Uncommon Four Vaned American Compass

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This Aloe 4 Vane Compass (s/n 6347) is a nice example of what Aloe marketed as an Improved Miner's Compass. Below is a page from the 1910 Aloe Catalogue showing the 4 vane compass (sorry for the lousy quality). Four vane compasses are very uncommon in the United States, so this Aloe mining compass would add a bit of spice to any collection.

The compass functions as a railroad compass, where you can measure angles independent of the needle. This compass was likely made in the 1900 to 1910 range. My records reflect that an Aloe transit with a serial number of 6609 was used in a Montana mining survey in 1913.

This instrument comes with a box - the compass looks fantastic inside the box. The compass appears to work fine, and the compass box turns as it should.

The compass has a few flaws however. One of the sight vanes has been repaired as you can see in some of the pics below. One of the level vials has a replacement vial which appears to be too small (and is empty to boot), and one of the thumbscrews appears to be a very nice later replacement (and doesn't detract from the compass).

The rare 4 vane mining compasses are rarely seen, and sought after by mining collectors. A nice Aloe 4 vane compass sold for $2750 on ebay in 2002 (complete with tripod). Dale Beeks was the seller of that instrument, and he has a nice write-up in the 2002 ebay listing.

Please visit my Aloe webpage for more information about Aloe and to see a couple of Aloe's catalogues and a great article about the Aloe firm.

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