2015 National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors, Inc. Reproduction prohibited without written permission. A Marine Chronometer s

Transcription

1 A Marine Chronometer s by Burt Cifrulak (PA) Story Have you ever held an antique object in your hand and wished it could tell you where it has been and what it has seen? I have. It wasn t until I was fortunate enough to acquire a marine chronometer with a remarkable provenance that something like that actually happened. This is the story of chronometer No (Figures 1 and 2), sold by the Negus brothers to the US Naval Observatory during the Civil War. The story of chronometer makers Thomas S. Negus and John D. Negus begins in 1812 with the arrival in America of Thomas Negus, their father, from England. Their mother Jane Davidson came to America, from Newcastle, Northumberland, northern England. The couple settled in Lower Manhattan, New York City, where Thomas Stewart Negus was born in 1828 and his brother John Davidson Negus in Figure 1. Negus marine chronometer No after passing a six-month trial was accepted for service and purchased by the US Naval Observatory in September 1863 for $250. Figure 2, top left. Negus chronometers received the highest endorsement of the US Naval Observatory during the 1870s, when the observatory recommended at least one Negus chronometer be issued to each ship along with its normal complement of chronometers. When this chronometer was completed in 1863, the silvered dial was engraved with the familiar T. S. & J. D. Negus trade name. NAWCC Watch & Clock Bulletin September/October

2 Figure 3. Early Negus chronometers were built with well-designed and finished Lancashire frames having large jewels and very fine and highly polished pivots. This movement is a full-plate 4-pillar fusee, with Earnshawtype spring detent escapement and Harrison s maintaining power. Son Thomas S. established the business, circa 1848, at 84 Wall St. in New York City and traded under the name of Thos. S. Negus & Co. The company sold marine chronometers and other instruments for navigation at sea. The younger brother, John D., joined the company later, which then became T. S. & J. D. Negus. The firm gained an excellent reputation for the quality of products marketed and sold and was a prolific supplier to the US Navy and the trade, or a specific business enterprise. Chronometers, sextants, compasses, government charts, books, and many other nautical supplies were offered. The Negus brothers acquired the highest endorsement of the US Naval Observatory for the quality of their marine chronometers. During the 1870s the observatory recommended that at least one Negus instrument be issued to each ship, along with its normal complement of chronometers. They not only sold, repaired, and adjusted chronometers but they also serviced all the other instruments they marketed. Before the Naval Observatory began servicing its own chronometers in 1916, the Negus brothers handled these important responsibilities as a contractor for the government. Marvin E. Whitney, in his book The Ship s Chronometer, wrote that the Negus instruments were characterized by very fine and highly polished pivots, running in large jewels, and the Neguses were of that breed of craftsmen possessing intense, personal points of view and dedication to turning out products that were distinctive works of craftsmanship (Figure 3). There is no doubt that he was paying tribute to their ability to provide quality instruments. The business would remain in family hands and at various addresses in the New York City area until At that time, located (since 1931) at 69 Pearl St., the business was sold to Max Low, also a chronometer supplier, of New York City. Negus marine chronometer No was acquired by me, with nearly all of its original parts; only the mahogany box was restored and a new top lid added. 440 September/October 2015 NAWCC Watch & Clock Bulletin

