either a pocket assay scale, pocket diamond scale or pocket surgeon's scale with the accompanying weights being the only possible way to identify which is which. Carat weights were included with the diamond scale while gram or assay ton weights were used with the assay scale. The surgeon's scale included either grains, drams or scruples weights. Herman Sr's eldest son Charles was listed as involved with the firm until 1892 and son Herman Jr. continued with the firm until his death in 1904, just weeks after Herman Sr's death in 1903. Charles' eldest son Edgar continued as a manufacturer of scales and weights as late as 1920 under the firm name of Herman Kohlbusch, Sr. Sometime in the mid 1920s, the firm's name was changed to Seederer-Kohlbusch with the logo SEKO, Inc. Continuing in business as SEKO, the Seederer-Kohlbusch, Inc. company was purchased by Lectra Service of Englewood, NJ in 1978. See Shannon, The Assay Balance, pp 56-88) KOHLBUSCH PORTABLE ASSAY SCALE I - Pocket assay scale, complete with 20 gram weights, marked H. Kohlbusch, New York, walnut case 6 x 2 ½ in., with metal tag NY City Approved, Type 17, Serial Y-2 (The story of the Herman Kohlbusch Balance Company is an interesting testimonial to the success of an early balance manufacturing firm. C. Herman Kohlbusch Sr. and his wife emigrated to the U.S. from Saxony, Germany in 1851 when he was 29 years of age. He established the Herman Kohlbusch Balance Company in 1859 after apparently serving an apprenticeship with balance maker Becker & Sons in New Rochelle, New York. The New York Business Directory first lists his name as a balance manufacturer in 1884-85. The earliest American balance company catalog that has been found is an 1888 catalog issued by Herman Kohlbusch, Sr. in which he offers 2 models of enclosed assay balances, a small boxed portable assay scale and a pocket assay scale as shown here. Of particular interest is the pocket assay scale. This little pocket scale is seen in literally all the scientific supply catalogs from 1888 to as late as 1943 making it a unique and distinctive Kohlbusch product for over 50 years. The 1888 catalog lists it as either a pocket assay scale, pocket diamond scale or pocket surgeon's scale with the accompanying weights being the only possible way to identify which is which. Carat weights were included with the diamond scale while gram or assay ton weights were used with the assay scale. The surgeon's scale included either grains, drams or scruples weights. Herman Sr's eldest son Charles was listed as involved with the firm until 1892 and son Herman Jr. continued with the firm until his death in 1904, just weeks after Herman Sr's death in 1903. Charles' eldest son Edgar continued as a manufacturer of scales and weights as late as 1920 under the firm name of Herman Kohlbusch, Sr. Sometime in the mid 1920s, the firm's name was changed to Seederer-Kohlbusch with the logo SEKO, Inc. Continuing in business as SEKO, the Seederer-Kohlbusch, Inc. company was purchased by Lectra Service of Englewood, NJ in 1978. See Shannon, The Assay Balance, pp 56-88) slides/Kohlbusch Scale II.JPG slides/Kohlbusch Scale III.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 KOHLBUSCH PORTABLE ASSAY SCALE II - Pocket assay scale, complete with gram weights, marked Chas. Kohlbusch, Jersey City, NJ, walnut case (The story of the Herman Kohlbusch Balance Company is an interesting testimonial to the success of an early balance manufacturing firm. C. Herman Kohlbusch Sr. and his wife emigrated to the U.S. from Saxony, Germany in 1851 when he was 29 years of age. He established the Herman Kohlbusch Balance Company in 1859 after apparently serving an apprenticeship with balance maker Becker & Sons in New Rochelle, New York. The New York Business Directory first lists his name as a balance manufacturer in 1884-85. The earliest American balance company catalog that has been found is an 1888 catalog issued by Herman Kohlbusch, Sr. in which he offers 2 models of enclosed assay balances, a small boxed portable assay scale and a pocket assay scale as shown here. Of particular interest is the pocket assay scale. This little pocket scale is seen in literally all the scientific supply catalogs from 1888 to as late as 1943 making it a unique and distinctive Kohlbusch product for over 50 years. The 1888 catalog lists it as either a pocket assay scale, pocket diamond scale or pocket surgeon's scale with the accompanying weights being the only possible way to identify which is which. Carat weights were included with the diamond scale while gram or assay ton weights were used with the assay scale. The surgeon's scale included either grains, drams or scruples weights. Herman Sr.'s eldest son Charles was listed as involved with the firm until 1892 and son Herman Jr. continued with the firm until his death in 1904, just weeks after Herman Sr.'s death in 1903. Since this assay scale is marked Charles Kohlbusch with the Jersey City address on both the scale inside top and the metal scale arm, it is presumed that the scale's manufacture date is sometime prior to 1892 and Charles' departure from the business. Charles' eldest son Edgar continued as a manufacturer of scales and weights as late as 1920 under the firm name of Herman Kohlbusch, Sr. Sometime in the mid 1920s, the firm's name was changed to Seederer-Kohlbusch with the logo SEKO, Inc. Continuing in business as SEKO, the Seederer-Kohlbusch, Inc. company was purchased by Lectra Service of Englewood, NJ in 1978. See Shannon, The Assay Balance, pp 56-88) KOHLBUSCH PORTABLE ASSAY SCALE II - Pocket assay scale, complete with gram weights, marked Chas. Kohlbusch, Jersey City, NJ, walnut case (The story of the Herman Kohlbusch Balance Company is an interesting testimonial to the success of an early balance manufacturing firm. C. Herman Kohlbusch Sr. and his wife emigrated to the U.S. from Saxony, Germany in 1851 when he was 29 years of age. He established the Herman Kohlbusch Balance Company in 1859 after apparently serving an apprenticeship with balance maker Becker & Sons in New Rochelle, New York. The New York Business Directory first lists his name as a balance manufacturer in 1884-85. The earliest American balance company catalog that has been found is an 1888 catalog issued by Herman Kohlbusch, Sr. in which he offers 2 models of enclosed assay balances, a small boxed portable assay scale and a pocket assay scale as shown here. Of particular interest is the pocket assay scale. This little pocket scale is seen in literally all the scientific supply catalogs from 1888 to as late as 1943 making it a unique and distinctive Kohlbusch product for over 50 years. The 1888 catalog lists it as either a pocket assay scale, pocket diamond scale or pocket surgeon's scale with the accompanying weights being the only possible way to identify which is which. Carat weights were included with the diamond scale while gram or assay ton weights were used with the assay scale. The surgeon's scale included either grains, drams or scruples weights. Herman Sr.'s eldest son Charles was listed as involved with the firm until 1892 and son Herman Jr. continued with the firm until his death in 1904, just weeks after Herman Sr.'s death in 1903. Since this assay scale is marked Charles Kohlbusch with the Jersey City address on both the scale inside top and the metal scale arm, it is presumed that the scale's manufacture date is sometime prior to 1892 and Charles' departure from the business. Charles' eldest son Edgar continued as a manufacturer of scales and weights as late as 1920 under the firm name of Herman Kohlbusch, Sr. Sometime in the mid 1920s, the firm's name was changed to Seederer-Kohlbusch with the logo SEKO, Inc. Continuing in business as SEKO, the Seederer-Kohlbusch, Inc. company was purchased by Lectra Service of Englewood, NJ in 1978. See Shannon, The Assay Balance, pp 56-88) slides/Kohlbusch Scale III.JPG slides/Lietz Universal Pocket Instrument with Leather Case.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 ATTWOOD'S MINING CLINOMETER - Universal Pocket Instrument advertised by A. Lietz Co. in the company’s 1899 catalog; marked M. ATTWOOD’S MINING CLINOMETER, MADE BY A. LIETZ CO., SURVEYING INSTRUMENT MAKERS, 422 SACRAMENTO ST. SAN FRANCISCO, with a list of FALL OF ANGLES; made of aluminum alloy with horizontal and vertical bubble levels; 6 3/8 in. long x 3 in. high x 7/16 in. thick; clinometer and compass dials 2 1/4 in. dia. with locking controls (While google turned up very little on M. Attwood, the following provides information on the maker Adolph Lietz. Adolph Lietz was born in Leubeck, Germany in 1860. He immigrated to San Francisco in 1879 and worked in several scientific instrument shops before opening his own business. Lietz purchased the business of Carl Rahsskopff in 1880 and began his own business in 1882. Lietz originally joint ventured with another maker, Gottlieb A. Mauerhan, to form Lietz and Mauerhan, a relationship that lasted for about a year. Following Mauerhan's departure, Lietz paired up with Conrad J. Weinmann who had previously worked for Carl Rahsskopff. The company was renamed A. Lietz & Co. and at that time produced surveying instruments and related tools. The firm incorporated in 1892 under the name The A. Lietz Company and Weinmann left at about that time. In 1910 a complete line of drafting materials and engineering equipment was added. In 1947, after 65 years of production, the firm discontinued the manufacturing of surveying instruments. The reason given was that it would be necessary and very costly to retool in order to manufacture the types of modern instruments then being marketed. Their business changed to being an importer and distributor. In 1960 the company started handling the Umeco brand of surveying instruments and then added instruments from Japan made by Sokkisha. The Frank Paxton Company purchased the business in 1965 and moved its headquarters to Kansas City, Missouri. The company name was also changed to The Lietz Company. Additional restructuring took place during the early 1990's and the firm name was again changed, this time to Sokkia. ATTWOOD'S MINING CLINOMETER - Universal Pocket Instrument advertised by A. Lietz Co. in the company’s 1899 catalog; marked M. ATTWOOD’S MINING CLINOMETER, MADE BY A. LIETZ CO., SURVEYING INSTRUMENT MAKERS, 422 SACRAMENTO ST. SAN FRANCISCO, with a list of FALL OF ANGLES; made of aluminum alloy with horizontal and vertical bubble levels; 6 3/8 in. long x 3 in. high x 7/16 in. thick; clinometer and compass dials 2 1/4 in. dia. with locking controls (While google turned up very little on M. Attwood, the following provides information on the maker Adolph Lietz. Adolph Lietz was born in Leubeck, Germany in 1860. He immigrated to San Francisco in 1879 and worked in several scientific instrument shops before opening his own business. Lietz purchased the business of Carl Rahsskopff in 1880 and began his own business in 1882. Lietz originally joint ventured with another maker, Gottlieb A. Mauerhan, to form Lietz and Mauerhan, a relationship that lasted for about a year. Following Mauerhan's departure, Lietz paired up with Conrad J. Weinmann who had previously worked for Carl Rahsskopff. The company was renamed A. Lietz & Co. and at that time produced surveying instruments and related tools. The firm incorporated in 1892 under the name The A. Lietz Company and Weinmann left at about that time. In 1910 a complete line of drafting materials and engineering equipment was added. In 1947, after 65 years of production, the firm discontinued the manufacturing of surveying instruments. The reason given was that it would be necessary and very costly to retool in order to manufacture the types of modern instruments then being marketed. Their business changed to being an importer and distributor. In 1960 the company started handling the Umeco brand of surveying instruments and then added instruments from Japan made by Sokkisha. The Frank Paxton Company purchased the business in 1965 and moved its headquarters to Kansas City, Missouri. The company name was also changed to The Lietz Company. Additional restructuring took place during the early 1990's and the firm name was again changed, this time to Sokkia. slides/Lietz Universal Pocket Instrument with Leather Case.JPG slides/Lietz Universal Pocket Instrument.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 ATTWOOD'S MINING CLINOMETER - Universal Pocket Instrument advertised by A. Lietz Co. in the company’s 1899 catalog; marked M. ATTWOOD’S MINING CLINOMETER, MADE BY A. LIETZ CO., SURVEYING INSTRUMENT MAKERS, 422 SACRAMENTO ST. SAN FRANCISCO, with a list of FALL OF ANGLES; made of aluminum alloy with horizontal and vertical bubble levels; 6 3/8 in. long x 3 in. high x 7/16 in. thick; clinometer and compass dials 2 1/4 in. dia. with locking controls (While google turned up very little on M. Attwood, the following provides information on the maker Adolph Lietz. Adolph Lietz was born in Leubeck, Germany in 1860. He immigrated to San Francisco in 1879 and worked in several scientific instrument shops before opening his own business. Lietz purchased the business of Carl Rahsskopff in 1880 and began his own business in 1882. Lietz originally joint ventured with another maker, Gottlieb A. Mauerhan, to form Lietz and Mauerhan, a relationship that lasted for about a year. Following Mauerhan's departure, Lietz paired up with Conrad J. Weinmann who had previously worked for Carl Rahsskopff. The company was renamed A. Lietz & Co. and at that time produced surveying instruments and related tools. The firm incorporated in 1892 under the name The A. Lietz Company and Weinmann left at about that time. In 1910 a complete line of drafting materials and engineering equipment was added. In 1947, after 65 years of production, the firm discontinued the manufacturing of surveying instruments. The reason given was that it would be necessary and very costly to retool in order to manufacture the types of modern instruments then being marketed. Their business changed to being an importer and distributor. In 1960 the company started handling the Umeco brand of surveying instruments and then added instruments from Japan made by Sokkisha. The Frank Paxton Company purchased the business in 1965 and moved its headquarters to Kansas City, Missouri. The company name was also changed to The Lietz Company. Additional restructuring took place during the early 1990's and the firm name was again changed, this time to Sokkia. ATTWOOD'S MINING CLINOMETER - Universal Pocket Instrument advertised by A. Lietz Co. in the company’s 1899 catalog; marked M. ATTWOOD’S MINING CLINOMETER, MADE BY A. LIETZ CO., SURVEYING INSTRUMENT MAKERS, 422 SACRAMENTO ST. SAN FRANCISCO, with a list of FALL OF ANGLES; made of aluminum alloy with horizontal and vertical bubble levels; 6 3/8 in. long x 3 in. high x 7/16 in. thick; clinometer and compass dials 2 1/4 in. dia. with locking controls (While google turned up very little on M. Attwood, the following provides information on the maker Adolph Lietz. Adolph Lietz was born in Leubeck, Germany in 1860. He immigrated to San Francisco in 1879 and worked in several scientific instrument shops before opening his own business. Lietz purchased the business of Carl Rahsskopff in 1880 and began his own business in 1882. Lietz originally joint ventured with another maker, Gottlieb A. Mauerhan, to form Lietz and Mauerhan, a relationship that lasted for about a year. Following Mauerhan's departure, Lietz paired up with Conrad J. Weinmann who had previously worked for Carl Rahsskopff. The company was renamed A. Lietz & Co. and at that time produced surveying instruments and related tools. The firm incorporated in 1892 under the name The A. Lietz Company and Weinmann left at about that time. In 1910 a complete line of drafting materials and engineering equipment was added. In 1947, after 65 years of production, the firm discontinued the manufacturing of surveying instruments. The reason given was that it would be necessary and very costly to retool in order to manufacture the types of modern instruments then being marketed. Their business changed to being an importer and distributor. In 1960 the company started handling the Umeco brand of surveying instruments and then added instruments from Japan made by Sokkisha. The Frank Paxton Company purchased the business in 1965 and moved its headquarters to Kansas City, Missouri. The company name was also changed to The Lietz Company. Additional restructuring took place during the early 1990's and the firm name was again changed, this time to Sokkia. slides/Lietz Universal Pocket Instrument.JPG slides/1899 Lietz Catalog Listing for Universal Pocket Instrument.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 ATTWOOD'S MINING CLINOMETER - The A. Lietz Co. Catalog for 1899 features the Universal Pocket Instrument on p 188. The description reads: "This is a new Universal Pocket Instrument with M. Attwood's Mining Clinometer. It is not only the most useful Clinometer and Compass for Mining Work but the combination admits to make an entire Reconnaissance Survey within the degree of accuracy to be expected from a Pocket Instrument. It is made of our special Aluminum Alloy and weighs inclusive of leather case 8 ounces. Price complete with case $15.00" ATTWOOD'S MINING CLINOMETER - The A. Lietz Co. Catalog for 1899 features the Universal Pocket Instrument on p 188. The description reads: "This is a new Universal Pocket Instrument with M. Attwood's Mining Clinometer. It is not only the most useful Clinometer and Compass for Mining Work but the combination admits to make an entire Reconnaissance Survey within the degree of accuracy to be expected from a Pocket Instrument. It is made of our special Aluminum Alloy and weighs inclusive of leather case 8 ounces. Price complete with case $15.00" slides/1899 Lietz Catalog Listing for Universal Pocket Instrument.JPG slides/Lorain Coal Promotional Lighter.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 LORAIN COAL PROMOTIONAL LIGHTER - Cigarette lighter converted from an AutoLite carbide lamp, promotional item provided by The Lorain Coal & Dock Sales Co. Cleveland, Ohio and marked as such on a red and gold metal band attached to the bottom, lead has been added inside the bottom for weight, the hook has been removed, a wick has replaced the burner tip and a wick snuffer has been added to the reflector, batting for the lighter fluid fills the water tank and the water door provides a means to add fluid, new old stock condition, ex-Henry Pohs collection LORAIN COAL PROMOTIONAL LIGHTER - Cigarette lighter converted from an AutoLite carbide lamp, promotional item provided by The Lorain Coal & Dock Sales Co. Cleveland, Ohio and marked as such on a red and gold metal band attached to the bottom, lead has been added inside the bottom for weight, the hook has been removed, a wick has replaced the burner tip and a wick snuffer has been added to the reflector, batting for the lighter fluid fills the water tank and the water door provides a means to add fluid, new old stock condition, ex-Henry Pohs collection slides/Lorain Coal Promotional Lighter.JPG slides/Lowne's Air Meter.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 LOWNE'S AIR METER - Mine ventilation air meter, anodized brass with 8 aluminum vanes at right angle to dial and gear lever to start and stop measurements, 2 5/16 in. dial measuring tens, hundreds and thousands of feet, vane casing 2 3/4 in. dia., dial marked AIR METER, Serial #2025, ROBSON, NEWCASTLE ON TYNE, base marked LOWNE’S SILVER MEDAL AIR METER, with card noting correction for air meter No. 2025 and International Inventions Exhibition Awarded Silver Medal, fitted mahogany box 4 1/4 in. wide x 4 in. deep x 3 3/4 equipped with spigot mounting bracket (Robert Mann Lowne was the son of a doctor, Benjamin Thompson Lowne, who moved to London to train at Barts Medical College in 1842. He later moved to the Farringdon Dispensary in Bartletts Passage in Holborn. Robert was the second son, born in 1844. His elder brother, also Benjamin Thompson Lowne, became a noted surgeon and lecturer at the Middlesex Hospital, but little is known about Robert's early life. His first patent, taken out in 1865, was for a spirometer, an instrument for measuring the volume of air entering and leaving the lungs showing his knowledge of things medical. From then on a great number of patents were taken out by Robert Mann Lowne and from 1872 he and his family lived in East End, Finchley where he became known as an inventor and scientific instrument maker. His invention of a portable air meter shown here was awarded a silver medal at the International Inventions Exhibition held in London in 1885. Originally produced by Casella in London, this example was made by noted instrument maker F. Robson, Newcastle on Tyne in the late 1800s. Lowne and his wife, Emily, had four children, two of whom, Robert James Mann Lowne and Benjamin Thomson Lowne, joined him in the business. By 1894 the family moved to Lewisharn where they occupied a large house at 108 Bromley Road. All the work was carried out by the three family members which is quite surprising considering the volume of work undertaken by the company in the early years of the 20th century. The Lowne Electric Clock and Appliance Company was set up in 1904 as a limited company to exploit the patents for electric clocks taken out by the company. Contracts were undertaken to provide the Arsenal with an electric master clock system, with 46 slave clocks needing 6.5 miles of cabling and run from Leclanché cells, as well as one for the South Metropolitan Gas Works. A new workshop at the Bromley Road address was built in 1905 to be able to fulfill these orders. The company did not prosper and was, for a while, taken over in the 1920s by the Magneta Company. The Lownes continued to work at home for Magneta, until 1926 when the company reverted to the Lowne family. The company moved to Boones Street where a former wheelwright's premises was to be their home until 2002. Robert Mann Lowne died in 1928 and his two sons with RJM Lowne's son, Frederick James Mann Lowne, continuing the business. With the advent of the National Grid, mains clocks were possible and so the Lownes made synchronous clocks both for the home and for industry. Their most profitable years were in the 1940s when war work kept them occupied. The company closed the business and sold off the equipment in 2002. See Sue Hayton, Greenwich Industrial History, Vol. 5, Issue 3, May 2002) LOWNE'S AIR METER - Mine ventilation air meter, anodized brass with 8 aluminum vanes at right angle to dial and gear lever to start and stop measurements, 2 5/16 in. dial measuring tens, hundreds and thousands of feet, vane casing 2 3/4 in. dia., dial marked AIR METER, Serial #2025, ROBSON, NEWCASTLE ON TYNE, base marked LOWNE’S SILVER MEDAL AIR METER, with card noting correction for air meter No. 2025 and International Inventions Exhibition Awarded Silver Medal, fitted mahogany box 4 1/4 in. wide x 4 in. deep x 3 3/4 equipped with spigot mounting bracket (Robert Mann Lowne was the son of a doctor, Benjamin Thompson Lowne, who moved to London to train at Barts Medical College in 1842. He later moved to the Farringdon Dispensary in Bartletts Passage in Holborn. Robert was the second son, born in 1844. His elder brother, also Benjamin Thompson Lowne, became a noted surgeon and lecturer at the Middlesex Hospital, but little is known about Robert's early life. His first patent, taken out in 1865, was for a spirometer, an instrument for measuring the volume of air entering and leaving the lungs showing his knowledge of things medical. From then on a great number of patents were taken out by Robert Mann Lowne and from 1872 he and his family lived in East End, Finchley where he became known as an inventor and scientific instrument maker. His invention of a portable air meter shown here was awarded a silver medal at the International Inventions Exhibition held in London in 1885. Originally produced by Casella in London, this example was made by noted instrument maker F. Robson, Newcastle on Tyne in the late 1800s. Lowne and his wife, Emily, had four children, two of whom, Robert James Mann Lowne and Benjamin Thomson Lowne, joined him in the business. By 1894 the family moved to Lewisharn where they occupied a large house at 108 Bromley Road. All the work was carried out by the three family members which is quite surprising considering the volume of work undertaken by the company in the early years of the 20th century. The Lowne Electric Clock and Appliance Company was set up in 1904 as a limited company to exploit the patents for electric clocks taken out by the company. Contracts were undertaken to provide the Arsenal with an electric master clock system, with 46 slave clocks needing 6.5 miles of cabling and run from Leclanché cells, as well as one for the South Metropolitan Gas Works. A new workshop at the Bromley Road address was built in 1905 to be able to fulfill these orders. The company did not prosper and was, for a while, taken over in the 1920s by the Magneta Company. The Lownes continued to work at home for Magneta, until 1926 when the company reverted to the Lowne family. The company moved to Boones Street where a former wheelwright's premises was to be their home until 2002. Robert Mann Lowne died in 1928 and his two sons with RJM Lowne's son, Frederick James Mann Lowne, continuing the business. With the advent of the National Grid, mains clocks were possible and so the Lownes made synchronous clocks both for the home and for industry. Their most profitable years were in the 1940s when war work kept them occupied. The company closed the business and sold off the equipment in 2002. See Sue Hayton, Greenwich Industrial History, Vol. 5, Issue 3, May 2002) slides/Lowne's Air Meter.JPG slides/Lowne's Air Meter with Box.