Used with the Plane Table - Item 4130, in surveying classes at Ballarat School of Mines. Item 4127, Tripod Location Chains, may also have been used.A large tripod of timber construction. Concave top mount flange to receive matching spherical spigot. Spacer block halfway up each twin-strut leg.In white paint on the top "PTI" Manufacturer's stamp on each leg - circular. "W.& L.E. GURLEYtripod, surveying, scientific instrument, ballarat school of mines, plane table, location chains, w & l e gurley

Surveying instrument for measuring horizontal and vertical anglesmetal instrument in boxsurveying equipment

Survey tape used by P.J. Larkin, government surveyorInstrument owned and used by a government marine surveyor named P. J. Larkin who worked in Melbourne and Geelong in the 1930s.Survey tape in leather pouch about 100 feet long and housed on brass reel.Purton and Littlejohn's patent Wellington 1663surveying instrument, hydrography, larkin jp

Clinometer- used for measuring the slope of the landMetalsurveying equipment

Used for surveying classes at the Ballarat School of Mines. Purchased/acquired during Queen Victoria's reign. The 1893 Ballarat School of Mines Calendar states that mine surveying instruments "always at the disposal of the students" including "one miner's dial".A surveying instrument consisting of theodolite with single crosshair(.1) mountable on a magnetic compass (.2), designed to sit inside a polished wood carry box. Serial Number 4470On suppliers label: "Instrument maker to the surveying and engineering departments of her Majesty's Government of South Australia"ballarat school of mines, surveying, scientific instruments, scientific objects, otto boettger, optician, miner's dial

Used by students attending surveying classes at the School of Mines & Industries, Ballarat.Surveyor's level caste in metal with brass trimmings. Features external focus, twin inclined vertical crosshairs with stadia wires. With ray-shade clinomenter. Three levelling screws. Without transverse level (mounting provided). dust shield for object. Features glass lens x 2. Timber carry case features dovetailed joints, separate lid attached to body of case with two brass piano hinges along back side. Case has a metal carry handle screwed to each end. Matches tripod Item 4116 Item's serial number: 99142*The timber lid of the carry case has 'L3' painted on it in white paint. *The paper label glued to reverse side lid of inside carry box reads: STANLEY'S PATENT LEVELS AND THEODOLITES No.99142 July 1899 STADIA POINTS SET=1 : 100. In taking readings of a distant staff by means of the subtense points in the diaphragm, read every 1/100 foot (or metre) on the staff as being equal to one foot (or metre) of distance from the centre of the instrument adding to the reading of plus constant of 18 3/4 inchess from any distance shown. W.F. Stanley, Great Turnstile, Holborn, London. *The paper label glued to lower edge inside lid of carry box reads: N. H. SEWARD, "Optical House" 457 BOURKE STREET (Near Queen Street) MELBOURNE *Engraving on brass plate encompassing the catch on front edge of the timber carry case reads: H&C L (inside an engraved heart on LSH) EUCHRE LEVER (engraved on RHS of brass plate) *Maker's mark is engraved along the length of the telescope barrel: 99142 Stanley. Great Turnstile Holborn, London. level, theodolite, surveying instrument, surveying, scientific instruments

A surveyors chain is actually a thin steel band on a reel and is used for accurate measurements. This 110 yard [101m] chain is subdivided every 10 links [2.2 yards or 2m]Items belonged to J P Larkin Government marine surveyor who worked on surveys up to 1938. He worked in Port Phillip and Queenscliff related surveys [e.g. Western channel, Queenscliff channel].Survey tape on metal reel in leather bag with other articles: plumb bobs, number pegs, drawing instruments in box and steel punchesMade by A.E. Parsons surveying instruments, 215 Queen Street Melbournesurveying equipment, j p larkin

