Work and Industry, Division of, NMAH, SI Search this
Extent:
0.3 Cubic feet (1 box)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Correspondence
Photographs
Clippings
Notebooks
Date:
1900-1925.
Scope and Contents note:
The collection relates to Hallett's career as an engineer and his work with engines. The collection includes correspondence, engineering notebooks, writings, photographs, patent materials, clippings, and publications,.
Arrangement:
1 series.
Biographical/Historical note:
Hallett was an engineer for the Alamo Manufacturing Company, and designed the first Alamo Engine. While employed with the Hall Gas Engine Company he developed a heavy-duty gas engine. His last position was divisional chief engineer for the Hayes Wheel Company in Albion Michigan.
Provenance:
Immediate source of acquisition unknown.
Restrictions:
Collection open for research on site by appointment. Unprotected photographs must be handled with gloves.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
The J. P. Snow Papers document Snow's history of wooden bridges and his work as a civil engineer. The history was written in the 1930s with Robert Fletcher, Director Emeritus of the Thayer School of Civil Engineering at Dartmouth College.
Scope and Contents:
Snow's engineering notebook, 1882; notes relating to his writings on the history of wooden bridges; drafts and manuscripts for articles he wrote on the development of wooden bridges; and correspondence, especially with engineering journals relating to efforts to get his manuscripts published.
Correspondence, drafts of manuscript, notes, and an engineering notebook comprise the J. Parker Snow Collection.
Series 1, History of wooden bridges, 1930-1933, undated, contains material relating to Snow and Fletcher's unpublished manuscript. Snow corresponded with Fletcher regarding topics addressed in the book and the status of their writing. He also corresponded with John W. Storr, another civil engineer with an extensive knowledge of wooden bridges, and Sydney Wilmot, the editor planning to publish the history.
Series 2, Engineering projects, 1882, 1930-1931, consists of material related to various civil engineering projects, primarily bridges, with which Snow was associated. The engineering notebook contains detailed drawings of kilns and arches and information on various types of bridges, including railroad bridges.
Arrangement:
System of Arrangement: The collection is arranged into two series.
Series 1, History of Wooden Bridges, 1930-1933, undated
Subseries 1, Correspondence, 1930-1933, undated
Subseries 2, Drafts of manuscript, 1932-1933, undated
Series 2, Engineering projects, 1882, 1930-1931
Biographical / Historical:
J. Parker Snow was an American civil engineer with an interest in wooden bridges. He partnered with Robert Fletcher, the Director Emeritus of the Thayer School of Civil Engineering at Dartmouth College, to write a manuscript on the history of wooden bridges in the United States. This manuscript was not published. Both were members of the American Society of Civil Engineers.
Related Materials:
Materials in the Archives Center
The Llewellyn N. Edwards Collection (AC0959) contains extensive correspondence with J. Parker Snow regarding the history of wooden bridges.
Provenance:
Source of acquisition unknown.
Restrictions:
The collection is open for research use.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
The papers document the professional career of mechanical engineer, Charles Richardson Pratt. The papers include correspondence, patents, patent application materials, agreements, photographs, publications, and blueprints for many of Pratt's inventions, especially his work on elevators.
Scope and Contents:
These papers contain personal materials of Charles R. Pratt; letterpress copybooks; engineering notebooks; diaries; material relating to the development of the heavy-duty, high-rise electric elevator; material concerning elevator cable equalizers and safety devices, Morton-Jacobsen and other lathe chucks, lathe drives and the Pratt Driver, the hydraulic transmission of power in trucks, and ship steering gear; and studies reports, drawings, photographs, catalogs, and trade literature concerning mechanical engineering.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into eight series.