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 LOWNE'S AIR METER - Mine ventilation air meter, anodized brass with 8 aluminum vanes at right angle to dial and gear lever to start and stop measurements, 2 5/16 in. dial measuring tens, hundreds and thousands of feet, vane casing 2 3/4 in. dia., dial marked AIR METER, Serial #2025, ROBSON, NEWCASTLE ON TYNE, base marked LOWNE’S SILVER MEDAL AIR METER, with card noting correction for air meter No. 2025 and International Inventions Exhibition Awarded Silver Medal, fitted mahogany box 4 1/4 in. wide x 4 in. deep x 3 3/4 equipped with spigot mounting bracket (Robert Mann Lowne was the son of a doctor, Benjamin Thompson Lowne, who moved to London to train at Barts Medical College in 1842. He later moved to the Farringdon Dispensary in Bartletts Passage in Holborn. Robert was the second son, born in 1844. His elder brother, also Benjamin Thompson Lowne, became a noted surgeon and lecturer at the Middlesex Hospital, but little is known about Robert's early life. His first patent, taken out in 1865, was for a spirometer, an instrument for measuring the volume of air entering and leaving the lungs showing his knowledge of things medical. From then on a great number of patents were taken out by Robert Mann Lowne and from 1872 he and his family lived in East End, Finchley where he became known as an inventor and scientific instrument maker. His invention of a portable air meter shown here was awarded a silver medal at the International Inventions Exhibition held in London in 1885. Originally produced by Casella in London, this example was made by noted instrument maker F. Robson, Newcastle on Tyne in the late 1800s. Lowne and his wife, Emily, had four children, two of whom, Robert James Mann Lowne and Benjamin Thomson Lowne, joined him in the business. By 1894 the family moved to Lewisharn where they occupied a large house at 108 Bromley Road. All the work was carried out by the three family members which is quite surprising considering the volume of work undertaken by the company in the early years of the 20th century. The Lowne Electric Clock and Appliance Company was set up in 1904 as a limited company to exploit the patents for electric clocks taken out by the company. Contracts were undertaken to provide the Arsenal with an electric master clock system, with 46 slave clocks needing 6.5 miles of cabling and run from Leclanché cells, as well as one for the South Metropolitan Gas Works. A new workshop at the Bromley Road address was built in 1905 to be able to fulfill these orders. The company did not prosper and was, for a while, taken over in the 1920s by the Magneta Company. The Lownes continued to work at home for Magneta, until 1926 when the company reverted to the Lowne family. The company moved to Boones Street where a former wheelwright's premises was to be their home until 2002. Robert Mann Lowne died in 1928 and his two sons with RJM Lowne's son, Frederick James Mann Lowne, continuing the business. With the advent of the National Grid, mains clocks were possible and so the Lownes made synchronous clocks both for the home and for industry. Their most profitable years were in the 1940s when war work kept them occupied. The company closed the business and sold off the equipment in 2002. See Sue Hayton, Greenwich Industrial History, Vol. 5, Issue 3, May 2002) LOWNE'S AIR METER - Mine ventilation air meter, anodized brass with 8 aluminum vanes at right angle to dial and gear lever to start and stop measurements, 2 5/16 in. dial measuring tens, hundreds and thousands of feet, vane casing 2 3/4 in. dia., dial marked AIR METER, Serial #2025, ROBSON, NEWCASTLE ON TYNE, base marked LOWNE’S SILVER MEDAL AIR METER, with card noting correction for air meter No. 2025 and International Inventions Exhibition Awarded Silver Medal, fitted mahogany box 4 1/4 in. wide x 4 in. deep x 3 3/4 equipped with spigot mounting bracket (Robert Mann Lowne was the son of a doctor, Benjamin Thompson Lowne, who moved to London to train at Barts Medical College in 1842. He later moved to the Farringdon Dispensary in Bartletts Passage in Holborn. Robert was the second son, born in 1844. His elder brother, also Benjamin Thompson Lowne, became a noted surgeon and lecturer at the Middlesex Hospital, but little is known about Robert's early life. His first patent, taken out in 1865, was for a spirometer, an instrument for measuring the volume of air entering and leaving the lungs showing his knowledge of things medical. From then on a great number of patents were taken out by Robert Mann Lowne and from 1872 he and his family lived in East End, Finchley where he became known as an inventor and scientific instrument maker. His invention of a portable air meter shown here was awarded a silver medal at the International Inventions Exhibition held in London in 1885. Originally produced by Casella in London, this example was made by noted instrument maker F. Robson, Newcastle on Tyne in the late 1800s. Lowne and his wife, Emily, had four children, two of whom, Robert James Mann Lowne and Benjamin Thomson Lowne, joined him in the business. By 1894 the family moved to Lewisharn where they occupied a large house at 108 Bromley Road. All the work was carried out by the three family members which is quite surprising considering the volume of work undertaken by the company in the early years of the 20th century. The Lowne Electric Clock and Appliance Company was set up in 1904 as a limited company to exploit the patents for electric clocks taken out by the company. Contracts were undertaken to provide the Arsenal with an electric master clock system, with 46 slave clocks needing 6.5 miles of cabling and run from Leclanché cells, as well as one for the South Metropolitan Gas Works. A new workshop at the Bromley Road address was built in 1905 to be able to fulfill these orders. The company did not prosper and was, for a while, taken over in the 1920s by the Magneta Company. The Lownes continued to work at home for Magneta, until 1926 when the company reverted to the Lowne family. The company moved to Boones Street where a former wheelwright's premises was to be their home until 2002. Robert Mann Lowne died in 1928 and his two sons with RJM Lowne's son, Frederick James Mann Lowne, continuing the business. With the advent of the National Grid, mains clocks were possible and so the Lownes made synchronous clocks both for the home and for industry. Their most profitable years were in the 1940s when war work kept them occupied. The company closed the business and sold off the equipment in 2002. See Sue Hayton, Greenwich Industrial History, Vol. 5, Issue 3, May 2002) slides/Lowne's Air Meter with Box.JPG slides/Miners Improved Gold Scale Closed.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 MINERS’ IMPROVED GOLD SCALE - Tin cased miners gold scale, dark green exterior and interior color, marked MINERS’ IMPROVED GOLD SCALE in gold letters across top front and in gold letters MANUFACTURED EXPRESSLY FOR CALIFORNIA across bottom front with a classic spread-wing gold American eagle in the center clutching an olive branch and three arrows in its talons and bearing a shield across its breast, 5 ½ in. wide x 3 in. deep x 1 3/16 in. high in rectangular shape, brass beam, pans and chains with 5 troy weights in a 4-hole wooden block pinned through the case (The California Gold Rush produced a number of “California Goods” to identify and to be identified with this great adventure; boots, knives, brandy, and gold amalgamators filled the bill to name a few along with the miners pocket gold scales shown here; these pocket scales date from the 1850s and perhaps into the 1860s and came in a variety of bright colors including light and dark green, royal blue, dark yellow, ocher brown, red, and maroon among others and in both oval and rectangular shapes in sizes from up to 7 in. long by up to 3 ½ in. wide and 1 ½ in. deep; most were marked Miners’ Improved Gold Scale as the model shown here; little is known about the makers, although some are thought to be German; all have brass beams, pans and suspension chains although some have iron pointers as the scale shown here; troy weights were typically included; an earlier pocket scale marked Miners Gold Scale without the Improved are found and equipped with string pan suspensions rather than the brass chains; acquired from Dennis Kurlander; see Millet, Mining Artifact Collector #8, pp 25-27) MINERS’ IMPROVED GOLD SCALE - Tin cased miners gold scale, dark green exterior and interior color, marked MINERS’ IMPROVED GOLD SCALE in gold letters across top front and in gold letters MANUFACTURED EXPRESSLY FOR CALIFORNIA across bottom front with a classic spread-wing gold American eagle in the center clutching an olive branch and three arrows in its talons and bearing a shield across its breast, 5 ½ in. wide x 3 in. deep x 1 3/16 in. high in rectangular shape, brass beam, pans and chains with 5 troy weights in a 4-hole wooden block pinned through the case (The California Gold Rush produced a number of “California Goods” to identify and to be identified with this great adventure; boots, knives, brandy, and gold amalgamators filled the bill to name a few along with the miners pocket gold scales shown here; these pocket scales date from the 1850s and perhaps into the 1860s and came in a variety of bright colors including light and dark green, royal blue, dark yellow, ocher brown, red, and maroon among others and in both oval and rectangular shapes in sizes from up to 7 in. long by up to 3 ½ in. wide and 1 ½ in. deep; most were marked Miners’ Improved Gold Scale as the model shown here; little is known about the makers, although some are thought to be German; all have brass beams, pans and suspension chains although some have iron pointers as the scale shown here; troy weights were typically included; an earlier pocket scale marked Miners Gold Scale without the Improved are found and equipped with string pan suspensions rather than the brass chains; acquired from Dennis Kurlander; see Millet, Mining Artifact Collector #8, pp 25-27) slides/Miners Improved Gold Scale Closed.JPG slides/Miners Improved Gold Scale Open.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 MINERS’ IMPROVED GOLD SCALE - Tin cased miners gold scale, dark green exterior and interior color, marked MINERS’ IMPROVED GOLD SCALE in gold letters across top front and in gold letters MANUFACTURED EXPRESSLY FOR CALIFORNIA across bottom front with a classic spread-wing gold American eagle in the center clutching an olive branch and three arrows in its talons and bearing a shield across its breast, 5 ½ in. wide x 3 in. deep x 1 3/16 in. high in rectangular shape, brass beam, pans and chains with 5 troy weights in a 4-hole wooden block pinned through the case (The California Gold Rush produced a number of “California Goods” to identify and to be identified with this great adventure; boots, knives, brandy, and gold amalgamators filled the bill to name a few along with the miners pocket gold scales shown here; these pocket scales date from the 1850s and perhaps into the 1860s and came in a variety of bright colors including light and dark green, royal blue, dark yellow, ocher brown, red, and maroon among others and in both oval and rectangular shapes in sizes from up to 7 in. long by up to 3 ½ in. wide and 1 ½ in. deep; most were marked Miners’ Improved Gold Scale as the model shown here; little is known about the makers, although some are thought to be German; all have brass beams, pans and suspension chains although some have iron pointers as the scale shown here; troy weights were typically included; an earlier pocket scale marked Miners Gold Scale without the Improved are found and equipped with string pan suspensions rather than the brass chains; acquired from Dennis Kurlander; see Millet, Mining Artifact Collector #8, pp 25-27) MINERS’ IMPROVED GOLD SCALE - Tin cased miners gold scale, dark green exterior and interior color, marked MINERS’ IMPROVED GOLD SCALE in gold letters across top front and in gold letters MANUFACTURED EXPRESSLY FOR CALIFORNIA across bottom front with a classic spread-wing gold American eagle in the center clutching an olive branch and three arrows in its talons and bearing a shield across its breast, 5 ½ in. wide x 3 in. deep x 1 3/16 in. high in rectangular shape, brass beam, pans and chains with 5 troy weights in a 4-hole wooden block pinned through the case (The California Gold Rush produced a number of “California Goods” to identify and to be identified with this great adventure; boots, knives, brandy, and gold amalgamators filled the bill to name a few along with the miners pocket gold scales shown here; these pocket scales date from the 1850s and perhaps into the 1860s and came in a variety of bright colors including light and dark green, royal blue, dark yellow, ocher brown, red, and maroon among others and in both oval and rectangular shapes in sizes from up to 7 in. long by up to 3 ½ in. wide and 1 ½ in. deep; most were marked Miners’ Improved Gold Scale as the model shown here; little is known about the makers, although some are thought to be German; all have brass beams, pans and suspension chains although some have iron pointers as the scale shown here; troy weights were typically included; an earlier pocket scale marked Miners Gold Scale without the Improved are found and equipped with string pan suspensions rather than the brass chains; acquired from Dennis Kurlander; see Millet, Mining Artifact Collector #8, pp 25-27) slides/Miners Improved Gold Scale Open.JPG slides/Miners Improved Gold Scale.