Keuffel & Esser 1740 Thacher Cylindrical Slide Rule

Object Details

Keuffel & Esser Co.

Stanley, William Ford

Description

This rule has a cylindrical hollow brass drum, which is covered with paper printed with 40 A scales. The first A scale runs from 100 to 112; the fortieth runs from 946 to 100 to 105. The paper is also printed in italics on the right side: Patented by Edwin Thatcher [sic], C.E. Nov. 1st 1881. Divided by W. F. Stanley, London, 1882. A wooden handle is attached to each end of the drum, and the drum slides in both directions.

The drum fits inside an open rotating frame to which 20 brass slats are fastened. The slats are lined with cloth and covered with paper. The paper on each slat is printed with two B and two C scales. The first B scale runs from 100 to 112; the fortieth runs from 946 to 100 to 105. The first C scale runs from 100 to 334; the fortieth runs from 308 to 325. The frame is attached to a mahogany base, and the object is housed in a mahogany case. A paper label appears to have been removed from the top of the case.

A paper of directions and rules for operating THACHER'S CALCULATING INSTRUMENT is glued to the top front of the base. A metal tag attached to the top back of the base is engraved: Keuffel & Esser (/) New York. The front right corner of the frame is stamped with numbers: 57 and 35. Presumably one of these is the serial number, but which one is not clear. In either case, the low number and the shape of the frame suggest that this example is the earliest Thacher cylindrical slide rule in the collections. Model 1740 sold for $30.00 in 1887.

Robert B. Steffes of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics donated this instrument to the Smithsonian in 1970.

See also MA.312866 and 1987.0107.08.

References: Wayne E. Feely, "Thacher Cylindrical Slide Rules," The Chronicle of the Early American Industries Association 50 (1997): 125–127; Catalogue of Keuffel & Esser (New York, 1887), 128. This was the first K&E catalog to list the model 1740.

Location

Currently not on view

Credit Line

Gift of Robert B. Steffes

1882-1887

ID Number

1987.0808.01

catalog number

1987.0808.01

accession number

1987.0808

Object Name

calculating rule

slide rule

Physical Description

wood (part material)

paper (part material)

brass (overall material)

cloth (part material)

Measurements

overall: 15.3 cm x 60.8 cm x 17.5 cm; 6 1/32 in x 23 15/16 in x 6 7/8 in

place made

United States: New York, New York City

See more items in

Medicine and Science: Mathematics

Science & Mathematics

Slide Rules

National Museum of American History

subject

U.S. National Government, executive branch

Rule, Calculating

Mathematics

Business

Record ID

nmah_1131303

Metadata Usage (text)

CC0

GUID (Link to Original Record)

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746a5-84de-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa