This is a really nice 1911 Young & Son Solar Transit purchased by the USGLO and used extensively in the Western United States. I have a scan of a letter from Y&S to the USGLO announcing the shipment of #8513 (attached below - the Smithsonian has the original letter). I also have some scans showing the USGLO used #8513 in Montana and Nevada - some of these scans are attached below as well.. As the USGLO moved instruments around frequently, I suspect that #8513 was used in a number of other western states.

This instrument comes with a box which is likely the original and a tripod. The box has a Y&S label and is setup for a solar transit, but there is no serial number on the box. Since the USGLO had numerous Y&S solar transits, this could be the box for a different Y&S ST. The tripod is one that the USGLO ordered for a Y&S Solar Transit - the USGLO has two sets of clamps put on each leg as a special order, and this tripod has the double clamp setup. Note that one of the clamps broke but I have the pieces to it.

You will note that #8513 is largely painted black, which surprises me a bit. Y&S solar transits were made partly out of Aluminum starting around 1902 or so. I've seen a handful of post-1902 Y&S Solar Transits, and this is the third one that I have owned (#8375, #8495 and #8545). All of the post 1902 Y&S Solar Transits that I have seen were unpainted. So I'm a bit baffled why this one is painted black. The paint job is factory quality, so it is either original or when the transit went in for repairs. I probably have a slight preference for the unpainted look, but the black doesn't detract from the instrument to my eye.

I found a USGLO letter that compares the 1911 Y&S Solar Transit with Aluminum (Serial #8536) to a 1901 non-Aluminum version of the Y&S Solar Transit (Serial #7058). This letter was penned by Arthur Kidder, who was the main guy at the USGLO when it came to survey instruments. This is a fascinating letter, and contains a great deal of info about Y&S solar transits.

The optics on this instrument are good, with crosshairs and stadia wires.

The telescope measures roughly 10 inches when not extended, and the needle measures 3.25 inches.

The only meaningful blemish on this instrument is a cracked bell housing on the moveable base of the transit (which attaches to the tripod). You will see the crack in one of the pics near the bottom of this webpage. A prior owner stabilized the crack with a strong glue, and applied the glue on the underside of the base as well (as shown in the pic after the bell housing pic). Everything seems to be stable now - I have put the instrument on the tripod several times without a problem. The crack isn't very noticeable, and the glue underneath cannot be seen at all. So the crack doesn't really impact the visuals or performance of this ice Y&S Solar Transit.

Please see my Young Instrument Maker Webpage for more information about Young & Sons.