The theodolite is used in surveying and measures vertical and horizontal angles. Placed on a tripod, it is used to find angles in road building, tunnel alignment and other civil-engineering work. The theodolite was used at Ballarat School of Mines in the surveying course. It is possible that this instrument was imported by Flavelle Bros & Co having been made to their order by a European instrument makerTheodolite (without a matching tripod) with four leveling screws at the base. Telescope not fully rotatable, ends can be interchanged. Underslung levelling bubbletheodolite, surveying, european instrument, importers, ballarat school of mines, flavelle bros & co, measuring angles, road building, civil engineering

Used for surveying classes at the Ballarat School of Mines.Telescope with cross hairs and stoidia wites. Internal focussing. Vertical tilt adjusted with vernier mocrometer screw mirror lid longitudinal bubble level. Pea bubble level on plate. Housed in wooden storage carry box. Fits tripod cat. no. 4118Serial number 67543 On box lid in white paing "L 6". In yellow paing "59". Inside box lid - Manufacturers label; grades table label, calibration label reading "instrument No 67 543, date 13.5.50" (ink faded) constant: +0.19 ft"dumpy, level, surveying, scientific instrument, e.r. watts & son ltd, ballarat school of mines

Plans for a rail connection between Colac and Beech Forest had been drawn up in 1884 and 1889 but proofed inconclusive because of the enormous cost involved in building a railway in such difficult terrain. Because of the financial depression in the early 1890s such expenditure went of hold. Towards the end of the decade planners recognised that a narrow gauge could be a viable alternative and it was taken up by the community, Parliamentary representatives and the government, although Victorian Railways administration was against the idea. This was overridden. The 1898 Parliament approved a 2 foot 6 inch gauge from Colac to Beech Forest although strict financial limits were set. The route was to be the most direct and the infrastructure the most basic. Construction began in 1900 entailing very steep grades and myriad curves until it finished in 1902. Surveyors and their assistants came before and during the track laying for the whole distance.B/W. Survey camp for the Colac-Beech Forest railway in 1901, showing nine tents, ten men including a cook, survey instruments, and three bicycles. Note the cooking fire on the right.colac: beech forest; railways; survey;

Surveying instrument accessories. Two sets. Used in conjunction with item 4129 - Collapsible leg surveying instrument, tripod. Could also be used with item 4130 - Plane Table which goes with the tripod mentioned.A set of three steel discs, connected in star configuration by three brass chains of equal length. Used to contain tripod ends on hard smooth surfaces.surveying, metal, steel discs, scientific instruments, location chains, plane table

Training Forest mensuration exercisesAn Abney level and clinometer is an instrument used in surveying which consists of a fixed sighting tube, a movable spirit level that is connected to a pointing arm, and a protractor scale. An internal mirror allows the user to see the bubble in the level while sighting a distant target.Max Wolz, Bonn. Surveying and engineering instruments

Roll of surveyors metal tape with brass handle stamped '100 ft'. Tape marked in 1 inch, 1 foot and 10 foot intervals. Held in roll with leather tie. End broken off (approx 5 feet missing).Brass handle one end only, stamped 100 ft. Tape stamped 'Chesterman Sheffield England'.surveying tape, scientific instrument

Used at the Ballarat School of Mines in Surveying classes. It was used in conjunction with Item 04129 - Collapsible leg surveying instrument, tripod, and at times with Item 4127 - Tripod location chains.A wooden platform used in surveying equipped with a 2.7 cm diameter dowel at each end that would hold the charts/papers in position. A spherical mount on the underside, designed to match the receptacle on top of the tripod - Item 04129.Manufacturer's stamp underneath.plane table, surveying, w. & l.e. gurley, scientific instrument, ballarat school of mines, tripod, location chains

.1 & .2 - Civil Engineering student practical work examples .3 - First year Engineering students' competition : design, built and tested specified braced truss. Testing usually done during Open Day. .4 - Thermodynamics laboratory colorimetry room. reproduced in the 1975 Handbook, p 90Images of students engaged in structural work. .1) Three people at a load frame with a roof tress element. .2) A male student at an electronic surveying instrument. .3) Several people around a test setup for a student made model truss. .4) Three male persons at an experimental setup involving a garbage bin.ballarat institute of advanced education, civil engineering, laboratory, open day, thermodynamics, lloyd payne, alumni, trevor gourley

