C.
L. Berger & Sons Solar Transit w/ Pearson's Patent Solar Attachment
This C. L. Berger & Sons solar transit dates from right
around the turn of the century. It is marked on the compass face "C. L. Berger
& Sons Successors to Buff & Berger Boston". The serial # is 3249 which would
date this from right around the turn of the century, and just after the breakup
of the original Buff & Berger Firm in 1898. From available company records this transit
was originally sold with the shown solar attachment.
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The compass is very nice and operates properly. The compass face measures approx 5" and the silvered needle just over 4". The horizontal vernier is silvered and in excellent condition. The transit itself stands just over 12" tall, and the scope is approx 11" long. All motions are free and turn freely. The brass finish has developed a very nice patina.
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The transit focuses and the crosshairs consist of three horizontals and one vertical. The image is not inverted. At the eyepiece end it seems there is cap missing, and the adjustment to bring the crosshairs into focus is tight / stiff. The half circle vernier is silvered and reads to 30 degrees. The half circle vernier has a slight bend of about 2 degrees on the right side, as if it had been bumped at some point. It still rides freely and reads from the scale just fine. It has a 3 1/4 inch tripod mount and I do not have the tripod. Different makers utilized different styles of solar attachments and Buff & Berger adopted the Pearson Patent Solar Attachment. The patent for the Pearson solar attachment was granted in 1882 about the same time as most other patents for these rare & unusual devices called solar attachments were issued. The Pearson patent, like the Saegmuller utilized a telescopic sight. Because of its design and the way it mounts this solar attachment uses the transits frame and settings for its set up. The Burt solar attachment and other top mounted style solar attachments had their own adjusters. This Pearson patent solar attachment appears to be NOS and retains nearly 100% of it original finish and Lacquer. It is marked on the inside of the attachment Buff & Berger which means it was made just before the transit and before the original Buff & Berger Co. broke up. It is stamped with the #3 which may be its serial # or an assembly #. The focus is crisp and the crosshairs present. As can be seen in the pics there is a dark lens cap, and a sun shade as well. There are places in the box these can be mounted to.
The transit has the proper box, and the cosmetic condition of it is pretty nice. There are several paper labels inside including instructions on what to and not to do. There is no place in the box for the attachment, but as i stated earlier, company records indicate the transit and attachment were originally sold together.
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This style and form of transit with this unusual solar attachment was not widely distributed and thus is quite rare. Over the years I have seen dozens of Burt Style solar attachments offered for sale on Gurley and other make transits. I have seen and had a handful of the Saegmuller solar attachments that K & E, Lietz, and Dietzgen used, and I have even seen several of the later Smith patent solar attachment offered for sale, but this is the first Pearson solar attachment by this patentee and maker that I have had or seen offered. It will make a great addition to the collection of rare scientific or surveying related antiques.
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TW-BST-1
Excellent . . . . . . $3950.00 SPECIAL SALE $3500.00
Keuffel
& Esser #5081 1/2 C Mining Transit w/ Auxiliary Scope
This is a super nice Keuffel & Esser Paragon Mining transit. The # 5081 1/2
C is designated as a mining transit, and it is specially designed to accept a secondary
scope that mounts either to the top of the main scope or to the outboard side as
shown in the pics. Mining transits with these secondary scopes are very unusual
and hard to come by. This mining transits serial # is 133021 indicating it was made in the 50's. The black matt finish is near perfect. It shows little signs of use and just a few minor box scuffs at high points to the finish. The optics are crisp and clear. The fitted box is nice as well, and set up to accept the auxiliary scope and weight you see.
The main scope is 10" long and has a 20 power magnification. The horizontal limb is 5 1/2" and graduated to half degrees. It has double vernier windows set to 30 degrees that read to a minute. The compass needle is approx 3 1/2" and is gold plated. It functions
properly. All motions are free and turn smoothly. The rear eyepiece
focus works well.. The 4 1/2" vertical circle is graduated on silver and also
reads to a minute. The auxiliary scope is 6 5/8" long and 14 power. It is designed to mount either to the top of the scope or just outside the standards on the side.
