Very Early Large Transit – One of Few Known 1854 Gurley Engineer’s Transits

FROM THE DALE BEEKS COLLECTION

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Gurley became the largest surveying manufacturer in the country because it marketed and sold high quality instruments at a reasonable price on a nationwide basis. The marketing campaign was especially brilliant – Gurley issued annual Instrument Manuals (Catalogues) reflecting their entire product line starting in 1855.

This 1854 Engineer’s Transit was a very important evolutionary step in Gurley’s rise to dominance.

W. & L.E. Gurley started business in 1852 after William and Lewis Gurley acquired all of the interests in the Phelps & Gurley firm. Phelps & Gurley produced a full line of surveying equipment, including compasses and transits. The transits were very distinctive, as most of them featured curvilinear telescope supports (making them very collectible nowadays). While Phelps & Gurley started making transits with “A” frame telescope supports before the sale to the Gurley brothers, very few examples of “A” frame Phelps & Gurley transits are known.

W. & L.E. Gurley continued to evolve the Phelps & Gurley transit product line after starting business in 1852. There are very few known Gurley transits from the 1852 thru 1854 period. The few transit pictures that I have seen (from Aregood’s book on dating Gurley transits) show either smaller transits with squarish horizontal plates or transits with circular horizontal plates with overly long telescopes (given the poor nature of the glass). Gurley apparently perfected the design of its transits in 1854 (likely after Gurley had secured better glass from France) – Gurley would use the basic 1854 design well into the 20th century.

This transit has features only used in 1854. Compare the locking plate mechanism and tangent screw placement (under the horizontal plate) on this 1854 transit, for example, to the 1855 Engineer’s Transit in Gurley's 1855 Manual (on top of the horizontal plate).

This transit apparently spent most of its early life on the West Coast, likely CA. Dale Beeks opened this transit up to clean it many years ago. Inside the transit Dale found Roach/Sala Sept 1868 and Lietz May 1892 engraved on the plate inside. No doubt these dates reflect the servicing of the transit in San Francisco. Underneath the needle lifter is the year the transit was made - 1854.

The oak box is in good condition, and comes with a circa early 1870s label from John C. Sack in San Francisco. Sack's name has been removed from the label, but Sack operated a business at 203 Montgomery street, and I have seen other labels like this one with Sack's name on the label.

The transit also comes with its believed to be original tripod.

I found the letters "DAMcI" stamped on the box in two locations (there is a chance that the "I" is an "L" at the end). I suspect these are initials for the first name (D) and middle names (A), and the first 3 letters of the last name (McI). If so, that's a pretty uncommon set of letters. I only found one possible candidate - Donald A. McIntosh, a railroading contractor who built many miles of railroads on the Pacific Coast. I will leave it to the next owner of the transit to do a deeper dive into who DAMcI was.

This is an important full-size Gurley Engineers Transit in VERY GOOD condition. Worthy of display. especially on its likely original tripod. Note the spot of corrosion at the SE of the compass face, however.

Please see my Gurley Maker Webpage for more information about Gurley Surveying Instruments.