Adams jnr wrote many elementary scientific works, as well as on the use of mathematical instruments. He often combined in his written works with religious themes and scientific content, often against the prevailing thoughts of the time. According to one popular magazine of the time (Gentleman's Magazine), his works were often accused of "growing errors of materialism, infidelity, and anarchy". He started writing at a young age and developed a love for it, his main interests included math and science, these subjects he often expressed in his written essay's. Notable works from Adams are. An Essay on Electricity, and Magnetism (1784). Essays on the Microscope (1787). An Essay on Vision, briefly explaining the fabric of the eye (1789). Astronomical and Geographical Essays (1790). A Short Dissertation on the Barometer (1790). Geometrical and Graphical Essays, containing a description of the mathematical instruments used in geometry, civil and military surveying, leveling and perspective (1790). Lectures on Natural and Experimental Philosophy, in five volumes (1794).George Adams Sr and Jnr were both notable opticians and scientific instrument makers of the 18th century. Their contribution to scientific innovation and optical development cannot be underestimated. Having one of their early drainage levels in the collection and in extremely good condition is an asset to the Flagstaff collection.Drainage level or optical level. A brass surveying instrument with Achromatic telescope, bubble level and dial fitted to the Tribrach or footplate that has leveling screws. Tripod is wood and brass with adjustable and unscrewable legs (for ease of transportation). Made by "G. Adams Fleet St, London". Used in surveying and building to transfer, measure and/or set horizontal levels."G. Adams - London".flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, george adams fleet street london, optical instrument, scientific instrument, technical instrument, surveyors level, george adams snr, projection microscope

A miner's dial was used by surveyors to determine the direction of underground tunnels and roadways. The inclinometer allowed measurement of the angles at which mine tunnels descend into the ground.A rare miner's dial in a hinged timber box.This surveying instrument consists of a theodolite monsblr on a magnetic compass, which sits on the vertical tapered spigot of a base plate. Fits tripod catalogued item 4133. Inside the box lid is the supplier's label - W. Travill (successor to D. Esdale) of 146 Little Collins Street, Melbournemining, ballarat school of mines, surverying, scientific instruments, scientific objects

Documents: Various accounts relating to Monument Hill Consolidated, Note re Stuckey lease No. 8551, Castlemaine surveying & drawing instruments and office furniture for sale.Vorganization, business, gold mine accounting., mccoll ranking & stanistreet

Sextant used by J P Larken, Government Marine SurveyorThe sextant has been the primary position fixing tool of the marine surveyor for 200 years used to measure angles between beacons or points for hydrographic surveys. A sextant in its own wooden box.On inside box lid; 'A. E. Parson surveying and scientific instrument maker, Queen Street, Melbournesextant, jp larken, marine surveyor

A prismatic compass is a common navigation and surveying instrument which was used extensively by the Forests Commission The compass most commonly used to run a traverse line. The compass calculates bearings of lines with respect to magnetic needle. A magnetic deviation correction was needed to convert the reading to a true bearing The compass could also determine angles between the traverse and waypoints (such as hilltop features). Commonly used for navigation. Largely replaced by modern GPS technology.Ex Army WW2 prismatic compass with leather case and strap. Rugged design and made of metal the internal compass plate floats on oil to help it stabilise The user lines up the direction of travel with the hair sightline in the fliptop cover and readings are taken through the viewfinder prism (hence the name).forest measurement, surveying, forests commission victoria (fcv)