3 Figure 4A. Negus marine chronometer No was first assigned to sea duty during the US Civil War in 1863 aboard the frigate USS Niagara. Frigates were defined as fast medium-sized warships of the eighteenth and nineteenth century. On August 15, 1864, the Niagara took steamer Georgia, a former Confederate warship off the coast of Portugal. COURTESY OF US NAVY. Figure 4B. Dahlgren naval guns were muzzle loading artillery used during the US Civil War. Designed by Rear Admiral John A. Dahlgren, these 11" models, as used on the Niagara, required a 24-man crew to operate and could fire a 166- pound shot a distance of 3,650 yards. COURTESY OF US NAVY. It was common practice for ship captains and navigators to remove for convenience the top lid of the box. Considering its age and around the world service record, it is in remarkable condition still running strong and keeping time for more than 152 years! Using official chronometer logs and records of the US Naval Observatory, I compiled the detailed story of this important timepiece, which not only witnessed but also participated in helping make US history. This chronometer has served on no less than eight naval ships of war and one armed service ship participating in combat action during the US Civil War, the Spanish American War, and support service in the Philippine American War and World War I. This chronometer served on an admirals flagship and two other officers who were served by this timepiece later achieved flag rank and were promoted to admiral themselves. This specific Negus marine timepiece also accompanied and was used by US Naval officers on important scientific and surveying expeditions. According to US Naval Observatory records, Negus chronometer No. 1273, built on a well-designed and finished Lancashire frame, was accepted for service after passing a six-month trial and purchased in September 1863, for $250. It was first assigned to sea duty in 1863 aboard the USS Niagara, a screw-propelled steamer and sail frigate, during the US Civil War (Figure 4A). Frigates by time period definition were fast and maneuverable medium-sized warships. The Niagara, the second US fighting ship to bear that name, was launched on February 23, Armed with a dozen 11" Dahlgren smoothbore cannon and 328 feet long, weighing 5,540 long tons, she had a crew of 251 (Figure 4B). Battle hardened by action earlier in the war, the Niagara steamed out of New York harbor on June 1, 1864, with the Negus aboard, to watch over Confederate warships then fitting out in Europe. On August 15, 1864, she took steamer Georgia, a former Confederate warship off Portugal. She also saw duty off the coast of Spain, attempting to prevent the Confederate ironclad Stonewall from departing. The Stonewall was a much more powerful ship and was able to escape. It is interesting that the ship was assigned in the Boston area when the chronometer required its first maintenance. NAWCC Watch & Clock Bulletin September/October

4 Figure 5. The Negus on its second tour of sea duty would be issued to the USS Minnesota on April 29, This ship, which saw heavy action during the Civil War, now cruised to Europe with midshipmen aboard for training. COURTESY OF US NATIONAL ARCHIVES. Figure 6. Issued to the USS Tennessee on January 10, 1871, the ship along with Negus chronometer No. 1273, served as flagship of the Asiatic Squadron under Rear Admiral William Reynolds, with Captain William W. Low in command of the ship. COURTESY OF US NAVY. Figure 7A. Pictured here during the Spanish- American War is Commodore George Dewey. Earlier Lieutenant Commander Dewey used the chronometer during his surveying expedition of the Pacific Islands, including the Marshals, Gilberts, and the Samoans. This type of specialty work required the most exacting performance from chronometers assigned to that duty. COURTESY OF US LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. This was done by the firm of Wm. Bond & Sons in September The firm, by competitive bid, held a Naval Observatory contract for chronometer servicing at that location. Received from the Bond firm on May 1, 1866, the chronometer was subject to a six-month trial, which it passed on October 31, On April 29, 1867, it was reassigned to the USS Minnesota, a heavily armed 44-gun wooden sail and steam frigate (Figure 5). This 264-foot-long ship, displacing 3,307 long tons and having a crew of 646, also saw action and heavy service during the Civil War. On June 3, 1867, the Minnesota and its chronometers, made a cruise to Europe with midshipmen aboard. The chronometer was sent to Negus on December 19, 1868, for cleaning and adjustment. The Minnesota was then ordered to be used for stationary gunnery and training purposes at the New York Navy Yard. Negus marine chronometer No was returned to and received at the US Naval Observatory in March Per Bureau of Navigation orders, dated January 10, 1871, the chronometer was assigned to its third round of sea duty, aboard the USS Tennessee (Figure 6). This Wampanoag class sail and screw frigate built of wood was launched on July 8, First named the USS Madawaska, she was renamed on May 15, Displacing 3,281 tons and 355' in length, the ship had a crew of 480 officers and men. Armed with two rifled 8" cannons, two 100-pound, one 60-pound, and eighteen 9" smoothbore cannons, the ship was well outfitted for battle. The ship s duties, during this time period, included service as flagship of the Asiatic Squadron under Rear Admiral William Reynolds, with Captain William W. Low in command. On May 1, 1871, this timekeeper was sent once again to Negus and then returned for time trials, which it passed, on April 5, 1872, preparing it for what would become a very important naval mission. The bureau order dated, October 15, 1872, assigned to US Navy Lieutenant Commander George Dewey, Negus chronometer No. 1273, aboard the USS Narragansett, to be used on his surveying expedition of the Pacific Islands (Figures 442 September/October 2015 NAWCC Watch & Clock Bulletin