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 MINERS’ IMPROVED GOLD SCALE - Tin cased miners gold scale, dark green exterior and interior color, marked MINERS’ IMPROVED GOLD SCALE in gold letters across top front and in gold letters MANUFACTURED EXPRESSLY FOR CALIFORNIA across bottom front with a classic spread-wing gold American eagle in the center clutching an olive branch and three arrows in its talons and bearing a shield across its breast, 5 ½ in. wide x 3 in. deep x 1 3/16 in. high in rectangular shape, brass beam, pans and chains with 5 troy weights in a 4-hole wooden block pinned through the case (The California Gold Rush produced a number of “California Goods” to identify and to be identified with this great adventure; boots, knives, brandy, and gold amalgamators filled the bill to name a few along with the miners pocket gold scales shown here; these pocket scales date from the 1850s and perhaps into the 1860s and came in a variety of bright colors including light and dark green, royal blue, dark yellow, ocher brown, red, and maroon among others and in both oval and rectangular shapes in sizes from up to 7 in. long by up to 3 ½ in. wide and 1 ½ in. deep; most were marked Miners’ Improved Gold Scale as the model shown here; little is known about the makers, although some are thought to be German; all have brass beams, pans and suspension chains although some have iron pointers as the scale shown here; troy weights were typically included; an earlier pocket scale marked Miners Gold Scale without the Improved are found and equipped with string pan suspensions rather than the brass chains; acquired from Dennis Kurlander; see Millet, Mining Artifact Collector #8, pp 25-27) MINERS’ IMPROVED GOLD SCALE - Tin cased miners gold scale, dark green exterior and interior color, marked MINERS’ IMPROVED GOLD SCALE in gold letters across top front and in gold letters MANUFACTURED EXPRESSLY FOR CALIFORNIA across bottom front with a classic spread-wing gold American eagle in the center clutching an olive branch and three arrows in its talons and bearing a shield across its breast, 5 ½ in. wide x 3 in. deep x 1 3/16 in. high in rectangular shape, brass beam, pans and chains with 5 troy weights in a 4-hole wooden block pinned through the case (The California Gold Rush produced a number of “California Goods” to identify and to be identified with this great adventure; boots, knives, brandy, and gold amalgamators filled the bill to name a few along with the miners pocket gold scales shown here; these pocket scales date from the 1850s and perhaps into the 1860s and came in a variety of bright colors including light and dark green, royal blue, dark yellow, ocher brown, red, and maroon among others and in both oval and rectangular shapes in sizes from up to 7 in. long by up to 3 ½ in. wide and 1 ½ in. deep; most were marked Miners’ Improved Gold Scale as the model shown here; little is known about the makers, although some are thought to be German; all have brass beams, pans and suspension chains although some have iron pointers as the scale shown here; troy weights were typically included; an earlier pocket scale marked Miners Gold Scale without the Improved are found and equipped with string pan suspensions rather than the brass chains; acquired from Dennis Kurlander; see Millet, Mining Artifact Collector #8, pp 25-27) slides/Miners Improved Gold Scale.JPG slides/Miniature Lisk Miner's Lunch Pail.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 MINIATURE LISK MINER’S LUNCH PAIL – Complete miniature salesman sample miner’s lunch pail, marked LISK on both side, nickel plated copper ware in five pieces – bottom with handle, lower tray, upper tray, top cover, and cup; oval base is 3 1/4 in. x 2 1/8 in. wide, 3 in. high to top of 1-in. dia. cup (George W. Lisk first came to Clifton Springs, NY in the year 1882 and by 1886 had founded the firm of Lisk Manufacturing Co. This began as a two-man operation and within a year there were 100 employed. Orders came in so fast for his anti-rust tinware and unique, greaseless cake tins, that more than local capital was needed. This backing came from businessmen from Canandaigua, NY, who moved the firm into new quarters in that city and incorporated the Lisk Manufacturing Company in 1889. Lisk manufactured high-end enamel ware, galvanized anti-rust tinware and nickel plated copper ware. In 1903, they were the largest employer in Canandaigua employing 550 people. George Lisk stayed with the company only for a short time moving on to new opportunities. However the company remained in business, merging in the late 1930s to form the Lisk-Savory Company.) MINIATURE LISK MINER’S LUNCH PAIL – Complete miniature salesman sample miner’s lunch pail, marked LISK on both side, nickel plated copper ware in five pieces – bottom with handle, lower tray, upper tray, top cover, and cup; oval base is 3 1/4 in. x 2 1/8 in. wide, 3 in. high to top of 1-in. dia. cup (George W. Lisk first came to Clifton Springs, NY in the year 1882 and by 1886 had founded the firm of Lisk Manufacturing Co. This began as a two-man operation and within a year there were 100 employed. Orders came in so fast for his anti-rust tinware and unique, greaseless cake tins, that more than local capital was needed. This backing came from businessmen from Canandaigua, NY, who moved the firm into new quarters in that city and incorporated the Lisk Manufacturing Company in 1889. Lisk manufactured high-end enamel ware, galvanized anti-rust tinware and nickel plated copper ware. In 1903, they were the largest employer in Canandaigua employing 550 people. George Lisk stayed with the company only for a short time moving on to new opportunities. However the company remained in business, merging in the late 1930s to form the Lisk-Savory Company.) slides/Miniature Lisk Miner's Lunch Pail.jpg slides/Miniature Lisk Miner's Lunch Pail with 5 Pieces.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 MINIATURE LISK MINER’S LUNCH PAIL – Complete miniature salesman sample miner’s lunch pail, marked LISK on both side, nickel plated copper ware in five pieces – bottom with handle, lower tray, upper tray, top cover, and cup; oval base is 3 1/4 in. x 2 1/8 in. wide, 3 in. high to top of 1-in. dia. cup (George W. Lisk first came to Clifton Springs, NY in the year 1882 and by 1886 had founded the firm of Lisk Manufacturing Co. This began as a two-man operation and within a year there were 100 employed. Orders came in so fast for his anti-rust tinware and unique, greaseless cake tins, that more than local capital was needed. This backing came from businessmen from Canandaigua, NY, who moved the firm into new quarters in that city and incorporated the Lisk Manufacturing Company in 1889. Lisk manufactured high-end enamel ware, galvanized anti-rust tinware and nickel plated copper ware. In 1903, they were the largest employer in Canandaigua employing 550 people. George Lisk stayed with the company only for a short time moving on to new opportunities. However the company remained in business, merging in the late 1930s to form the Lisk-Savory Company.) MINIATURE LISK MINER’S LUNCH PAIL – Complete miniature salesman sample miner’s lunch pail, marked LISK on both side, nickel plated copper ware in five pieces – bottom with handle, lower tray, upper tray, top cover, and cup; oval base is 3 1/4 in. x 2 1/8 in. wide, 3 in. high to top of 1-in. dia. cup (George W. Lisk first came to Clifton Springs, NY in the year 1882 and by 1886 had founded the firm of Lisk Manufacturing Co. This began as a two-man operation and within a year there were 100 employed. Orders came in so fast for his anti-rust tinware and unique, greaseless cake tins, that more than local capital was needed. This backing came from businessmen from Canandaigua, NY, who moved the firm into new quarters in that city and incorporated the Lisk Manufacturing Company in 1889. Lisk manufactured high-end enamel ware, galvanized anti-rust tinware and nickel plated copper ware. In 1903, they were the largest employer in Canandaigua employing 550 people. George Lisk stayed with the company only for a short time moving on to new opportunities. However the company remained in business, merging in the late 1930s to form the Lisk-Savory Company.) slides/Miniature Lisk Miner's Lunch Pail with 5 Pieces.jpg slides/Mining Dip Needle Compass.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 MINING DIP NEEDLE COMPASS - Brass and glass mining dip needle, 3 1/4 in. dia., 4 in. dia. handle with brass chain and ferrous needle stop, marked SHORT & MASON LONDON with M over S mark and TYCOS, includes original "Descriptive Leaflet No. 11" for "The Mining Dip Needle" from Short & Mason (Thomas Short and James Mason became partners and started their precision instrument business in London in 1875. In the early 1900s, Short & Mason was acquired by the Taylor Brothers Company originally formed in 1853 in Rochester, NY as an early manufacturer of high quality thermometers. It was at this time the brothers renamed their company to Taylor Instrument Companies, which spawned the Tycos trademark derived from T and Y of Taylor and C, O and S of Companies. The newly named company developed one of the first hand aneroid sphygmomanometers. Sometime before 1920, the company added the Tycos name to their scientific instruments as marked on this dip needle. The mining dip needle is used to locate the presence of iron ore. Simply, the dip needle should be suspended vertically by the handle in the magnetic meridian or north south line as close to the ground as possible. If iron is present, the magnetised needle will dip toward the deposit away from the normal magnetic declination at that site.) MINING DIP NEEDLE COMPASS - Brass and glass mining dip needle, 3 1/4 in. dia., 4 in. dia. handle with brass chain and ferrous needle stop, marked SHORT & MASON LONDON with M over S mark and TYCOS, includes original "Descriptive Leaflet No. 11" for "The Mining Dip Needle" from Short & Mason (Thomas Short and James Mason became partners and started their precision instrument business in London in 1875. In the early 1900s, Short & Mason was acquired by the Taylor Brothers Company originally formed in 1853 in Rochester, NY as an early manufacturer of high quality thermometers. It was at this time the brothers renamed their company to Taylor Instrument Companies, which spawned the Tycos trademark derived from T and Y of Taylor and C, O and S of Companies. The newly named company developed one of the first hand aneroid sphygmomanometers. Sometime before 1920, the company added the Tycos name to their scientific instruments as marked on this dip needle. The mining dip needle is used to locate the presence of iron ore. Simply, the dip needle should be suspended vertically by the handle in the magnetic meridian or north south line as close to the ground as possible. If iron is present, the magnetised needle will dip toward the deposit away from the normal magnetic declination at that site.) slides/Mining Dip Needle Compass.JPG slides/Nitro Carrier Closed.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 NITRO CARRIER - Wooden nitro carrier with metal handle and fittings, 25 in. long x 5 in. wide, marked MATTSON’S on top, acquired from David Lewis (neither Dave nor I are really sure this is a nitro carrier but that is how it was described; can anyone confirm what it is?) NITRO CARRIER - Wooden nitro carrier with metal handle and fittings, 25 in. long x 5 in. wide, marked MATTSON’S on top, acquired from David Lewis (neither Dave nor I are really sure this is a nitro carrier but that is how it was described; can anyone confirm what it is?) slides/Nitro Carrier Closed.JPG slides/Nitro Carrier Open.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 NITRO CARRIER - Wooden nitro carrier with metal handle and fittings, 25 in. long x 5 in. wide, marked MATTSON’S on top, acquired from David Lewis (neither Dave nor I are really sure this is a nitro carrier but that is how it was described; can anyone confirm what it is?) NITRO CARRIER - Wooden nitro carrier with metal handle and fittings, 25 in. long x 5 in. wide, marked MATTSON’S on top, acquired from David Lewis (neither Dave nor I are really sure this is a nitro carrier but that is how it was described; can anyone confirm what it is?) slides/Nitro Carrier Open.JPG slides/Park Sherman Match Safe.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 PARK SHERMAN MATCH CASE - Nickel plated brass match case, 2 5/8 in. long, marked on bottom EVERDRY PARK SHERMAN CO SPRINGFIELD ILL (The Universal Lamp Company was organized in 1913 by Jacob S. Sherman to produce his Auto-Lite carbide lamps. Sherman's first lamp patent was filed in 1914 and awarded as #1,167,942 on Jan. 11, 1916 that would identify the pronounced crown top and concave, urn-shaped design of all Auto-Lite lamp tops for the length of manufacture. By 1918, Sherman had moved the company from Staunton, IL to Chicago. The company continued to expand its product line and in 1933, it purchased the Shanklin Manufacturing Co. and its Springfield, IL plant. An integration of the Auto-Lite and Guy's Dropper lamp design features soon followed. Jacob S. Sherman was also the founder of the Park Sherman Company in Springfield, IL. The company sold miner's supplies (miner's cap lamps, match cases as shown here, etc.) and later specialized in things like coin banks and smoking accessories (lighters, cigarette cases, etc). The relationship between Universal Lamp Company and Park Sherman is not altogether clear, but Sherman founded both and operated both. Universal continued to manufacture carbide lamps at the Springfield plant until 1960 when the carbide lamp products were discontinued. Likewise, the Park Sherman Company operated out of Springfield until 1960 when it was sold to a New Jersey company.) PARK SHERMAN MATCH CASE - Nickel plated brass match case, 2 5/8 in. long, marked on bottom EVERDRY PARK SHERMAN CO SPRINGFIELD ILL (The Universal Lamp Company was organized in 1913 by Jacob S. Sherman to produce his Auto-Lite carbide lamps. Sherman's first lamp patent was filed in 1914 and awarded as #1,167,942 on Jan. 11, 1916 that would identify the pronounced crown top and concave, urn-shaped design of all Auto-Lite lamp tops for the length of manufacture. By 1918, Sherman had moved the company from Staunton, IL to Chicago. The company continued to expand its product line and in 1933, it purchased the Shanklin Manufacturing Co. and its Springfield, IL plant. An integration of the Auto-Lite and Guy's Dropper lamp design features soon followed. Jacob S. Sherman was also the founder of the Park Sherman Company in Springfield, IL. The company sold miner's supplies (miner's cap lamps, match cases as shown here, etc.) and later specialized in things like coin banks and smoking accessories (lighters, cigarette cases, etc). The relationship between Universal Lamp Company and Park Sherman is not altogether clear, but Sherman founded both and operated both. Universal continued to manufacture carbide lamps at the Springfield plant until 1960 when the carbide lamp products were discontinued. Likewise, the Park Sherman Company operated out of Springfield until 1960 when it was sold to a New Jersey company.) slides/Park Sherman Match Safe.JPG slides/Park Sherman Marking.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 PARK SHERMAN MATCH CASE - Nickel plated brass match case, 2 5/8 in. long, marked on bottom EVERDRY PARK SHERMAN CO SPRINGFIELD ILL (The Universal Lamp Company was organized in 1913 by Jacob S. Sherman to produce his Auto-Lite carbide lamps. Sherman's first lamp patent was filed in 1914 and awarded as #1,167,942 on Jan. 11, 1916 that would identify the pronounced crown top and concave, urn-shaped design of all Auto-Lite lamp tops for the length of manufacture. By 1918, Sherman had moved the company from Staunton, IL to Chicago. The company continued to expand its product line and in 1933, it purchased the Shanklin Manufacturing Co. and its Springfield, IL plant. An integration of the Auto-Lite and Guy's Dropper lamp design features soon followed. Jacob S. Sherman was also the founder of the Park Sherman Company in Springfield, IL. The company sold miner's supplies (miner's cap lamps, match cases as shown here, etc.) and later specialized in things like coin banks and smoking accessories (lighters, cigarette cases, etc). The relationship between Universal Lamp Company and Park Sherman is not altogether clear, but Sherman founded both and operated both. Universal continued to manufacture carbide lamps at the Springfield plant until 1960 when the carbide lamp products were discontinued. Likewise, the Park Sherman Company operated out of Springfield until 1960 when it was sold to a New Jersey company.) PARK SHERMAN MATCH CASE - Nickel plated brass match case, 2 5/8 in. long, marked on bottom EVERDRY PARK SHERMAN CO SPRINGFIELD ILL (The Universal Lamp Company was organized in 1913 by Jacob S. Sherman to produce his Auto-Lite carbide lamps. Sherman's first lamp patent was filed in 1914 and awarded as #1,167,942 on Jan. 11, 1916 that would identify the pronounced crown top and concave, urn-shaped design of all Auto-Lite lamp tops for the length of manufacture. By 1918, Sherman had moved the company from Staunton, IL to Chicago. The company continued to expand its product line and in 1933, it purchased the Shanklin Manufacturing Co. and its Springfield, IL plant. An integration of the Auto-Lite and Guy's Dropper lamp design features soon followed. Jacob S. Sherman was also the founder of the Park Sherman Company in Springfield, IL. The company sold miner's supplies (miner's cap lamps, match cases as shown here, etc.) and later specialized in things like coin banks and smoking accessories (lighters, cigarette cases, etc). The relationship between Universal Lamp Company and Park Sherman is not altogether clear, but Sherman founded both and operated both. Universal continued to manufacture carbide lamps at the Springfield plant until 1960 when the carbide lamp products were discontinued. Likewise, the Park Sherman Company operated out of Springfield until 1960 when it was sold to a New Jersey company.) slides/Park Sherman Marking.JPG slides/Pocahontas Coal Corporate Seal.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 POCAHONTAS COAL COMPANY CORPORATE SEAL EMBOSSER - Corporate embosser for Pocahontas Coal Co. Corporate Seal, Delaware 1925; stamp produces clear and sharp imprint POCAHONTAS COAL COMPANY CORPORATE SEAL EMBOSSER - Corporate embosser for Pocahontas Coal Co. Corporate Seal, Delaware 1925; stamp produces clear and sharp imprint slides/Pocahontas Coal Corporate Seal.JPG slides/Portable Assay Kit.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 PORTABLE ASSAY KIT - Unique mining assay kit; box (18.5” x 8.5” x 14”) wooden inside and tin on outside with brass reinforcements and fluted handle; fold-down side with upper drawer; full of assayer equipment, test tubes, apparatus, chemical containers, tools and brass blowpipes; (kit used by Jim Phelps assayer in the Georgetown/Silver Plume area of Colorado from 1905 to 1935; kit originally obtained by Leo Stambaugh from a family in Silver Plume and kept in his mining museum in Georgetown for many years) PORTABLE ASSAY KIT - Unique mining assay kit; box (18.5” x 8.5” x 14”) wooden inside and tin on outside with brass reinforcements and fluted handle; fold-down side with upper drawer; full of assayer equipment, test tubes, apparatus, chemical containers, tools and brass blowpipes; (kit used by Jim Phelps assayer in the Georgetown/Silver Plume area of Colorado from 1905 to 1935; kit originally obtained by Leo Stambaugh from a family in Silver Plume and kept in his mining museum in Georgetown for many years) slides/Portable Assay Kit.jpg slides/Pulp Balance I.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 STANTON INSTRUMENTS PULP BALANCE - Pulp balance; Stanton Instruments Ltd, London, index marked A. Gallenkamp & Co. Ltd., London E. C. 2; glass top with opening side glass doors and counterbalanced front (A number of balances were used in the assaying of ore and the pulp balance is one of them. The pulp balance shown here is the enclosed style while others were the open style. The enclosed pulp balance was also called an analytical balance and was constructed of a wood case, oftentimes mahagony, with glass sides and top and a sliding front glass panel for access. The enclosed balance had pan rests to control oscillations when in use. The pulp balance was used in the assaying process to weigh the "pulp" which is the result of crushing, quartering and screening the ore. At this stage in the process, the assay ton weights were used. Since gold and silver assays were reported in troy ounces per ton, if the pulp was weighed in grams and the button in milligrams (the button is a small pellet of the metal of interest that results from the assaying process), the assayer would need several calculations to do the conversion to troy onces per ton. The system of assay ton weights greatly simplified this computation. Simply, one assay ton weighs 29,166 milligrams, the same milligrams as there are troy onces in an avoirdupois ton. If the ore charge of one assay ton is taken, each milligram that the resulting metal button weighs represents one troy ounce of the metal per ton of ore. Two different sets of assay ton weights were generally available, one set ranging from one assay ton to 1/20th assay ton, and a second set from 4 assay tons to 1/20th assay ton. See Shannon, Mining Artifact Collector #4, p 33) STANTON INSTRUMENTS PULP BALANCE - Pulp balance; Stanton Instruments Ltd, London, index marked A. Gallenkamp & Co. Ltd., London E. C. 2; glass top with opening side glass doors and counterbalanced front (A number of balances were used in the assaying of ore and the pulp balance is one of them. The pulp balance shown here is the enclosed style while others were the open style. The enclosed pulp balance was also called an analytical balance and was constructed of a wood case, oftentimes mahagony, with glass sides and top and a sliding front glass panel for access. The enclosed balance had pan rests to control oscillations when in use. The pulp balance was used in the assaying process to weigh the "pulp" which is the result of crushing, quartering and screening the ore. At this stage in the process, the assay ton weights were used. Since gold and silver assays were reported in troy ounces per ton, if the pulp was weighed in grams and the button in milligrams (the button is a small pellet of the metal of interest that results from the assaying process), the assayer would need several calculations to do the conversion to troy onces per ton. The system of assay ton weights greatly simplified this computation. Simply, one assay ton weighs 29,166 milligrams, the same milligrams as there are troy onces in an avoirdupois ton. If the ore charge of one assay ton is taken, each milligram that the resulting metal button weighs represents one troy ounce of the metal per ton of ore. Two different sets of assay ton weights were generally available, one set ranging from one assay ton to 1/20th assay ton, and a second set from 4 assay tons to 1/20th assay ton. See Shannon, Mining Artifact Collector #4, p 33) slides/Pulp Balance I.JPG slides/Pulp Balance I Open.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 STANTON INSTRUMENTS PULP BALANCE - Pulp balance; Stanton Instruments Ltd, London, index marked A. Gallenkamp & Co. Ltd., London E. C. 2; glass top with opening side glass doors and counterbalanced front (A number of balances were used in the assaying of ore and the pulp balance is one of them. The pulp balance shown here is the enclosed style while others were the open style. The enclosed pulp balance was also called an analytical balance and was constructed of a wood case, oftentimes mahagony, with glass sides and top and a sliding front glass panel for access. The enclosed balance had pan rests to control oscillations when in use. The pulp balance was used in the assaying process to weigh the "pulp" which is the result of crushing, quartering and screening the ore. At this stage in the process, the assay ton weights were used. Since gold and silver assays were reported in troy ounces per ton, if the pulp was weighed in grams and the button in milligrams (the button is a small pellet of the metal of interest that results from the assaying process), the assayer would need several calculations to do the conversion to troy onces per ton. The system of assay ton weights greatly simplified this computation. Simply, one assay ton weighs 29,166 milligrams, the same milligrams as there are troy onces in an avoirdupois ton. If the ore charge of one assay ton is taken, each milligram that the resulting metal button weighs represents one troy ounce of the metal per ton of ore. Two different sets of assay ton weights were generally available, one set ranging from one assay ton to 1/20th assay ton, and a second set from 4 assay tons to 1/20th assay ton. See Shannon, Mining Artifact Collector #4, p 33) STANTON INSTRUMENTS PULP BALANCE - Pulp balance; Stanton Instruments Ltd, London, index marked A. Gallenkamp & Co. Ltd., London E. C. 2; glass top with opening side glass doors and counterbalanced front (A number of balances were used in the assaying of ore and the pulp balance is one of them. The pulp balance shown here is the enclosed style while others were the open style. The enclosed pulp balance was also called an analytical balance and was constructed of a wood case, oftentimes mahagony, with glass sides and top and a sliding front glass panel for access. The enclosed balance had pan rests to control oscillations when in use. The pulp balance was used in the assaying process to weigh the "pulp" which is the result of crushing, quartering and screening the ore. At this stage in the process, the assay ton weights were used. Since gold and silver assays were reported in troy ounces per ton, if the pulp was weighed in grams and the button in milligrams (the button is a small pellet of the metal of interest that results from the assaying process), the assayer would need several calculations to do the conversion to troy onces per ton. The system of assay ton weights greatly simplified this computation. Simply, one assay ton weighs 29,166 milligrams, the same milligrams as there are troy onces in an avoirdupois ton. If the ore charge of one assay ton is taken, each milligram that the resulting metal button weighs represents one troy ounce of the metal per ton of ore. Two different sets of assay ton weights were generally available, one set ranging from one assay ton to 1/20th assay ton, and a second set from 4 assay tons to 1/20th assay ton. See Shannon, Mining Artifact Collector #4, p 33) slides/Pulp Balance I Open.JPG slides/Pulp Balance II with Weights.