This Gunter’s Chain, an old land surveying instrument, is named after its inventor, Edmund Gunter (1581-1626), an English mathematician and astronomer. It was first produced in 1620. The tool has 100 links and is 66 feet or one chain long. The links are marked off in groups of ten by metal rings or tags. A quarter chain (25 links) is called a rod or pole and ten chains make a furlong and 80 chains make a mile. The traditional cricket pitch is 22 yards or one chain long. This Gunter’s Chain is of considerable significance because: 1. It is an early land measuring tool that was used for over 250 years and has great historical and mathematical significance. A Gunter’s Chain would have been used when forming and building local roads from the earliest days of settlement. 2. It has a possible local connection as it was given to the Historical Society by a local person in 1965 and possibly came from the property of ‘Rosehill’ This is a metal tool which consists of 100 metal pieces or links joined together by loops at each end with two metal loops in between each link. The links joined together form a chain. The two ends of the chain have small metal handles attached At intervals along the chain there are additional rings or metal pieces attached. Some white and green rope material has been used to bundle up the chain. The metal is somewhat rusted. gunter’s chain, land measurement tools, history of warrnambool

HISTORY OF THE LOCH ARD: - The Loch Ard got its name from ”Loch Ard” a loch that lies to the west of Aberfoyle, and to the east of Loch Lomond. It means "high lake" in Scottish Gaelic. The vessel belonged to the famous Loch Line which sailed many vessels from England to Australia. The Loch Ard was built in Glasgow by Barclay, Curdle and Co. in 1873, the vessel was a three-masted square-rigged iron sailing ship that measured 79.87 meters in length, 11.58 m in width, and 7 m in depth with a gross tonnage of 1693 tons with a mainmast that measured a massive 45.7 m in height. Loch Ard made three trips to Australia and one trip to Calcutta before its fateful voyage. Loch Ard left England on March 2, 1878, under the command of 29-year-old Captain Gibbs, who was newly married. The ship was bound for Melbourne with a crew of 37, plus 17 passengers. The general cargo reflected the affluence of Melbourne at the time. Onboard were straw hats, umbrellas, perfumes, clay pipes, pianos, clocks, confectionery, linen and candles, as well as a heavier load of railway irons, cement, lead and copper. There were other items included that were intended for display in the Melbourne International Exhibition of 1880. The voyage to Port Phillip was long but uneventful. Then at 3 am on June 1, 1878, Captain Gibbs was expecting to see land. But the Loch Ard was running into a fog which greatly reduced visibility. Captain Gibbs was becoming anxious as there was no sign of land or the Cape Otway lighthouse. At 4 am the fog lifted and a lookout aloft announced that he could see breakers. The sheer cliffs of Victoria's west coast came into view, and Captain Gibbs realised that the ship was much closer to them than expected. He ordered as much sail to be set as time would permit and then attempted to steer the vessel out to sea. On coming head-on into the wind, the ship lost momentum, the sails fell limp and Loch Ard's bow swung back towards land. Gibbs then ordered the anchors to be released in an attempt to hold their position. The anchors sank some 50 fathoms - but did not hold. By this time the ship was among the breakers and the tall cliffs of Mutton Bird Island rose behind. Just half a mile from the coast, the ship's bow was suddenly pulled around by the anchor. The captain tried to tack out to sea, but the ship struck a reef at the base of Mutton Bird Island, near Port Campbell. Waves subsequently broke over the ship and the top deck became loosened from the hull. The masts and rigging came crashing down knocking passengers and crew overboard. When a lifeboat was finally launched, it crashed into the side of Loch Ard and capsized. Tom Pearce, who had launched the boat, managed to cling to its overturned hull and shelter beneath it. He drifted out to sea and then on the flood tide came into what is now known as Loch Ard Gorge. He swam to shore, bruised and dazed, and found a cave in which to shelter. Some of the crew stayed below deck to shelter from the falling rigging but drowned when the ship slipped off the reef into deeper water. Eva Carmichael a passenger had raced