5 7A-7C). These islands included the Marshalls, Gilberts, and the Samoans. This type of precision work required the most exacting measure of timekeeping. The US Naval Observatory kept about 100 marine chronometers in inventory during this time period, and likely only the best were selected for these special assignments. This adventure concluded when Dewey arrived at Sydney, Australia, on April 2, Later in his career, Dewey became the only US Navy officer ever to be promoted to the highest rank of admiral of the Navy. US Naval Observatory records indicate that Negus chronometer No was allowed to run down for repairs on February 22, The chronometer was sent to Negus to be cleaned on June 7, 1881, returned on October 11, and placed on trial. Once again the chronometer passed (trial 2.927) March 31, Selected for its most unique special assignment, Negus chronometer No was loaned (assigned) on September 2, 1882, to US Navy Lieutenant Samuel Williams Very, per Bureau orders. Very, who would retire with the rank of rear admiral, was heading to Patagonia for the US Naval Observatory s 1882 transit of Venus Expedition (Figures 8A-8B). On December 6, 1882, the planet Venus was predicted to pass in front of the Sun s disk. This was an event happening only twice every 243 years. It provided a rare opportunity for astronomers to refine measurement of the astronomical unit, the distance of the Earth from the Sun, one of the fundamental constants of astronomy. US Congress appropriated $85,000 to equip four teams of observers within the United States and four more teams to be sent to Patagonia, South Africa, New Zealand, and Figure 7B. Many of these same Islands surveyed long ago by Lieutenant Commander George Dewey became strategic and important for American interests during World War II. COURTESY OF KANUROA. Chile to take critical timed photographs of Venus on the solar disk. Very was also appointed chief astronomer in charge at Santa Cruz, Patagonia (Figure 9). The expedition received much national press coverage. More than 1,700 photographs were obtained, and it took US Naval Observatory astronomers Simon Newcomb and William Harkness another six years to compute a distance to the Sun of 92,385,000 miles, with a probable error of only 125,000 miles. Very s transport ship was the USS Brooklyn, and it appears that the Negus was used primarily for the scientific work and not for navigation of the vessel. Once again only the best rated clocks and chronometers were used for this precise timing of the event and exacting scientific work. Figure 7C. USS Narragansett at Mare Island, CA. This photo was probably taken when the ship was assigned while on surveying service with Lieutenant Commander George Dewey and the Negus in COURTESY OF US NAVAL HISTORY AND HERITAGE COMMAND. NAWCC Watch & Clock Bulletin September/October

6 2015 National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors, Inc. Reproduction prohibited without written permission. Figure 8A. The US Naval Observatory 1882 Transit of Venus Expedition on board the transport ship USS Brooklyn in route to Patagonia. This astronomically important transit event occurs only twice in every 243 years. Lieutenant Samuel W. Very is standing, just right of center behind the seated officer, along with his expedition staff and some members of the ship s crew. COURTESY OF US NAVAL OBSERVATORY LIBRARY. Figure 8B. (after change) USS Brooklyn was specially detailed to carry Lieutenant Samuel Very and his party from Montevideo to their station in Patagonia. Figure 9, right. Chief Astronomer Samuel Williams Very, looking at the camera, sits at his tent encampment at Santa Cruz, Patagonia. It was here that Very and his team would take many photographs of the solar transit of the planet Venus on December 6, These photos, along with precision timing assistance of the Negus and other chronometers, provided critical data to be used in later calculating the distance of the Sun from the Earth. COURTESY US NAVAL OBSERVATORY LIBRARY. 444 September/October 2015 NAWCC Watch & Clock Bulletin