Series 1: Personal Materials, 1875-1935
Series 2: Diaries, 1894, 1928-1931
Series 3: Correspondence, 1872-1920
Series 4: Notebooks, 1880, 1889, 1900
Series 5: Inventions, 1860-1927
Series 6: Photographs, 1890-1902
Series 7: Publications, 1895-1929
Series 8: Drawings, 1878-1929
Biographical / Historical:
Charles Richardson Pratt (1860-1935), was born in Massachusetts to John C. and Mary Anne Richardson. He graduated from the Hopkins School of Boston and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1879. Pratt worked at Whittier Machine Company of Boston (1882-1890) where he designed and built the first electric elevator in 1888. The elevator was installed in the Tremont House, Boston. Pratt also worked as an agent and later as a consulting engineer for the Otis Elevator Company, the inventors of the hydraulic elevator.
Pratt was best known for his development of the first electrically powered elevator. In 1892, inventor Frank Sprague (1857-1934) founded the Sprague Electric Elevator Company, and with Charles R. Pratt developed the Sprague-Pratt Electric Elevator. They demonstrated that electrically powered elevators were capable of competing with hydraulic elevators. Pratt held several engineering positions and worked for the Marine Engine Company of Newark, New Jersey (1902-1905) developing elevator systems; consulting engineer to the Universal Speed Control Company of New York City (1906-1919); consultant to the American Engineering Company of Philadelphia (1912); mechanical superintendent at the Crocker Wheel Company of Ampere, New Jersey (1919); engineer for the E. Horton and Sons Company of Connecticut (1920-1923); the General Tractors Corporation (1924-1927); and was associated with the Watson Elevator Company of New York City (1928-1930). Pratt patented many of his ideas, earning over thirty-five patents related mostly to elevators,
Pratt was a member of the Masons, the Sons of the American Revolution, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the MIT Club of New Jersey, and the Motor Club of London. He married Mary Byron Ladd and they had two children, Gertrude Ladd Pratt and Donald Richardson Pratt.
Provenance:
This collection was purchased from Charles R. Pratt's daughter, Gertrude Pratt Vance, in 1973.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Includes four volumes of research notes created by Royce Beers. Notebook one dates from 1913-1920 and is a six-ring, Lefax pocket notebook filled with notes, drawings, and calculations. There is an article on airplane stability written by Orville Wright in 1917. There are also detailed notes on the six-day "hospital diet" fed to Beers' wife at Columbia Hospital following the birth of their child on October 16, 1916. Notebook two dates from 1913-1921 and is also a six-ring, Lefax pocket notebook filled with notes, drawings, and calculations with various reference tables and technical articles printed and sold by the Lefax Corporation of Philadelphia. The third engineering notebook dates from circa 1914-1922 and is, like volumes one and two, a six-ring, Lefax pocket notebook filled with Beers' notes, drawings, and calculations. Included in the notebook are three copies of the 2.5 x 4.25-inch Ringlemann scale for grading the density of smoke. The fourth engineering notebook dates from circa 1919-1945 and contains Beer's field notes, drawings, calculations, and copies of correspondence, data tables, and salesmen's bulletins. The notes and correspondence address such topics as how the Nestle's Milk Products Company could burn coffee grounds for fuel (1941), how to dry fish and beet sugar pulp and garbage incineration (1939). There is also a photographic postcard with an image of a working stoker. The notebooks are arranged in chronological order.
Collection Restrictions:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Rights:
Collection is open for research
Collection Citation:
Royce L. Beers Papers, 1900-1969, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Collection of personal notebooks of civil engineers.
Scope and Contents note:
Mainly personal notebooks of engineers, although one is a listing of products of a manufacturer of gears and another is a compilation of shop orders for various products of a manufacturer. They generally contain technical descriptions, drawings, specifications, and financial data.
Provenance:
Immediate source of acquisition unknown.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Engineering and Industry, Division of, NMAH, SI. Search this
Container:
Box 1, Folder 1
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
circa 1835-1840
Scope and Contents:
Notes, drawings, data on railroad installations and operations, and waterworks
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
Engineering Notebook Collection, 1835-1930, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Woodruff & Beach Iron Works, Commerce Street, Hartford, Connecticut
Collection Creator:
Engineering and Industry, Division of, NMAH, SI. Search this
Container:
Box 1, Folder 1
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1867
Scope and Contents:
List of gears and other patterns belonging to W & B Iron Works (includes technical descriptions of gears.