Mining transits were used in situations where the operator had to shoot down vertical shafts or odd angles and the horizontal plate would interfere. When mounted on either the top or side it projected past the plate to allow the user to shoot that line. Different manufacturers used different approaches to solve the problem, and K & E used the two point attachment system with counterweight which allowed for different setups in different situations. Others include the Buff version where the scope could be released and moved into another position. There is also a version with a leaning frame to allow for the same effect.
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BM-KEMT-1
Excellent . . . . . $3750.00 SPECIAL SALE $3250.00
Keuffel & Esser # 5076 Light Mountain Transit
w/ Saegmuller Solar Attachment
This K & E 5076
Solar Transit an early,
rare, and desirable American Surveying Instrument. The
superb condition
and completeness of this wonderful
K & E transit w/ its Saegmuller solar attachment is second to none. Note all the accessories inside the door are present, including the
magnifier, brush, plumb bob, adjusters, and even the oil can, which you never see.
It also has 2 sunshades, and the right angle aux eyepiece for the main
scope. Keuffel & Esser or K & E began operations in the mid 1870's as a partnership between 2 brothers. The company was founded in NJ and were quite well known for both their surveying instruments as well as their line of drafting supplies and slide rules. There is a short and interesting bio on the firm, and the introduction of this style of transit with its distinctive twisted leg standard at the Smithsonian site. Here is a link to that info.
This transit has an 9" scope and is designated as a Light Mountain model. Only the Expedition model transit with its 6' scope is smaller. This particular example dates from the early 1900's has a serial # of 11287. The number on the box tag matches. It is factory fitted with a mount on the top of the scope to accept the #5090 solar attachment. There is a dedicated mount on the wooden board to accept the # 5090 solar attachment that K & E manufactured when not in use or for storage and transport. Solar attachments gave the user a very exact way to determine their exact location using the sun and the horizon. They were especially useful here in the west or places where large deposits of ore could affect the magnetic compass allowing for mistakes in the work being performed.
The Smithsonian has a near identical solar transit in their collection, and that example can be viewed here along with the write-up they have for it.
It is a wonder that something that was made with the intention to be used in the field could be in such exceptional condition nearly 100 years later. This transit came out of a foothill community here in northern CA and was obviously stored in a dry and clean environment for the last 100 years. The box shows just a few minor scuffs from storage. The clear green lacquer finish on the transit is near perfect. All motions are free and turn as they should. The optics are perfect and exhibit no cloudiness or other problems. The crosshairs 1 vertical, 3 horizontal, and 2 crossed in the middle are present. It will be a long time before another example in as nice condition appears if ever.
The tripod size is 3 1/2 x 8. A very nice and proper tripod is available separately for $200.
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FHC-5076-ST1
Excellent . . . . . . . $4295.00 SPECIAL SALE $3950.00
Keuffel & Esser
#5126 Builders Transit
This K & E Builders transit that dates from 1910 or so.
The serial # 22004 is found on the plate outside the plate. There
is a link at the bottom of this page that will take you to a site that can
help you date your instrument if you are curious. K & E's standard
Builders level was numbered 5124, but as a special it could be ordered with
a 3 1/2 dia. vertical circle, and that is what we have here. The transit is in overall very nice condition and has 90% or more of the dark lacquer finish on the upper portions, and a gloss black finish on the lower base. The scope measures approx 9" long. All screws and motions move freely and as they should. The optics are clear and clean and there is one vertical and three horizontal crosshairs. The box is original proper and nice. Although it has not been calibrated this will make for a nice user or will display nicely.
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SAZ-KE-5126
Good + . . . . . . $395.00
Heller & Brightly Engineer's Transit
This original condition of this large and graphic looking instrument is very
nice. The serial #
8150 is on the compass face of
this Heller & Brightly Engineer's or Surveyor's transit.