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 L. E. KNOTT PULP BALANCE - Pulp balance; L. E. Knott Apparatus Co., Boston, circa 1880, used in Silverton area, acquired from Silverton resident (A number of balances were used in the assaying of ore and the pulp balance is one of them. The pulp balance shown here is the enclosed style while others were the open style. The enclosed pulp balance was also called an analytical balance and was constructed of a wood case, oftentimes mahagony, with glass sides and top and a sliding front glass panel for access. The enclosed balance had pan rests to control oscillations when in use. The pulp balance was used in the assaying process to weigh the "pulp" which is the result of crushing, quartering and screening the ore. At this stage in the process, the assay ton weights were used. Since gold and silver assays were reported in troy ounces per ton, if the pulp was weighed in grams and the button in milligrams (the button is a small pellet of the metal of interest that results from the assaying process), the assayer would need several calculations to do the conversion to troy onces per ton. The system of assay ton weights greatly simplified this computation. Simply, one assay ton weighs 29,166 milligrams, the same milligrams as there are troy onces in an avoirdupois ton. If the ore charge of one assay ton is taken, each milligram that the resulting metal button weighs represents one troy ounce of the metal per ton of ore. Two different sets of assay ton weights were generally available, one set ranging from one assay ton to 1/20th assay ton, and a second set from 4 assay tons to 1/20th assay ton. See Shannon, Mining Artifact Collector #4, p 33) L. E. KNOTT PULP BALANCE - Pulp balance; L. E. Knott Apparatus Co., Boston, circa 1880, used in Silverton area, acquired from Silverton resident (A number of balances were used in the assaying of ore and the pulp balance is one of them. The pulp balance shown here is the enclosed style while others were the open style. The enclosed pulp balance was also called an analytical balance and was constructed of a wood case, oftentimes mahagony, with glass sides and top and a sliding front glass panel for access. The enclosed balance had pan rests to control oscillations when in use. The pulp balance was used in the assaying process to weigh the "pulp" which is the result of crushing, quartering and screening the ore. At this stage in the process, the assay ton weights were used. Since gold and silver assays were reported in troy ounces per ton, if the pulp was weighed in grams and the button in milligrams (the button is a small pellet of the metal of interest that results from the assaying process), the assayer would need several calculations to do the conversion to troy onces per ton. The system of assay ton weights greatly simplified this computation. Simply, one assay ton weighs 29,166 milligrams, the same milligrams as there are troy onces in an avoirdupois ton. If the ore charge of one assay ton is taken, each milligram that the resulting metal button weighs represents one troy ounce of the metal per ton of ore. Two different sets of assay ton weights were generally available, one set ranging from one assay ton to 1/20th assay ton, and a second set from 4 assay tons to 1/20th assay ton. See Shannon, Mining Artifact Collector #4, p 33) slides/Pulp Balance II with Weights.JPG slides/Shanklin Cigarette Case pic1.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 SHANKLIN CIGARETTE CASE - Polished aluminum cigarette case, marked on bottom SHANKLIN MFG. CO. SPRINGFIELD, ILL., 3 x 2 ¼ x 1 in. marked advertisement GENERAL BETTER LEAD PRODUCTS with GENERAL in red letters, enclosed ad flyer by the General Lead Mfg. Co., Denver, CO, mint condition; case is special gift from my good Alaska friend Neil Tysver (The Shanklin Mfg. Co. was a well known manufacturer of carbide miners lamps - see pics in cap lamps - but also produced other metal items; the cigarette case shown here is one of those items; it is thought that this case was produced in the 1920s to diversify into other products as the carbide lamp market started to decline; the General Lead Mfg. Co. was located in Denver at 2132 Market Street from at least the early 1920s till at least the late 1940s with H.E. Guido as president; they supplied solder, Babbitt metal and plumbers’ lead goods; see Johnson, Eureka #12, p 38 for a photo of similar case) SHANKLIN CIGARETTE CASE - Polished aluminum cigarette case, marked on bottom SHANKLIN MFG. CO. SPRINGFIELD, ILL., 3 x 2 ¼ x 1 in. marked advertisement GENERAL BETTER LEAD PRODUCTS with GENERAL in red letters, enclosed ad flyer by the General Lead Mfg. Co., Denver, CO, mint condition; case is special gift from my good Alaska friend Neil Tysver (The Shanklin Mfg. Co. was a well known manufacturer of carbide miners lamps - see pics in cap lamps - but also produced other metal items; the cigarette case shown here is one of those items; it is thought that this case was produced in the 1920s to diversify into other products as the carbide lamp market started to decline; the General Lead Mfg. Co. was located in Denver at 2132 Market Street from at least the early 1920s till at least the late 1940s with H.E. Guido as president; they supplied solder, Babbitt metal and plumbers’ lead goods; see Johnson, Eureka #12, p 38 for a photo of similar case) slides/Shanklin Cigarette Case pic1.JPG slides/Shanklin Cigarette Case pic2.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 SHANKLIN CIGARETTE CASE - Polished aluminum cigarette case, marked on bottom SHANKLIN MFG. CO. SPRINGFIELD, ILL., 3 x 2 ¼ x 1 in. marked advertisement GENERAL BETTER LEAD PRODUCTS with GENERAL in red letters, enclosed ad flyer by the General Lead Mfg. Co., Denver, CO, mint condition; case is special gift from my good Alaska friend Neil Tysver (The Shanklin Mfg. Co. was a well known manufacturer of carbide miners lamps - see pics in cap lamps - but also produced other metal items; the cigarette case shown here is one of those items; it is thought that this case was produced in the 1920s to diversify into other products as the carbide lamp market started to decline; the General Lead Mfg. Co. was located in Denver at 2132 Market Street from at least the early 1920s till at least the late 1940s with H.E. Guido as president; they supplied solder, Babbitt metal and plumbers’ lead goods; see Johnson, Eureka #12, p 38 for a photo of similar case) SHANKLIN CIGARETTE CASE - Polished aluminum cigarette case, marked on bottom SHANKLIN MFG. CO. SPRINGFIELD, ILL., 3 x 2 ¼ x 1 in. marked advertisement GENERAL BETTER LEAD PRODUCTS with GENERAL in red letters, enclosed ad flyer by the General Lead Mfg. Co., Denver, CO, mint condition; case is special gift from my good Alaska friend Neil Tysver (The Shanklin Mfg. Co. was a well known manufacturer of carbide miners lamps - see pics in cap lamps - but also produced other metal items; the cigarette case shown here is one of those items; it is thought that this case was produced in the 1920s to diversify into other products as the carbide lamp market started to decline; the General Lead Mfg. Co. was located in Denver at 2132 Market Street from at least the early 1920s till at least the late 1940s with H.E. Guido as president; they supplied solder, Babbitt metal and plumbers’ lead goods; see Johnson, Eureka #12, p 38 for a photo of similar case) slides/Shanklin Cigarette Case pic2.JPG slides/Spedding Steel Mill.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 SPEDDING STEEL MILL - Hand cranked lighting device using steel and flint induced sparks for coal mining, avoids open flame lamps igniting methane explosions, used in England, France and Belgium from 1740 to 1815, predates the Davy safety lamp, invented by Carlisle Spedding, Whitehaven, England circa 1730s, unit is one of 90 (this #22) exact replicas of mill in London Science Museum (with museum permission) arranged by Bob “Doc” Kraft and Bob Samay, unit marked SPEDDING REPLICA KRAFT 22 1999 (see article in Eureka #32); ex-Doc Kraft collection SPEDDING STEEL MILL - Hand cranked lighting device using steel and flint induced sparks for coal mining, avoids open flame lamps igniting methane explosions, used in England, France and Belgium from 1740 to 1815, predates the Davy safety lamp, invented by Carlisle Spedding, Whitehaven, England circa 1730s, unit is one of 90 (this #22) exact replicas of mill in London Science Museum (with museum permission) arranged by Bob “Doc” Kraft and Bob Samay, unit marked SPEDDING REPLICA KRAFT 22 1999 (see article in Eureka #32); ex-Doc Kraft collection slides/Spedding Steel Mill.JPG slides/Truax Ore Car May 1902 Engineering and Mining Journal.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 TRUAX ORE CAR AD - Ad for the Globe Iron Works manufacturer of Truax Automatic Ore Cars in the May 1902 Engineering and Mining Journal TRUAX ORE CAR AD - Ad for the Globe Iron Works manufacturer of Truax Automatic Ore Cars in the May 1902 Engineering and Mining Journal slides/Truax Ore Car May 1902 Engineering and Mining Journal.JPG slides/Truax Ore Car Tag.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 TRUAX ORE CAR TAG - Original brass ore care tag embossed THE TRUAX PATENTED AUTOMATIC ORE CAR PAT’D JAN. 5, 1892, AUG 27, 1895, JULY 19, 1898 PAT. IN CANADA JUNE 21, 1898 MFD. BY GLOBE IRON WORKS STOCKTON, CALIF. and stamped on bottom ear with number 6176, 4.0 in. dia with original heads of brass rivets, acquired from Steve Rush (The Truax Automatic Ore Car is one of the better known ore cars in the history of western mining. Invented by George E. Truax of Denver, CO and patented (No. 466,717) on January 5, 1892, the Truax ore car solved a major problem experienced by earlier ore cars. Unlike other cars whose door may not properly open as the car is tipped resulting in a shift in the load that carried the car and load over and down the dump, the Truax car automatically opens the door as the car is tipped and then relocks the door when the car is returned to the horizontal position. The 1895 patent (#545,433) was for an improvement in the door hinge and the 1898 patent (#607,785) was for an improvement in the door locking mechanism, both also awarded to George Truax. The brass ore car tags on these cars are coveted by collectors as an easily displayed piece of vintage heavy mining equipment. These cars were originally manufactured by the Truax Manufacturing Company of Denver, CO in the late 1890s and early 1900s. Later, the cars were also manufactured by Truax at San Francisco. Truax also sold the rights to make the cars to the Globe Iron Works of Stockton, CA. Tags from the Globe Iron Works are thought to be much harder to find than those from the Denver location. The Globe Foundry at the corner of Main and Commerce streets in Stockton was established in 1858 by E. I. Keep and Wm. H. Briggs. The foundry made mining machinery and steam engines. Changing hands many times because of removals and death, the foundry finally passed into the hands of Edward F. Cadle, who had long worked at a lathe in the foundry, and his son, Frank. The Globe Iron Works was incorporated by Cadle in 1895. They made ore cars for the mines, but refusing to employ union labor, the union miners would not handle their cars and the Globe Iron Works was eventually moved from Stockton to Sacramento in 1913 and later renamed Liberty Iron Works. Liberty produced Curtiss JN-4 aircraft to help train pilots for World War I. CHECK OUT THE TRUAX PATENT IN THE NEXT PIC TRUAX ORE CAR TAG - Original brass ore care tag embossed THE TRUAX PATENTED AUTOMATIC ORE CAR PAT’D JAN. 5, 1892, AUG 27, 1895, JULY 19, 1898 PAT. IN CANADA JUNE 21, 1898 MFD. BY GLOBE IRON WORKS STOCKTON, CALIF. and stamped on bottom ear with number 6176, 4.0 in. dia with original heads of brass rivets, acquired from Steve Rush (The Truax Automatic Ore Car is one of the better known ore cars in the history of western mining. Invented by George E. Truax of Denver, CO and patented (No. 466,717) on January 5, 1892, the Truax ore car solved a major problem experienced by earlier ore cars. Unlike other cars whose door may not properly open as the car is tipped resulting in a shift in the load that carried the car and load over and down the dump, the Truax car automatically opens the door as the car is tipped and then relocks the door when the car is returned to the horizontal position. The 1895 patent (#545,433) was for an improvement in the door hinge and the 1898 patent (#607,785) was for an improvement in the door locking mechanism, both also awarded to George Truax. The brass ore car tags on these cars are coveted by collectors as an easily displayed piece of vintage heavy mining equipment. These cars were originally manufactured by the Truax Manufacturing Company of Denver, CO in the late 1890s and early 1900s. Later, the cars were also manufactured by Truax at San Francisco. Truax also sold the rights to make the cars to the Globe Iron Works of Stockton, CA. Tags from the Globe Iron Works are thought to be much harder to find than those from the Denver location. The Globe Foundry at the corner of Main and Commerce streets in Stockton was established in 1858 by E. I. Keep and Wm. H. Briggs. The foundry made mining machinery and steam engines. Changing hands many times because of removals and death, the foundry finally passed into the hands of Edward F. Cadle, who had long worked at a lathe in the foundry, and his son, Frank. The Globe Iron Works was incorporated by Cadle in 1895. They made ore cars for the mines, but refusing to employ union labor, the union miners would not handle their cars and the Globe Iron Works was eventually moved from Stockton to Sacramento in 1913 and later renamed Liberty Iron Works. Liberty produced Curtiss JN-4 aircraft to help train pilots for World War I. CHECK OUT THE TRUAX PATENT IN THE NEXT PIC slides/Truax Ore Car Tag.JPG slides/Truax Automatic Ore Car Patent.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 slides/Truax Automatic Ore Car Patent.JPG slides/Turtle Top Helmet.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 TURTLE TOP MINING HELMET - Turtle top leather helmet TURTLE TOP MINING HELMET - Turtle top leather helmet slides/Turtle Top Helmet.JPG slides/Victor Gold Mining Victor.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 VICTOR GOLD MINING COMPANY STOCK CERTIFICATE CRIPPLE CREEK - Victor Gold Mining Co. 5 shares, issued 1895, coupons #54-58 still attached, 8 in. x 9 in., owned Victor, Little Joe, and Panther mines on Bull Hill, Cripple Creek, CO, bond originally issued in Paris, France for European investors VICTOR GOLD MINING COMPANY STOCK CERTIFICATE CRIPPLE CREEK - Victor Gold Mining Co. 5 shares, issued 1895, coupons #54-58 still attached, 8 in. x 9 in., owned Victor, Little Joe, and Panther mines on Bull Hill, Cripple Creek, CO, bond originally issued in Paris, France for European investors slides/Victor Gold Mining Victor.jpg slides/Walden Gold Mining and Milling Corporate Seal.