onto the deck to find out what was happening only to be confronted by towering cliffs looming above the stricken ship. In all the chaos, Captain Gibbs grabbed Eva and said, "If you are saved Eva, let my dear wife know that I died like a sailor". That was the last Eva Carmichael saw of the captain. She was swept off the ship by a huge wave. Eva saw Tom Pearce on a small rocky beach and yelled to attract his attention. He dived in and swam to the exhausted woman and dragged her to shore. He took her to the cave and broke the open case of brandy which had washed up on the beach. He opened a bottle to revive the unconscious woman. A few hours later Tom scaled a cliff in search of help. He followed hoof prints and came by chance upon two men from nearby Glenample Station three and a half miles away. In a complete state of exhaustion, he told the men of the tragedy. Tom then returned to the gorge while the two men rode back to the station to get help. By the time they reached Loch Ard Gorge, it was cold and dark. The two shipwreck survivors were taken to Glenample Station to recover. Eva stayed at the station for six weeks before returning to Ireland by steamship. In Melbourne, Tom Pearce received a hero's welcome. He was presented with the first gold medal of the Royal Humane Society of Victoria and a £1000 cheque from the Victorian Government. Concerts were performed to honour the young man's bravery and to raise money for those who lost family in the disaster. Of the 54 crew members and passengers on board, only two survived: the apprentice, Tom Pearce and the young woman passenger, Eva Carmichael, who lost her family in the tragedy. Ten days after the Loch Ard tragedy, salvage rights to the wreck were sold at auction for £2,120. Cargo valued at £3,000 was salvaged and placed on the beach, but most washed back into the sea when another storm developed. The wreck of Loch Ard still lies at the base of Mutton Bird Island. Much of the cargo has now been salvaged and some items were washed up into Loch Ard Gorge. Cargo and artefacts have also been illegally salvaged over many years before protective legislation was introduced in March 1982. One of the most unlikely pieces of cargo to have survived the shipwreck was a Minton majolica peacock- one of only nine in the world. The peacock was destined for the Melbourne 1880 International Exhibition. It had been well packed, which gave it adequate protection during the violent storm. Today the Minton peacock can be seen at the Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum in Warrnambool. From Australia's most dramatic shipwreck, it has now become Australia's most valuable shipwreck artifact and is one of very few 'objects' on the Victorian State Heritage Register.The shipwreck of the Loch Ard is of significance for Victoria and is registered on the Victorian Heritage Register ( S 417). Flagstaff Hill has a varied collection of artefacts from Loch Ard and its collection is significant for being one of the largest accumulation of artefacts from this notable Victorian shipwreck. The collections object is to also give us a snapshot into history so we are able to interpret the story of this tragic event. The collection is also archaeologically significant as it represents aspects of Victoria's shipping history that allows us to interpret Victoria's social and historical themes of the time. The collections historically significance is that it is associated unfortunately with the worst and best-known shipwreck in Victoria's history. Heavy duty brass sleeve retrieved from the wreck of the LOCH ARD. It is pinched and broken off at one end, enclosing an extendable inner sleeve, which is connected to a brass bracket fixed at right angles. The circular enclosing bracket would hold (and fix by an adjustable brass screw) a through or cross pipe of similar diameter to the outer sleeve. The artefact is a structural piece delivering vertical support to a horizontal rail (missing) and not for transporting gas. It is constructed of thick gauge metal suitable for weight/load bearing and its sliding sleeve design is similar to a modern shock absorber, or a telescopic leg supporting a surveying instrument. There is concreting sediment immobilising the sleeves and lining the inner surface of the bracket. flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, loch line, loch ard, captain gibbs, eva carmichael, tom pearce, glenample station, mutton bird island, loch ard gorge, brass fitting, brass pipe, 1878 shipwreck