That would
date it from approx 1915. That information is available on the very
informative site
www.surveyhuistory.org where you can find dating charts for not only
Heller & Brightly instruments but other surveying instrument makers as well. The
Smithsonian site has a detailed bio on this company and informs us that his company was formed between Charles Heller
and Charles Brightly in the 1870's. The Mahogany box is nice. The leveling head is detachable and stores separately inside the box. All motions on it and the instrument are free and smooth. The compass needle does not swing as it should and the lock feature does not move the compass rose up and down to release it. The level vials are all good. The optics and crosshairs are good. This transit also includes a correctly marked and original tripod. .The tripod is very nice with nicely tapered and curved legs. Note the heavy duty locks on the legs.. Heller and Brightly instruments were very well made and had a lot of ungraded features that made their instruments stand apart for other lesser makers
These early transits were hand built by Heller and Brightly employees. Over the course of their instrument making period they produced approx 4000 instruments. Most were sold by order rather than marketed by distributers. All in all one of the nicest made American transits that I have had the pleasure of offering.
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KK-HB-TRAN
Good + . . . . . . $1295.00 w/ Tripod
Heller & Brightly Info from the Smithsonian Site
Heller & Brightly Charles S. Heller (1839–1912) was born in Germany, and moved with his family to the United States in the late 1840s. He went to work for William J. Young in 1855, and became a partner in William J. Young & Co. in 1865. Charles H. Brightly (1817–1897) was born in England, arrived in the United States in the 1830s, and worked as a machinist in Philadelphia before going into partnership with Heller in 1870. Within a few years Heller & Brightly were said to have "done more than any other [firm] in this country of late years to increase competition in the trade, and to wake up the different makers to a sense of the many improvements that may be made in the instruments in common use." Heller & Brightly instruments were used in every state in the union, and in several foreign countries. The firm was incorporated in 1926, and remained in business until 1968.
Heller & Brightly was a traditional craft workshop. There were only a few employees at any one time, each could produce an entire instrument, and each was reasonably well paid. They produced some 100 instruments per year from 1870 to 1887. Annual production rose to 216 instruments in 1891, then dropped precipitously and remained at modest levels thereafter. Each instrument has a serial number, the first being #4400. Most Heller & Brightly instruments were ordered directly from the shop, with only a few sold in stores.
Ref: Robert C. Miller, "The Heller & Brightly Records," Rittenhouse 4 (1990): 43–55. Link: http://americanhistory2.si.edu/surveying/maker.cfm?makerid=16
A. Lietz of San Francisco Preliminary / Light Mountain Size "Universal Jr." Transit
This A Lietz transit has a serial # of 6022. It looks to date from 1920 or
earlier. There are no certain means to know the exact date for Lietz
instruments other than they stopped producing them and started importing
them right after WWII. A. Lietz first opened his business in San
Francisco in 1882. This is a small compact transit with a 9" scope and 3 1/2" needle. It is designated the Universal Jr. on the compass face. There is a drilled and tapped hole in the top of the scope as if to accept a solar attachment or mining scope. The compass face is very nice and there is no corrosion or damage. The finish is a worn dark lacquer and natural brass. It has a great patina with contrasts of the different natural brass colors used for the different parts. The transit is in overall very nice condition. All screws and motions move freely and operate as they should. The optics are clear and clean and there is one vertical and three horizontal crosshairs. The box is original and has been oiled. The door has an early repair done to the inside. This transit also includes the original proper tripod. It has repairs done to two of the legs that were carefully and tastefully done. You can almost not see them. Although it has not been calibrated this will make for a nice user or will display nicely in the proper setting.
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SH-LIETZ-TRAN
Good + . . . . . . $595.00
Berger
2T Builders Level / Transit
This is a well made builders transit / level by Berger. It looks like
it dates from the 50's or 60's. It is very similar in
design to the David White or K & E models that are similar looking. It is set
up so that it can shoot vertical angles at comers, or follow a line for
staking when the lock feature is released and it becomes a transit of
limited angles. It is a very handy type of surveying instrument similar to what I
used as a general contractor for layouts and general use. It includes a proper 3 1/2 x
8 tripod with wood and metal tube construction. It all seems OK, and I
would assume with some simple checks for accuracy could be put back into
use. American made!!
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ND-BERGER-TRAN
Good + . . . . . . $225.00 w/ Tripod
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