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 WALDEN GOLD MINING CORPORATE SEAL EMBOSSER - Embosser for The Walden Gold Mining and Milling Company Colorado SEAL, 9 3/4 in. tall (ex-Ernie Schlichter Collection) WALDEN GOLD MINING CORPORATE SEAL EMBOSSER - Embosser for The Walden Gold Mining and Milling Company Colorado SEAL, 9 3/4 in. tall (ex-Ernie Schlichter Collection) slides/Walden Gold Mining and Milling Corporate Seal.JPG slides/Assaying Weight Sets.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 ASSAY WEIGHT SETS - Details in the following pics ASSAY WEIGHT SETS - Details in the following pics slides/Assaying Weight Sets.JPG slides/Weight Set I.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 WEIGHT SET I - Boxed weight set, 12 weights including 2, 2, 1 1/2 troy oz.; 3, 2, 2, 1, 1/2, 1/2 dwt; and 3, 1 sc; box dimensions 4 1/2 x 2 x 1 1/4 in., the troy ounce and pennyweights (abbreviated dwt) were the most common weights for weighing gold; the scruple (abbreviated sc) is a unit of apothecary weight, unmarked mahogany box WEIGHT SET I - Boxed weight set, 12 weights including 2, 2, 1 1/2 troy oz.; 3, 2, 2, 1, 1/2, 1/2 dwt; and 3, 1 sc; box dimensions 4 1/2 x 2 x 1 1/4 in., the troy ounce and pennyweights (abbreviated dwt) were the most common weights for weighing gold; the scruple (abbreviated sc) is a unit of apothecary weight, unmarked mahogany box slides/Weight Set I.JPG slides/Weight Set II.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 WEIGHT SET II - Boxed with top weight set, marked F SARTORIUS GOTTINGEN, mahogany box dimensions 6 3/4 x 3 x 1 3/4 in., 11 weights from 200 g to1 gr [Florenz Sartorius was born in 1846 and received his education at the University of Gottingen Mechanics Apel. In 1870 he started a small precision engineering workshop in Gottingen named F. Sartorius. The company expanded rapidly primarily on the success of their analytical scales. In 1906 Florenz’s three sons, William, Erich and Julius, joined the company. Five years later, the company celebrated the production of the 10,000th analytical balance. In 1914 the company was converted to a public limited company and went on to become the Sartorius Group, a major multi-national company continuing in business today.] WEIGHT SET II - Boxed with top weight set, marked F SARTORIUS GOTTINGEN, mahogany box dimensions 6 3/4 x 3 x 1 3/4 in., 11 weights from 200 g to1 gr [Florenz Sartorius was born in 1846 and received his education at the University of Gottingen Mechanics Apel. In 1870 he started a small precision engineering workshop in Gottingen named F. Sartorius. The company expanded rapidly primarily on the success of their analytical scales. In 1906 Florenz’s three sons, William, Erich and Julius, joined the company. Five years later, the company celebrated the production of the 10,000th analytical balance. In 1914 the company was converted to a public limited company and went on to become the Sartorius Group, a major multi-national company continuing in business today.] slides/Weight Set II.JPG slides/Weight Set III.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 WEIGHT SET III - Boxed with top weight set, marked HENRY TROEMNER INC. PHILADELPHIA, PA, USA CLASS S-1 100 g – 1 mg, 21 weights with bone-tipped tweezers and small weights cover, mahogany box dimensions 5 1/2 x 4 x 2 3/8 in. [Henry Troemner was born in 1809 at Elnhausen, Germany where he served an apprenticeship of eight years as a locksmith or machinist. He immigrated to New York City in 1832 and sometime before 1839 married Catherine Ritter, also a native of Germany. He went into business with F. Meyer in 1840 as F. Meyer and Company with offices on Decatur Street in Philadelphia, PA making prescription, jewelers' and grocers' scales and weights. Sometime around 1844, he decided to establish his own scale and balance manufacturing business and his name appears in the 1844 Philadelphia Business Directory as a scale manufacturer. His first factory was located at 196 High Street where he remained until 1853, when he moved to 240 Market Street. Not long thereafter, he received a contract to make the balances for the U. S. Mint at Philadelphia. In 1858 he moved to 710 Market Street in Philadelphia, establishing an office and factory. He built his first major factory in 1862 on the northwest corner of 22nd and Master Street in Philadelphia, the office remaining at 710 Market Street. Henry and Catherine were parents of thirteen children. His business continued to expand. With Henry's death in 1873, his wife Catherine operated the business until 1875 when his three oldest sons purchased the company. The company continued to expand and thrive with ownership changes along the way and in1955 the business was incorporated as Troemner Inc. manufacturing precision weights, balances and laboratory apparatus at 6825 Greenway Avenue, Philadelphia. The company continues in business today. Henry Troemner was by far the most prolific of balance manufacturers in the United States, making scales and balances for almost every conceivable use: assay, bullion, analytical, pharmaceutical, egg, yarn, specific gravity, candy, moisture, babies, photographic uses, diamond, cream, butter-fat, silk, hatter's fur, solder testing, sand, hosiery, paper testing, tack - nail - screw count, grain tester, and others. See Shannon, The Assay Balance, pp 102-105] WEIGHT SET III - Boxed with top weight set, marked HENRY TROEMNER INC. PHILADELPHIA, PA, USA CLASS S-1 100 g – 1 mg, 21 weights with bone-tipped tweezers and small weights cover, mahogany box dimensions 5 1/2 x 4 x 2 3/8 in. [Henry Troemner was born in 1809 at Elnhausen, Germany where he served an apprenticeship of eight years as a locksmith or machinist. He immigrated to New York City in 1832 and sometime before 1839 married Catherine Ritter, also a native of Germany. He went into business with F. Meyer in 1840 as F. Meyer and Company with offices on Decatur Street in Philadelphia, PA making prescription, jewelers' and grocers' scales and weights. Sometime around 1844, he decided to establish his own scale and balance manufacturing business and his name appears in the 1844 Philadelphia Business Directory as a scale manufacturer. His first factory was located at 196 High Street where he remained until 1853, when he moved to 240 Market Street. Not long thereafter, he received a contract to make the balances for the U. S. Mint at Philadelphia. In 1858 he moved to 710 Market Street in Philadelphia, establishing an office and factory. He built his first major factory in 1862 on the northwest corner of 22nd and Master Street in Philadelphia, the office remaining at 710 Market Street. Henry and Catherine were parents of thirteen children. His business continued to expand. With Henry's death in 1873, his wife Catherine operated the business until 1875 when his three oldest sons purchased the company. The company continued to expand and thrive with ownership changes along the way and in1955 the business was incorporated as Troemner Inc. manufacturing precision weights, balances and laboratory apparatus at 6825 Greenway Avenue, Philadelphia. The company continues in business today. Henry Troemner was by far the most prolific of balance manufacturers in the United States, making scales and balances for almost every conceivable use: assay, bullion, analytical, pharmaceutical, egg, yarn, specific gravity, candy, moisture, babies, photographic uses, diamond, cream, butter-fat, silk, hatter's fur, solder testing, sand, hosiery, paper testing, tack - nail - screw count, grain tester, and others. See Shannon, The Assay Balance, pp 102-105] slides/Weight Set III.JPG slides/Henry Troemner May 1902 Engineering and Mining Journal.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 HENRY TROEMNER WEIGHTS - Ad for Henry Troemner balances and weights in the May 1902 Engineering and Mining Journal HENRY TROEMNER WEIGHTS - Ad for Henry Troemner balances and weights in the May 1902 Engineering and Mining Journal slides/Henry Troemner May 1902 Engineering and Mining Journal.JPG slides/Weight Set IV.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 WEIGHT SET IV - Set of 6 assay ton weights with tweezers, includes 2, 1, .5, .2, .1, and .05 A.T. in mahogany box 4 3/4 in. x 1 3/4 in. x 1 3/8 in., lid with brass clasp, marked on box end VOLAND & SONS NEW ROCHELLE, NY [In the United States, assay offices commonly use troy ounces of precious metals per ton of sample for the unit of measure. To simplify the mathematics of various conversions to calculate this unit, the assay ton is used. The assay ton (abbreviated A.T.) is not a unit of measurement but rather a standard quantity of mass or weight used in the assaying of precious metals. The assay ton contains as many milligrams as a ton contains troy ounces. Since there are 2000 pounds avoirdupois per ton, 7000 grains per pound and 480 grains per troy ounce, then there are 29166.7 troy ounces in a ton. If the amount of ore used for a fire assay is a one assay ton sample, then the weight of the sample in grams is 29.1667 or 29166.7 milligrams. The resulting precious metal bead after fluxing, and cupelling to remove the lead, copper and other impurities, is weighed on an assay balance with accuracy to tenths or hundreds of milligrams. Each milligram of weight is equal to one troy ounce of precious metal per ton of sample. For example, if one assay ton sample of gold ore (29.1667 grams) is processed resulting in a bead that weighs 3 milligrams, then the ore would assay at 3 troy ounces per ton.] WEIGHT SET IV - Set of 6 assay ton weights with tweezers, includes 2, 1, .5, .2, .1, and .05 A.T. in mahogany box 4 3/4 in. x 1 3/4 in. x 1 3/8 in., lid with brass clasp, marked on box end VOLAND & SONS NEW ROCHELLE, NY [In the United States, assay offices commonly use troy ounces of precious metals per ton of sample for the unit of measure. To simplify the mathematics of various conversions to calculate this unit, the assay ton is used. The assay ton (abbreviated A.T.) is not a unit of measurement but rather a standard quantity of mass or weight used in the assaying of precious metals. The assay ton contains as many milligrams as a ton contains troy ounces. Since there are 2000 pounds avoirdupois per ton, 7000 grains per pound and 480 grains per troy ounce, then there are 29166.7 troy ounces in a ton. If the amount of ore used for a fire assay is a one assay ton sample, then the weight of the sample in grams is 29.1667 or 29166.7 milligrams. The resulting precious metal bead after fluxing, and cupelling to remove the lead, copper and other impurities, is weighed on an assay balance with accuracy to tenths or hundreds of milligrams. Each milligram of weight is equal to one troy ounce of precious metal per ton of sample. For example, if one assay ton sample of gold ore (29.1667 grams) is processed resulting in a bead that weighs 3 milligrams, then the ore would assay at 3 troy ounces per ton.] slides/Weight Set IV.JPG slides/Weight Set IV Marking.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 VOLAND & SONS MARKING - Peter Gottfried Voland was born in Cassel, Germany in 1852. At the age of 19, he immigrated to the US arriving in Baltimore, MD in June 1871. Not long after his arrival, he married Caroline Henze and became employed by Becker & Sons Balance Company in New Rochelle, NY where he learned the trade of balance making. In 1888 he formed a partnership with Henry Van Zelm, who also worked for Becker & Sons, and established Voland and Van Zelm in New Rochelle with the goal of supplying analytical balances. In 1910 their factory was moved to a newly built three-story, block-deep building at 32 Relyea Place in New Rochelle. Voland and his wife had two sons, George Gottfried and Emil, and one daughter Gertrude. After Van Zelm's death in 1903, Voland took his two sons into the business and the firm became Voland & Sons. Peter Gottfried Voland died on November 27, 1915. His sons continued operation of the company and in 1927 the expanded business necessitated an enlargement of the facility. Although George Gottfried died in 1928 and Emil in 1938, Voland & Sons continued in business until 1945 when the company was sold and the name was changed to the Voland Company. In 1969 the firm was acquired by Emtech Research Products Corporation of New Rochelle and the firm continued under the Voland name until January of 1989. At that time it became part of AN Systems, Inc. in Massachusetts. See Shannon, The Assay Balance, p 89 VOLAND & SONS MARKING - Peter Gottfried Voland was born in Cassel, Germany in 1852. At the age of 19, he immigrated to the US arriving in Baltimore, MD in June 1871. Not long after his arrival, he married Caroline Henze and became employed by Becker & Sons Balance Company in New Rochelle, NY where he learned the trade of balance making. In 1888 he formed a partnership with Henry Van Zelm, who also worked for Becker & Sons, and established Voland and Van Zelm in New Rochelle with the goal of supplying analytical balances. In 1910 their factory was moved to a newly built three-story, block-deep building at 32 Relyea Place in New Rochelle. Voland and his wife had two sons, George Gottfried and Emil, and one daughter Gertrude. After Van Zelm's death in 1903, Voland took his two sons into the business and the firm became Voland & Sons. Peter Gottfried Voland died on November 27, 1915. His sons continued operation of the company and in 1927 the expanded business necessitated an enlargement of the facility. Although George Gottfried died in 1928 and Emil in 1938, Voland & Sons continued in business until 1945 when the company was sold and the name was changed to the Voland Company. In 1969 the firm was acquired by Emtech Research Products Corporation of New Rochelle and the firm continued under the Voland name until January of 1989. At that time it became part of AN Systems, Inc. in Massachusetts. See Shannon, The Assay Balance, p 89 slides/Weight Set IV Marking.JPG slides/WFM Butte No 1 Ribbon.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 W.F.M. BUTTE NO. 1 RIBBON - Red, white and blue BUTTE MINERS UNION ribbon/badge showing crossed pick and hammer and marked NO. 1 W.F.M. BUTTE, MONTANA; No.1 is for original Western Federation of Miners union formed in Butte in 1893; ex-Tim Gordon collection (On May 15,1893, a convention was held in Butte, MT by representatives of the miners' unions from Utah, South Dakota, Idaho, Montana and Colorado. On this date, the Western Federation of Miners was created. This ribbon ca. 1893 is for the famous Lodge No. 1 of the WFM in Butte, MT. The reverse side is a black mourning ribbon for funerals of fellow miners.) W.F.M. BUTTE NO. 1 RIBBON - Red, white and blue BUTTE MINERS UNION ribbon/badge showing crossed pick and hammer and marked NO. 1 W.F.M. BUTTE, MONTANA; No.1 is for original Western Federation of Miners union formed in Butte in 1893; ex-Tim Gordon collection (On May 15,1893, a convention was held in Butte, MT by representatives of the miners' unions from Utah, South Dakota, Idaho, Montana and Colorado. On this date, the Western Federation of Miners was created. This ribbon ca. 1893 is for the famous Lodge No. 1 of the WFM in Butte, MT. The reverse side is a black mourning ribbon for funerals of fellow miners.) slides/WFM Butte No 1 Ribbon.jpg slides/What Cheer Tool Oil Cadger.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 WHAT CHEER TOOL COMPANY OIL CADGER - Tin cadger, marked around circular edge WHAT CHEER TOOL CO on faded paper label with diamond logo marked DIAMOND between TRADE MARK, swivel belt clip marked PAT JAN 28, 1902; ex-Bob Schroth collection (The What Cheer Tool Co. started business in the early 1880s under the name Thompson, Walker and Thompson as a manufacturer of coal drills and picks. Headquartered in What Cheer, Iowa, the company continued to expand its drill business and in the late 1890s, one of the Thompsons left the business and the company was renamed the What Cheer Drill and Miner's Tool Co. with Alexander Walker as president. Walker held 17 patents for coal drilling machines and the company was marketing its products to every coal mining state in the U.S. Sometime during this time period, the company included a very hard to find oilwick lamp marked Thompson and Walker in its product line. Additional wick lamps with the What Cheer Tool Co. marking appeared as well. It's unknown whether the company manufactured these lamps or if they were private label marks on lamps from another manufacturer. It appears that at least some of the marked lamps were produced by the Grier Bros. due to the significant similarities. An article by Dave Johnson makes this point through comparable photographs. The company also listed a What Cheer carbide cap lamp product sometime in the late teens that was a private label stamping of a Grier Bros. made lamp. The What Cheer Tool Co. also distributed a miner's lamp oil cadger shown here. The front side is marked with a red and white What Cheer Tool Co. paper label applied over a raised logo lettering of "Diamond Trade Mark." As the company's business in mining drills declined in the early 1920s, the What Cheer firm entered the automobile business with seemingly low success. The company ceased operations and went out of business in 1926. See Johnson, Eureka #5, pp 12-13; Clemmer, American Miners' Carbide Lamps, p 91 and Steinberg, Mining Artifact Collector #5, p 15-16) WHAT CHEER TOOL COMPANY OIL CADGER - Tin cadger, marked around circular edge WHAT CHEER TOOL CO on faded paper label with diamond logo marked DIAMOND between TRADE MARK, swivel belt clip marked PAT JAN 28, 1902; ex-Bob Schroth collection (The What Cheer Tool Co. started business in the early 1880s under the name Thompson, Walker and Thompson as a manufacturer of coal drills and picks. Headquartered in What Cheer, Iowa, the company continued to expand its drill business and in the late 1890s, one of the Thompsons left the business and the company was renamed the What Cheer Drill and Miner's Tool Co. with Alexander Walker as president. Walker held 17 patents for coal drilling machines and the company was marketing its products to every coal mining state in the U.S. Sometime during this time period, the company included a very hard to find oilwick lamp marked Thompson and Walker in its product line. Additional wick lamps with the What Cheer Tool Co. marking appeared as well. It's unknown whether the company manufactured these lamps or if they were private label marks on lamps from another manufacturer. It appears that at least some of the marked lamps were produced by the Grier Bros. due to the significant similarities. An article by Dave Johnson makes this point through comparable photographs. The company also listed a What Cheer carbide cap lamp product sometime in the late teens that was a private label stamping of a Grier Bros. made lamp. The What Cheer Tool Co. also distributed a miner's lamp oil cadger shown here. The front side is marked with a red and white What Cheer Tool Co. paper label applied over a raised logo lettering of "Diamond Trade Mark." As the company's business in mining drills declined in the early 1920s, the What Cheer firm entered the automobile business with seemingly low success. The company ceased operations and went out of business in 1926. See Johnson, Eureka #5, pp 12-13; Clemmer, American Miners' Carbide Lamps, p 91 and Steinberg, Mining Artifact Collector #5, p 15-16) slides/What Cheer Tool Oil Cadger.JPG slides/White Pine Copper Ingot.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 WHITE PINE COPPER INGOT - Copper ingot marked with WP in raised letters on top center for the White Pine Mine located near White Pine, MI; 3 in. long x 3/8 in. high x 3/8 in. wide (Copper Range Company's White Pine mine is located near White Pine (approximate population 1,200) in Ontonagon County, Michigan, on the Upper Michigan Peninsula. The company's mill and smelter are six miles south of Lake Superior. The surface area owned by the Copper Range Company covers approximately 64,000 acres; surface facilities cover approximately 360 acres. The underground mine covers an area of about 25 square miles and extends from the surface to a maximum depth of 2,700 feet. Mining at the Copper Range Company White Pine facility was conducted underground using standard room-and-pillar extraction techniques. Mine ore was extracted from rooms about 20 to 28 feet wide and 8 to 17 feet high. In room-and-pillar mining, the rooms were mined on a regular pattern, separated from each other by pillars of un-mined ore. All mining in a section of the White Pine mine was conducted on one level. Connecting roads between rooms and sections of the mine were generally 25 feet wide and 11 feet high. The Nonesuch formation, which contains the White Pine ore body, was discovered in 1865 and first mined from 1879 to 1881. More development by the owner, Calumet & Hecla, led to additional mining (operating from 1913 to 1920) and establishment of the White Pine townsite. A drop in copper prices closed the mine in 1920 and led to Copper Range Company's purchase of the property in 1929 at a sheriff's sale. Several years of testing proved that the previously "worthless" chalcocite, by-passed earlier in favor of native copper, could be mined and milled at a profit. The primary minerals within the White Pine ore body are native copper (Cu), native silver (Ag), and chalcocite (CuS), with minor amounts of bornite (CuFeS), chalcopyrite (CuFeS), and pyrite (FeS). Approximately 80 percent of the copper processed at White Pine was chalcocite. With a $63 million loan from the Reconstruction Finance Corporation, construction of the new "White Pine" project began in March 1952, with the first ore mined a year later. The first copper product was generated in January 1955. In 1977, Copper Range Company was purchased by the Louisiana Land and Exploration Company. The new facility owners built a state-of-the-art refinery. Construction of the new refinery was completed in 1981. Adverse economic conditions in the copper industry led to the gradual shutdown of the White Pine operation; the mine, mill, and most of the smelter closed in 1982. However, the company continued smelter operations to produce copper from scrap material until 1984, when the facility completely shut down. In 1983, three officers of Copper Range Company began negotiating with Louisiana Land on the possible purchase of the White Pine mine. Echo Bay Mines, Ltd. purchased the White Pine operation in January 1985 and negotiations continued with Echo Bay. The three officers were successful and went on to form the new "Copper Range Company." Operations at the new White Pine began in November 1985. In May 1989, Copper Range Company was purchased by Metall Mining Corporation, a Canadian-based international mining company with interests in copper, zinc, lead, gold, and silver. During its life, more than 1.8 million metric tons of copper were produced by the White Pine property. The White Pine mine, the last major copper mine in Michigan, shut down in 1995. See "Site Visit Report - Copper Range White Pine Mine," US Environmental Protection Agency, May 1992) WHITE PINE COPPER INGOT - Copper ingot marked with WP in raised letters on top center for the White Pine Mine located near White Pine, MI; 3 in. long x 3/8 in. high x 3/8 in. wide (Copper Range Company's White Pine mine is located near White Pine (approximate population 1,200) in Ontonagon County, Michigan, on the Upper Michigan Peninsula. The company's mill and smelter are six miles south of Lake Superior. The surface area owned by the Copper Range Company covers approximately 64,000 acres; surface facilities cover approximately 360 acres. The underground mine covers an area of about 25 square miles and extends from the surface to a maximum depth of 2,700 feet. Mining at the Copper Range Company White Pine facility was conducted underground using standard room-and-pillar extraction techniques. Mine ore was extracted from rooms about 20 to 28 feet wide and 8 to 17 feet high. In room-and-pillar mining, the rooms were mined on a regular pattern, separated from each other by pillars of un-mined ore. All mining in a section of the White Pine mine was conducted on one level. Connecting roads between rooms and sections of the mine were generally 25 feet wide and 11 feet high. The Nonesuch formation, which contains the White Pine ore body, was discovered in 1865 and first mined from 1879 to 1881. More development by the owner, Calumet & Hecla, led to additional mining (operating from 1913 to 1920) and establishment of the White Pine townsite. A drop in copper prices closed the mine in 1920 and led to Copper Range Company's purchase of the property in 1929 at a sheriff's sale. Several years of testing proved that the previously "worthless" chalcocite, by-passed earlier in favor of native copper, could be mined and milled at a profit. The primary minerals within the White Pine ore body are native copper (Cu), native silver (Ag), and chalcocite (CuS), with minor amounts of bornite (CuFeS), chalcopyrite (CuFeS), and pyrite (FeS). Approximately 80 percent of the copper processed at White Pine was chalcocite. With a $63 million loan from the Reconstruction Finance Corporation, construction of the new "White Pine" project began in March 1952, with the first ore mined a year later. The first copper product was generated in January 1955. In 1977, Copper Range Company was purchased by the Louisiana Land and Exploration Company. The new facility owners built a state-of-the-art refinery. Construction of the new refinery was completed in 1981. Adverse economic conditions in the copper industry led to the gradual shutdown of the White Pine operation; the mine, mill, and most of the smelter closed in 1982. However, the company continued smelter operations to produce copper from scrap material until 1984, when the facility completely shut down. In 1983, three officers of Copper Range Company began negotiating with Louisiana Land on the possible purchase of the White Pine mine. Echo Bay Mines, Ltd. purchased the White Pine operation in January 1985 and negotiations continued with Echo Bay. The three officers were successful and went on to form the new "Copper Range Company." Operations at the new White Pine began in November 1985. In May 1989, Copper Range Company was purchased by Metall Mining Corporation, a Canadian-based international mining company with interests in copper, zinc, lead, gold, and silver. During its life, more than 1.8 million metric tons of copper were produced by the White Pine property. The White Pine mine, the last major copper mine in Michigan, shut down in 1995. See "Site Visit Report - Copper Range White Pine Mine," US Environmental Protection Agency, May 1992) slides/White Pine Copper Ingot.JPG slides/Wolf Park Coal Hand Pick.html# Wed, 05 May 2010 18:50:05 -0600 WOLF PARK COAL HAND PICK - Coal mining hammer/pick, 6 ½ in. long with 11 in. wood handle, marked WOLF PARK COAL CANNON CITY on both sides (Wolf Park Coal Mine has deepest shaft in Colorado at 1084 ft.) WOLF PARK COAL HAND PICK - Coal mining hammer/pick, 6 ½ in. long with 11 in. wood handle, marked WOLF PARK COAL CANNON CITY on both sides (Wolf Park Coal Mine has deepest shaft in Colorado at 1084 ft.) slides/Wolf Park Coal Hand Pick.JPG