The Plane Table Alidade was used as the sighting Instrument in the production of historical manual hand drawn maps. A Plane Table Board mounted on a tripod is levelled and the Alidade is placed on the table with the vanes perpendicular to the it. Each sighting vane has a central thread lined up on the target and the angle to that target point is then drawn on the map sheet using the beveled fiducial edge. Plane Table Surveying is used as a quick method where less accuracy is required or needed. Plane table Surveying is a relatively portable and inexpensive method and was used extensively before the advent of sophisticated surveying instruments. The photo at 6489.2 is an Australian Army Survey Corps Party using a Plane Table Alidade in Syria during WWII. See also item 6580 which is the Plane Table with tripod legs that was used with the Alidade.Two Plane Table sighting instruments (Alidade) used for historical manual map making housed in wooden transit boxes. A brass instrument with folding sights at each end and a beveled fiducial edge in one edge. The front sight is the object vane and the rear sight is the sight vane. There is a sliding arm attached to the base to draw parallel lines to the fiducial edge. Very slight differences in model between these two instruments.First Instrument, "ER Watts and Son, London, 1938, MkII, Box Label 423. Second Instrument - R. E-Co, Mk.II, stamped E686, Box Label 686.royal australian survey corps, rasvy, fortuna, army survey regiment, army svy regt, asr

The tool is used for establishing a horizontal plane, it consists of a small glass tube containing alcohol or similar liquid and an air bubble. The tube is sealed and fixed horizontally in a wooden or metallic block or frame with a smooth lower surface. The glass tube is slightly bowed, and adjustment to the horizontal is indicated by the movement of the bubble. The device is on a level surface when the bubble is in the middle of the glass tube. The level sensitivity is proportional to the radius of the curvature of the glass. The spirit or bubble level consists of a sealed glass tube containing alcohol and an air bubble. It was invented in 1661 and was first used on telescopes and later on surveying instruments, but it did not become a carpenter's tool until the factory-made models were introduced in the mid-19th century. The circular level, in which a bubble floated under a circular glass to indicate the level in all directions, was invented in 1777. But It lacked the sensitivity of the conventional level.A hand tool that has not changed much since its invention in 1661, this tool is used today and although the materials it is made from have changed it's use has not.Spirit level wooden with two windows one of which has a piece of brass sheet metal protecting it.Noneflagstaff hill, warrnambool, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, hand tool, spirit level, carpenders tool, builders tool, surveyors instrument

The tool is used for establishing a horizontal plane, it consists of a small glass tube containing alcohol or similar liquid and an air bubble. The tube is sealed and fixed horizontally in a wooden or metallic block or frame with a smooth lower surface. The glass tube is slightly bowed, and adjustment to the horizontal is indicated by the movement of the bubble. The device is on a level surface when the bubble is in the middle of the glass tube. The level sensitivity is proportional to the radius of the curvature of the glass. The spirit or bubble level consists of a sealed glass tube containing alcohol and an air bubble. It was invented in 1661 and was first used on telescopes and later on surveying instruments, but it did not become a carpenter's tool until the factory-made models were introduced in the mid-19th century. The circular level, in which a bubble floated under a circular glass to indicate the level in all directions, was invented in 1777. But It lacked the sensitivity of the conventional level.A hand tool that has not changed much since its invention in 1661, this tool is used today and although the materials it is made from have changed it's use has not.Spirit level wooden has 2 glass levels, 1 horizontal & 1 vertical Noneflagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village

A Gunter’s Chain, an old land surveying instrument, is named after its inventor, Edmund Gunter (1581-1626), an English mathematician and astronomer. It was first produced in 1620. The tool has 100 links and is 66 feet or one chain long. The links are marked off in groups of ten by metal tags or rings. A quarter chain (25 links) is called a rod or pole and ten chains make a furlong and 80 chains a mile. The traditional cricket pitch is 22 yards or one chain long. This chain is said to have been used by Gilbert Nicol when the Warrnambool to Hamilton Road was constructed in the 19th century. Gilbert Nicol was an early settler in Warrnambool who, with John Craig, established the first hotel (and the first building) in Warrnambool in 1847. Nicol later owned the property ‘Rosehill’ in the Warrnambool area. As the chain was given to the Warrnambool and District Historical Society by the Town Clerk, Keith Arnel, it is likely that the chain was one of the items in the old Warrnambool MuseumThis Gunter’s Chain is of importance because it is an early land measuring device that was used for over 250 years and has great historical and mathematical significance. If it is correct that it was used by Gilbert Nicol when the Warrnambool to Hamilton Road was built then it has considerable local significance and dates back to the 19th century. This is a metal tool which consists of 100 metal pieces or links joined together by loops at each end with two metal loops in between each link. The links joined together form a chain. The two ends of the chain have small metal handles attached. At intervals along the chain there are additional rings or metal pieces attached. The metal is very rusted.gunter’s chain, land measurement tools, history of warrnambool

