Known Arizona Owner - H. M. Whitaker - U.S. Mineral Surveyor

This is a very rare and highly desirable Gurley Combined Solar and Mining Transit. I’m asking $4250 for it.

My dad and I sold this instrument (owned by an estate) in 1999 for $5100. At that time the instrument needed some cleaning up, which apparently the 1999 purchaser did. The transit has a very nice patina now.

I only know of a handful of combined Gurley solar and mining transits. Gurley made the combined units in two flavors - one with a side mounted telescope and one with a top mounted pillar telescope. I’ve only seen a couple of combined transits with the top mounted pillar mining scope.

While a Gurley solar compass is more valuable in the marketplace, there are many more Gurley solar compasses around than Gurley Combined Solar and Mining Transits

The collector I acquired the instrument from opened up the transit to clean and oil it. He found great info engraved on the one of the inner plates - the manufacturing date (1900), the maker’s name, and the name of the original first owner (H.M Whitaker). Fantastic luck! Thru my research database I figured out the original owner surveyed in Arizona, and even found some of his field notes (which confirmed that he used a Gurley Light Mountain Transit with solar attachment). I also found a 1918 newspaper article saying that Whitaker was gravely ill with the Sapinsh flu. Small world.

I did not find anything indicating that Whitaker was a U.S. Deputy Surveyor. But he did operate as a part-time U.S. Mineral Surveyor, and did a fair number of mining surveys with this instrument. Click Here to see an the Field Notes of a 1902 Mine Survey Whitaker performed with this Gurley Combo Solar and Mining Transit.

Everything works on the transit, and the optics are decent. I only see one slight defect - the patent level that attaches to the side of the transit when being used as a solar transit - the level is cracked and doesn’t hold liquid (see pic below). Not a big deal, and something that can be fixed pretty quickly by a competent instrument repair person. I can recommend somebody if necessary.

The instrument comes with a tripod with a Gurley special-order quick leveling attachment. Gurley would modify both the tripod and transit base while installing the quick leveling attachment. The adapter is VERY cool once you learn the tricks of how to use it. The attachment is rarely seen, however.