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
Engineering Notebook Collection, 1835-1930, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Frank P. Sheldon, Mill Engineer and Architect, Providence, Rhode Island
Collection Creator:
Engineering and Industry, Division of, NMAH, SI. Search this
Container:
Box 1, Folder 1
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
circa 1870-1875
Scope and Contents:
Technical cost and financial data on textile mill equipment and installations.
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
Engineering Notebook Collection, 1835-1930, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Engineering and Industry, Division of, NMAH, SI. Search this
Container:
Box 1, Folder 2
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
circa 1874-1882
Scope and Contents:
Maintenance of way expenses, repair costs, other railroad costs, number of cars hauled.
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
Engineering Notebook Collection, 1835-1930, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Engineering and Industry, Division of, NMAH, SI. Search this
Container:
Box 1, Folder 2
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
circa 1883-1884
Scope and Contents:
Survey notes and data for piers, docks, and streets.
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
Engineering Notebook Collection, 1835-1930, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Engineering and Industry, Division of, NMAH, SI. Search this
Container:
Box 1, Folder 5
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
circa 1888-1890
Scope and Contents:
Technical notes and data on steam engines and other machinery.
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
Engineering Notebook Collection, 1835-1930, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Alfred O. Blaisdell, 268 Clermont Ave., Brooklyn, New York
Collection Creator:
Engineering and Industry, Division of, NMAH, SI. Search this
Container:
Box 1, Folder 3
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
circa 1899-1912
Scope and Contents:
Technical notes and drawings on various marine engineering problems; also notes on electricity, early aviation (Wright Brothers), telescopes, and religion.
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
Engineering Notebook Collection, 1835-1930, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
William J. Richardson, Carrier Corporation Service Department, Syracuse, New York
Collection Creator:
Engineering and Industry, Division of, NMAH, SI. Search this
Container:
Box 1, Folder 4
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1930
Scope and Contents:
Individual reports of inspections of large commercial refrigeration installations.
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
Engineering Notebook Collection, 1835-1930, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Engineering and Industry, Division of, NMAH, SI. Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1867-1930
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
Engineering Notebook Collection, 1835-1930, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Engineering and Industry, Division of, NMAH, SI. Search this
Extent:
1 Item (Ink on paper., 7.6" x 4.7")
Container:
Box 1, Folder 1
Type:
Archival materials
Notebooks
Date:
1867
Scope and Contents:
List of gears and other patterns.
Local Numbers:
AC0225-0000001 (AC Scan No.)
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Engineering and Industry, Division of, NMAH, SI. Search this
Extent:
1 Item (Ink on paper., 7.3" x 4.5")
Container:
Box 1, Folder 3
Type:
Archival materials
Notebooks
Date:
1899 - 1912
Scope and Contents:
Technical notes and drawings.
Local Numbers:
AC0225-0000002 (AC Scan No.)
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Engineering and Industry, Division of, NMAH, SI. Search this
Extent:
1 Item (Ink on paper., 6.5" x 4.2")
Container:
Box 1, Folder 1
Type:
Archival materials
Notebooks
Date:
1870 - 1880
Local Numbers:
AC0225-0000004 (AC Scan No.)
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Engineering and Industry, Division of, NMAH, SI. Search this
Extent:
1 Item (Ink on paper., 10.5" x 8.0")
Type:
Archival materials
Notebooks
Date:
1870 - 1880
Arrangement:
In box 1, folder 4, page 81
Local Numbers:
AC0225-0000005 (AC Scan No.)
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Engineering and Industry, Division of, NMAH, SI. Search this
Extent:
1 Item (Ink on paper., 9.4" x 7.5")
Container:
Box 1, Folder 5
Type:
Archival materials
Notebooks
Date:
December 1889
Scope and Contents:
Diagrams and figures for locomotive boiler parts.
Local Numbers:
AC0225-0000006 (AC Scan No.)
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