The theodolite was sold by T. Gaunt & Co. of Melbourne, a manufacturer, importer and retailer of a wide variety of goods including jewellery, clocks and watches, navigational and measuring instruments, dinnerware, glassware and ornaments. Thomas Gaunt photograph was included in an album of security identity portraits of members of the Victorian Court, Centennial International Exhibition, Melbourne, 1888. (See further details below.) History for Troughton & Simms: Edward Troughton & William Simms established a scientific instrument making business in London in 1826. Edward Troughton (1756-1835) had previously had his own scientific instrument business, inherited from his father. His achievement's included a transit telescope for Greenwich Observatory (1816) and the precision surveying instruments for the Ordnance Survey of Britain, Ireland and India. William Simms (1793-1860) had trained as a goldsmith and began to gain work dividing circles on fine astronomical instruments. When William Simms died in 1860, the business was taken over by his son James and nephew William. Troughton & Simms shop in Fleet Street became the hub of the finest scientific instrument made in London, in a period in which there was an expanding demand for precision instruments, for astronomy, surveying and precision measurement. They made instruments for Greenwich Observatory, for imperial surveys and exploring expeditions. When fire destroyed the Houses of Parliament in 1834, the firm was commissioned to create new standard lengths, this required 10 years of testing against the remaining old measurements. Troughton and Simms made several of the main instruments for Melbourne Observatory, including an 18 inch azimuth used of the Geodetic Survey, portable transit instrument (circa 1850), zenith sector (1860), a 4.5 inch equatorial telescope (1862), an 8 inch equatorial telescope (1874) spectroscope (1877) and an 8 inch transit instrument in (1884). While the firm had an excellent reputation for quality the company exasperated many of its customers with delays of years in delivering some instruments. History for Thomas Gaunt: Thomas Ambrose Gaunt (1829 – 1890) was a jeweller, clock maker, and manufacturer of scientific instruments, whose head office and showroom were at 337–339 Bourke Street, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Thomas Gaunt established Melbourne's leading watchmaking, optical and jewellery business during the second half of the 19th century. Gaunt arrived in Melbourne in 1852, and by 1858 had established his own business at 14 Little Bourke Street. Around 1869 he moved to new premises in Bourke Street on the corner of Royal Arcade, Gaunt's shop quickly became a Melbourne institution. Gaunt proudly advertised that he was 'The only watch manufacturer in the Australian colonies'. While many watches and clocks may have had Gaunt's name on the dial, few would have been made locally. Gaunt did make some watches for exhibitions, and perhaps a few expensive watches for wealthy individuals. Gaunt's received a telegraph signal from Melbourne Observatory each day to correct his main clock and used this signal to rate and repair ship's chronometers and good quality watches. Thomas Gaunt also developed a department that focused on scientific instrumentation, making thermometers and barometers (from imported glass tubes), telescopes, surveying instruments and microscopes. Significance: With the rapid urban expansion, one of the most important needs of the new colony was to survey and map the landscape of the Australian Colony’s interior. Theodolites, such as this one, made by Troughton and Simms, who were significant scientific instrument makers of the 19th century were instrumental to the colony's surveyors and would have played an important part in their everyday work. This transit theodolite remains of national significance due to its pioneering role in Australian science and its association with Australia's earliest surveyors and astronomers. It is also significant for its association with nineteenth-century surveying instruments and instrument makers. Theodolite, Vernier repetition theodolite with enclosed horizontal circle (of about 130 mm diameter). Vertical circle exposed and somewhat corroded (diameter about 115 mm). Plate level 20" per division. Altitude bubble 20" per division. Horizontal and vertical circle intervals 20". Original (blue/grey) paint. Altitude bubble setting screw disabled. Tribrach allows movement of theodolite by 15 mm inside tribrach (for centering).Inscribed on the inner mounting plate,“Specially made in England for T Gaunt & Co Melbourne” and inscribed a little lower “Troughton & Simms London”flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, theodolite, t. gaunt & co, troughton & simms, scientific instrument, measuring instrument, surveyor's instrument