7 Figure 10. The chronometer was issued on November 30, 1888, to the USS Atlanta. The Atlanta was one of the first steel ships built for the New Navy and one of the first designated as a protected cruiser. The Atlanta with the Negus on board cruised the Atlantic Coast, the Gulf of Mexico, and the West Indies Islands. COURTESY OF US NATIONAL ARCHIVES. Negus chronometer No was reported again returned to the Naval Observatory on October 16, 1886, sent to Negus for repairs May 23, 1887, was returned on November 11, 1887, and again placed on time trials and passed muster. On November 30, 1888, the chronometer was issued to the USS Atlanta (Figure 10). This ship, launched on October 9, 1884, was one of the first steel warships of the New Navy. Atlanta, designated as a protected cruiser, had a length of 288' and displaced 3,189 long tons. A protected cruiser was a late nineteenth-century warship with armored decks that protected vital machinery from hostile gunfire. Heavily armed with big 8" and 6" high-velocity guns and a crew of 284 officers and men, this ship meant business (Figure 11). It is interesting that the ship also had two Gatling guns installed on her decks. The ship cruised the Atlantic Coast, the Gulf of Mexico, and the West Indies Islands. Records indicate chronometer No was returned to Negus for repairs on July 15, 1889, and then returned to the observatory by a Lieutenant W. H. Beehler on December 5, On June 29, 1894, the chronometer was issued to the USS Raleigh (see Figure 12). This ship, also a protected cruiser class, was commissioned on April 17, Weighing 3,200 tons and 305 feet in length, the ship had a crew of 312. The Negus chronometer No was on board Figure 11. One of the heavy naval guns aboard the USS Atlanta. This 8" gun could fire a 260-pound projectile 14,000 yards. Concussion from these big guns was something that had to be considered when selecting the location of the chronometers on board ships of war. COURTESY OF US LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. for shakedown exercises in the Chesapeake Bay. This ship saw service in the Spanish American War, World War I, and beyond. The chronometer was again transferred to the USS Detroit in September 1894 (see Figure 13). Newly commissioned on July 20, 1893, the Detroit was an unprotected cruiser of 2,094 tons, and 269 feet long, and armed with nine 5" guns and three 18" torpedo tubes. On October 16, 1894, the Detroit sailed to serve the Asiatic Station and NAWCC Watch & Clock Bulletin September/October

8 2015 National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors, Inc. Reproduction prohibited without written permission. Figure 12. The USS Raleigh, a protected cruiser, was assigned the chronometer on June 29, 1894, in time for its initial shakedown exercises in the Chesapeake Bay. This ship saw future battle action in the Spanish-American War and World War I. COURTESY OF US NATIONAL ARCHIVES. Figure 13, center. Negus chronometer No was transferred to the USS Detroit during September The cruiser Detroit was assigned to duty in the Asiatic Station and patroled the China coast and visited ports in Japan and Korea. COURTESY OF US NAVY. cruised the China coast and visited the ports of Japan and Korea. Assigned again in early 1896 to the USS Charleston, which was on China Station, the instrument was turned in at Naval Observatory Mare Island in July 1896 when the ship was decommissioned. The Charleston was the first USN protected cruiser. First commissioned in 1889, the Charleston was upgraded and recommissioned in With a length of 320 feet, displacing 3,730 long tons and a crew of 300 officers and men, it was a formidable vessel. Records indicate that Negus chronometer No was serviced at Mare Island and again reissued to the Charleston. America was now in conflict as the US Congress declared war against Spain on April 25, 1898 (Figure 14). On May 1 Commodore George Dewey led a naval squadron into Manila Bay in the Philippine Islands and succeeded in destroying the entire anchored Spanish fleet. On May 5, with Captain Henry Glass commanding, the Charleston sailed for Honolulu with three troop transport ships. The Charleston was sent to raise the US flag over Guam, a Spanish colony. The Charleston entered the harbor of Apra on June 20, 1898, and fired her big 8" guns in a challenge at Fort Santa Cruz. With no opposition from Figure 14. The USS Charleston with the Negus chronometer in 1896, saw battle action during the Spanish American War. This ship took the surrender of the Island of Guam and participated in the final bombardment of Manila. The Charleston was eventually lost after grounding on an uncharted reef near Camiguin Island, but the chronometer was saved. COURTESY OF US NAVAL HISTORY INSTITUTE. 446 September/October 2015 NAWCC Watch & Clock Bulletin

