George Saegmueller

When George Nicholas Saegmuller came to America in 1870, he couldn’t have picked a better time. His skills were greatly needed in an era of southern reconstruction and western expansion. An adventurous young man of 23, he already had an impressive resumé: German schooling, fluency in three languages, and an admirable stint working for Thomas Cook & Son Company in England. He even served as their representative to the Paris Exposition. Just prior to the Franco-Prussian War, he immigrated to America.

Saegmuller arrived in Washington, D.C. and was soon working for William Wurdemann, manufacturer of astronomical and geodetic instruments. It was probably with Wurdemann’s help that he secured a position with the U.S. Coast & Geodetic Survey in charge of precision instruments. He was lucky in his choice of boarding houses. At Mrs. Vandenberg’s select establishment, he met wonderful people who were to become lifelong friends: Rudolph Reichmann, Henry Alexander Lockwood, and Maria Jane Vanderberg. Maria and her sisters were known for their beauty and intelligence, and their scientific community evidently agreed - Saegmuller married Maria, Lockwood married her sister Charlotte, and Reichmann married her sister Evaline.

Evaline and Rudolph moved to New York (he was a "scientist of Bausch & Lomb Optical Company"). The Lockwoods and Saegmullers remained in Arlington County, Virginia. Henry and Charlotte lived at "Easter Spring Farm", one hillside away from the Vandenberg’s "Reserve Hill" farm, occupied by George and Maria. Henry and George worked on many projects together. They built and maintained some of the early roads at their own expense, designed the water-wheel that pumped water to the Saegmuller home, and installed the first private phone line in the county between their own residences. They were also business partners with Camill Fauth, and using his name, "supplied scientific equipment for observatories and various departments of the government".

The original house on Reserve Hill burned in 1892. "Mr. Saegmuller decided to rebuild on the same site a house reminiscent of his native Nürnberg. The new house, completed in 1904, was constructed of fine bluestone quarried on the estate. Tall white columns at the front show a Southern influence combined with that of a German castle. The house has twenty-two rooms plus baths. Just back of the house was built a stone watertower, which is an exact replica of a gatetower of the Nürnberg Castle wall. This was copied in minutest detail from a tankard replica of the tower which Saegmuller brought from Germany." This unique house has survived and is the Arlington headquarters of the Knights of Columbus.


As if he wasn’t busy enough, Mr. Saegmuller also served his county as Chairman of the Board of Supervisors, and "was influential in the choice of the Court House site. He advanced money to meet county expenses during that period, and personally supervised construction of the new building." His belief in education led him to advance money for a new school building. The Saegmuller Public School was in use from 1890 until 1937 when it was replaced by a larger structure.

Locally he was known as "Mr. Saegmuller, the inventor". But his neighbors probably had no idea just how many scientific instruments he created, or assisted in creating, or how many patents he held. His most famous contribution to the surveying community was the Saegmuller Solar Attachmentv, but he also constructed the first model of W.M. Beaman’s Stadia Arc in June 1904. He compiled his own mathematical data and was often at the naval observatory. Surveyors of that era could send 10 cents to "G.N. Saegmuller, Washington, D.C." and receive "The Pocket Solar Ephemeris and Refraction Tables for Use with Saegmuller’s Solar Attachment". In 1905 he combined with Bausch & Lomb Optical Company and shortly after that the Carl Zeiss Company of Germany joined them both. Bausch & Lomb continued to publish Saegmuller’s solar ephemeris, and their 1915 "Metro Manual" states in its preface: "To extend the boundaries of popular knowledge on this subject, to provide a ready reference in relation to instruments of our own manufacture and to give our customers the best there is in value and treatment without their insistence, is the excuse and necessity for the publication of this, the ninth, enlarged and revised edition of the Saegmuller Vest Pocket Handbook." Fittingly, the emblem on the manual’s cover represents a prism, and each third bears the initial(s) of the founding companies.

Saegmuller also held patents for military instruments, his best known probably the bore sight, but "with the assistance of Admiral Sampson during WWI, he invented the modern telescope sights for the Navy and the range-finder". His scientific and inventive abilities benefited our military for decades.

George Nicholas Saegmuller, the inventor, public leader, educator, philanthropist, and family man, died in his beloved Arlington, Virginia on February 12, 1934.