E. R. Watts and Son, makers of theodolites and other surveying instruments, of 123 Camberwell Road, London. The company was established in 1856 by Edwin Watts at twenty-three he had saved £100 from his earnings to start the business with his staff consisting of one boy and later Alexander Clarkson as an apprentice with the workshop a small room over a Bemondsey stable. Watts' first order was from Negretti and Zambra for a mining dial Alexander Clarkson In the early days the firm worked mainly on marine compasses. Edwin Watts would go down to the Docks to adjust the compasses once they had been installed on the ships. In May 1873 the business moved to larger premises a house with a garden. The workshop was also the home of Mr and Mrs Watts and their five sons and three daughters. By now there were fifteen to twenty men employed by the firm. The company were commissioned to supply the Theodolites and Levels for the construction to the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1881. Towards the end of the century, the firm began to make heliographs continuing to produce them for the government until just before the Second World War when by agreement assigned their manufacture to another firm. 1904 The first dividing engine was completed by George William Watts. It was so remarkable an instrument at the time and for years afterwards, In 1907 Arthur Ames went to Canada and started an organisation in Winnipeg in 1909 this became a separate company called E. R. Watts and Son Ltd. of Ottawa. This firm developed considerably and was eventually with the co-operation of three other instrument companies (Cambridge Instrument Co, Ross, and Negretti and Zambra), were reconstituted as ”Instruments Ltd” of Ottawa and Toronto. During the next ten years, the firm expanded greatly to include glass grinding, leather work, dividing and engraving, testing, adjusting and packing. This expansion was continued during the First World War when workshops were completed and the machinery installed and running within eleven weeks from the start of construction. During the war, a Sergeant Coles, among the rats, lice and mud of the trenches, fitted various bits of scrap into his cocoa tin and made the first Flash Spotter for plotting the positions of enemy guns. Coles was rushed home to the firm's factory where he and George William Watts designed a spotter not made out of a cocoa tin and as a result, the Watts Vertical Force Variometer was developed during WWI. Other Watts instruments made in the First World War included the Light Mountain Theodolites which were taken on Mt Everest expeditions. In 1919 ER Watts and Sons was incorporated as a limited company and in 1939 G. A. Whipple joined the Board of Directors. Shortly afterwards, Frank Charles Watts died having been Chairman of the firm for over 37 years and seen it through the First World War with all its expansions and difficulties. He was succeeded by his brother George William Watts with the vacant post of Managing Director being filled by G. A. Whipple. During the Second World War, the company expanded further and the number of employees rose to well over 1,300. In 1946 Watts acquired 78% of Adam Hilger and the microscope maker James Swift and Son Who were Manufacturers of Theodolites, Levels, Alidades, Meteorological Instruments, Variometers, and many other types of scientific instruments Then in 1948 the company amalgamated with Adam Hilger as Hilger and Watts which was then incorporated as a public company.Naval Rangefinder with a vertical wooden handle, and an arrangement of optical lenses. Three reversible brass inserts calibrated on both sides in yards, correspond to various base heights, (20 and 25 feet, 30 and 35 feet and 40 and 50 feet). They are fitted along the axis of the instrument. When the scale for the appropriate base height is selected and inserted, the carriage can be slid for coincidence and the distance read at the index mark on the sliding carriage.inscribed "Rangefinder Cotton Type Mk II" Calibrated scale up to 5000 yds (50 ft), 5000 yds (35 ft), 4000 yds (25 ft) made by E. R. Watts & Son.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, rangefinder, cotton type, e r watts & sons, naval range finder, marine equipment