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Eugene Dietzgen (1862–1929) was born in Germany, moved to the United States in 1878, and formed Luhring & Dietzgen, an engineering supply business, in Chicago in 1885. The firm became Eugene Dietzgen & Co. in 1891, and began manufacturing operations in 1893. The Dietzgen Corporation is still in business today. [Description by Smithsonian NMAH]
Specifications:
- Manufacturer: Dietzgen
- Date of Manufacture: Unknown, but probably early to mid 20th century.
- Materials:
- Body: Black laquered brass
- Crystal: Glass
- Size: 3-1/4 X 3 X 3/4 (closed), 6-3/8 X 3 X 3 (open)
- Needle: Magnetic steel
- Damping: None
- Pivot: post (jewelled?)
- Graduations: Degrees by 10, with short ticks at every degree and medium ticks every 5 degrees.
- Declination: Declination adjustable by disassembling compass, loosening set-screws and manually rotating graduated ring under crystal.
- Weight: 7.25 oz
- Stop: Pin actuated by lid when closed.
- Markings: Outside of lid has “NPSF” and “1940” scratched into the paint. There are no manufacturer’s markings on the exterior. Interior lower face has cardinal points marked, in the “reversed” survey style. Just beneath the “N” point is engraved “THE WEIGHT IS ON THE SOUTH END OF THE NEEDLE”, and between the pivot and the “S” point is the manufacturer’s name “DIETZGEN”. Between the “S” point and the graduated ring is “PROPERTY OF THE U.S. FOREST SERVICE”.
- Description: This is a “cruiser” style forestry/survey compass. It has the familiar lid with an engraved lubber’s line plus the addition of a flip-up sight with sight-wire. The graduated ring is adjustable for declination, and is graduated in degrees, 0-360 counter-clockwise. The face is likewise marked in the ‘reverse’ survey fasion, with “E” and “W” opposite their intuitive locations. At some point, a former owner opened the compass and penciled in “W” over the “E” point, and “E” over the “W” point.
- Damage: The paint on the exterior and interior faces of the lid is bubbled and detatched in several areas, with portions of it already lost. Likewise the paint on the bottom of the compass is bubbled and peeling around the edge. All of the paint is lost from the edges of the bottom and top, as well as the tops of the lanyard rings. The hand-engraved lettering on the lid qualifies as “damage” but it does not detract. Various other small nicks and scratches on outer case.
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