Dies in Arlington Home on 87th Birthday - Funeral Tomorrow.

George N. Saegmuller, 87, Inventor and manufacturer of scientific instruments, died yesterday on the anniversary of his birth at his home in Arlington County, Va., where he had resided since his retirement in 1926.

He was the inventor of the Saegmuller patent solar attachment for engineering transits. Among his other inventions, which he manufactured in a factory located in this city, were the stardials on astronomical instruments, a governor for chronographs and many others.

Among his outstanding achievements were the development of range finders and telescopic sights used by artillery and naval guns. He perfected the tide-predicting machine which was devised by Prof. Ferrel of the United States Coast Survey.

Founded Instrument Firm.

Many instruments in use at the Georgetown and Naval Observatories also were designed by Mr. Saegmuller.

For several years he was chief of the instrument division of the Coast and Geodetic Survey, later resigning to become one of the founders of Fauth & Co., a manufacturing concern devoted to the making of astronomical, engineering and optical instruments. In 1905 the firm was merged with a Buffalo, N.Y., company and has been operated since that time in that city.

Mr. Saegmuller was born in Bavaria, Germany, in 1847, a son of John L. and Babette Saegmuller. He was educated in the public schools of that country, also attending technical schools at Erlangen and Nuremberg. He later went to England and France, where he remained until 1870, when he came to the United States.


Inasmuch as only Mr. Edward Bausch and Mr. Wm. Drescher were present at the meeting when I declared my intention of severing my relations with the Company, I think it is advisable that I put on paper the reasons which decided my action for the benefit of the other members of the Company who were not present, and especially for the younger members of the firm who do not know the reasons for my coming here from Washington and what I gave up and brought here at that time.

At the time of the St. Louis Exposition Dr. Czapski, the then head of the Zeiss Works, called on me in Washington, and asked me how I would like to associate with Zeiss and become their American representative, as they were very much dissatisfied with their connection with B & L, as the business in Binoculars did not amount to anything and that the photographic line was not much better. I told him that would have been a very attractive proposition for me if it had come a year sooner, but that I had entered into an agreement with B & L to consolidate with them and move my plant to Rochester. He thought that might improve conditions between them and B & L and the matter was dropped. I introduced him at the Bureau of Ordnance but he came back with the statement that nobody could do anything there as they were all for Saegmuller.

My relations with the Navy Dept. were very close. Several years before the Spanish War I took up the matter of Fire Control instruments with Admiral Sampson, whom I had known as Lieutenant when he was stationed at the Naval Observatory; in fact, I showed him how to adjust the instruments, how to observe and how to reduce the observations. Admiral Sampson was at the Bureau for three terms - six years - and he came to me with the various problems for fire control, which I solved to his entire satisfaction. When he left and Admiral O'Neil became his successor, he called me to his office and told me that the Bureau had decided to give me the work without advertising for it, but that I must not take out my own patents. The reason for this was, that patents disclose everything and they wanted to keep this secret from other Navies. In return for this I would get all the work as long as I supplied a superior article, at a fair price to be agreed upon between the Bureau and myself.

Washington is not an ideal place for manufacturing; not only was it difficult to obtain supplies, but the presence of the various Government Bu¬reaus that required skilled mechanics made it hard for me to keep them. The higher grade mechanics I had no difficulty in keeping, as they worked mostly on piece-work and made more in this way than the Government paid, but it was the average run of mechanics, those making $3.00 or $3.50 per day (at that time) that looked out for Government positions, where they received the same pay with only 8 hours work (I worked 91/2 hours) one full month's leave of absence and one month's sick leave with pay. Of course, no private firm could do this and I was only used as a stepping stone until Government positions offered themselves. The fact is that nearly all the mechanics in the Navy Yard, Naval Observatory, Coast Survey, Geological Survey and other Bureaus, were trained by me.

So when Mr. Edward Bausch came to Washington, some time in 1903, and visited me on my farm and I related the difficulties I had, we both came to the conclusion that my removal to Rochester and combining with B & L would benefit both concerns. At that time Lee had just returned from Europe. I had him trained to do the office work, but had also a full course of training for astronomical and geodetic work, in order that he could intelligently handle the correspondence.

Fred, who had graduated the year before at the University of Virginia as C. E. was at that time in Boston at the Mass. Institute of Technology. I sent him there upon the advice of Admiral Taylor, at that time Chief of Construction at the Navy Department, which office he was to enter after he left Boston.

My youngest son, George, was then attending Washington University.

At that time my business, although small, was quite prosperous. The farm provided me with a living and my property brought me in about $500 per month. My wife was opposed to my leaving Washington, which, of course, was only natural, as all her relatives lived there. I therefore resolved to put up the question of removal to the boys, and in consequence they, with my old friend Wines, came to Rochester to look the situation over. They all thought that there was more opportunity for them in Rochester than in Washington.

So it was decided that we move our factory to Rochester. I brought large orders from the Navy with me and continued to receive them for several years, although Keuffel & Esser tried very hard to get into the game. They even brought political influence into the play and the Bureau of Ordnance was bothered and besieged by Members of Congress and Senators and K & E should have a share of the work. Finally Admiral Mason, then Chief of Ordnance, who faithfully adhered to the agreement of the Bureau with me, decided to have the matter looked into and appointed a Board of Officers to visit Rochester for the purpose of looking into the whole matter and report to the Bureau. The head of the Board was Admiral Cowden and two lieutenants, whose names I have forgotten. They looked into the methods of manufacturing, obtained the costs and finally made a report to the Bureau that it was the unanimous opinion of the Board that it would not benefit the Navy to make a change in its policy. So matters went on and we continued to receive large orders.

But Keuffel & Esser were not satisfied and they had an able man in Mr. Kollmorgen to help them. Although I spoke to Dr. Kellner time and time again and told him that we must improve on our telescopes and pointed out the direction in which he should work, he did nothing, being too busily engaged in launching Mrs. Kellner on her musical career. It is no wonder that Kollmorgen succeeded in offering the Bureau a Gunsight Telescope which in certain points surpassed our product. The Bureau had both telescopes examined at the Bureau of Standards, who pronounced their decision in favor of K & E. We then lost the prestige I had and Admiral Mason (very reluctantly he told me) had to advertise for competitive bids.

This, in short, is the history of my business with the Bureau which I brought with me from Washington. It is needless to dwell on its future history, our activities in the War, etc., as this is known to all of you.

Now, as to my determination to sever my relations with B & L. The first reason is my physical condition. My loss of hearing and impaired eye sight makes it impossible for me to attend to the business.

In the second place, I am not at all satisfied with the results of my coming up here. With the help of Zeiss, known all over the world, with the B & L resources and the reputation I had in astronomical circles, together with the large and ever increasing business of the Navy, I thought we would become an establishment in America equaling the great Zeiss Works in Germany, but in this I was sorely disappointed.

I was also chagrined because my advice was never taken. When Admiral Fiske visited me at the hospital in New York he mentioned that we two should have come together before. I told him that perhaps it was not too late, as at that time we had no military representative in Washington, and as he was retired but a member of the Navy Advisory Board, which necessitated his going to Washington several times every month I thought he might become our adviser in Naval matters. This appealed to him and he thought we could get General Coe of the Army, who was also to be retired, to act in a similar capacity as regards military matters. We could have obtained the services of these two prominent men for less money than we now pay Mr. Belt. I brought this proposition before the Executives but never had a reply to the suggestion. The duty of a military representative is not so much to visit the Bureaus, but to find out what is needed for increased accuracy by visiting the Proving Grounds at Indian Head and Aberdeen in Md. I used to go to Indian Head two or three times a month, discussing with the various officers ways and means of increasing the precision of firing and thus be in the lead, heading off competition. (See my letter to Belt on file)

When it became evident to me that with the orders on hand for the Navy we must not only increase our designing force but also engage more first class mechanics I spoke to Mr. Eisenhart and I think Mr. Lemke advertised for mechanics. It was not long before Mr. Edward Bausch received a letter from Buff objecting to our advertising in Boston. Mr. Bausch stopped the advertising and no additions were made to the force. Had we procured more help there would have been no necessity of writing that humiliating letter to Admiral Bloch, acknowledging our fault causing the delays in delivery and promising to do better by increasing our force and work overtime. Of course, at a great cost in production.

But the main reason which has determined me in severing my connection with the Company is due to the complete elimination of us in the Anderson investigation. I thought, and still think, that Fred should have been called in. To my mind it appeared clear that we were not wanted and that it was better to get out than to be treated as intruders.

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