9 Figure 15. The chronometer was on board the USS Culoga, an armed and refrigerated supply ship that provided needed fresh supplies to American ground troops, who were stationed in Manila during the Philippine-American War during 1900 and COURTESY OF NAVAL HISTORY AND HERITAGE COMMAND. Figure 16. The Negus was assigned in November 1912 to the battleship USS Illinois for the ship s winter fleet exercises and battle maneuvers with the Atlantic Fleet. The ship and chronometer also saw support and training duty during World War I. COURTESY OF US NAVY. the Spanish garrison, the island was taken and the ship sailed to join Dewey s fleet. Arriving in Manila on June 30, 1898, she joined the final bombardment on August 13 of the city and brought out its surrender. The Charleston was accidently grounded on an uncharted reef near Camiguin Island, north of Luzon on November 2, While the ship was lost, according to Naval Observatory records, the chronometer was saved. Now the timekeeper saw service again, on yet another ship, the Culgoa. The USS Culgoa was a refrigerated supply ship, 346 feet long and displacing 3,325 tons, designed to provide food and stores to US Naval forces in the Manila Bay area during the hot summer of the 1898 naval blockade of the city (Figure 15). The Culgoa was a steel hulled ship built in England from 1889 to The US Navy purchased the ship during the blockade and, though not officially commissioned at the time, she was considered a merchant vessel. When the Treaty of Paris was signed, and the war was officially over, the Culgoa was finally commissioned on December 3, After commissioning she was armed with a six-pound naval gun. The war with Spain ended on December 10, In 1900 and 1901, with Negus chronometer No on board, the Culgoa made three trips to Australia for fresh supplies to aid American forces in the Philippines during the Philippine-American War. This conflict began on February 4, 1899, when Filipino revolutionary forces engaged American troops and resulted in war being declared by the First Philippine Republic against America on June 2, The war officially ended in July On July 22, 1901, the Culgoa left Cavite and headed to New York through the Suez Canal and arrived at her destination on October 1 of that year. On October 17, 1901, the timepiece was sent to Negus for cleaning and then returned to the Naval Observatory on November 6, On March 31, 1903, chronometer 1273 was issued to a J. B. D. Whipple at Norfolk. Here, unfortunately, the story ends, because a notation on the chronometer service record sheet says, See vol. III page 164 and that volume is now reported lost. However, I had the good fortune to be given several trial timing sheets of Negus chronometers, and I located several entries for No from the years of 1907, 1912, and The 1912 notation indicates that the chronometer NAWCC Watch & Clock Bulletin September/October

10 was being tested for future service on the newly recommissioned battleship USS Illinois. The USS Illinois, a heavily armored battleship originally commissioned in 1901 and the second ship of the US Navy to use that name, was lead ship of her class (Figure 16). Displacing 11,565 short tons and at 368 feet in length, she was the largest ship to which the Negus was assigned. With crew strength of 660 officers and men, she was armed with four high-velocity 13" and 14' 6" guns. Numerous other guns and torpedo tubes rounded out her firepower. The ship s duties in World War I, with the Negus on board, included her role in winter fleet exercises and battle maneuvers with the Atlantic Fleet in November In the summers of 1913 and 1914, the Illinois was used as a training ship for midshipmen, who then contributed their skill and service to the war effort and beyond. While I have no proof, as of this writing, I believe the chronometer saw additional service well beyond 1925 with the US Navy and continuing on into World War II. Marine chronometers are known for their longevity, and this one appears to have more than lived up to that standard. With new information, on occasion being found and shared, perhaps that suspicion one day can be confirmed. Only time will tell. In any event, I believe this important and historic instrument, serving in four wars and touring around the world, built over a century and a half ago, served our navy and country well. Marine chronometers were perhaps the single most important instrument responsible for the expansion of civilization and the modern world. References and Sources Consolidated list of persons subject to military draft, Newark, NJ, June The Critic and record, Washington DC, Issue 4205, Dick, Steven J., Wayne Orchiston, and Tom Love. Simon Newcomb, William Harkness and the Nineteenth- Century American Transit of Venus Expeditions. Journal for the History of Astronomy (August 1998): Dick, Steven J. Sky and Ocean Joined: The U.S. Naval Observatory Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, Doggett s New York City Directory, Evening Star, Washington, DC, February 5, Mercer, Tony. Chronometer Makers of the World. London: N. A. G. Press, 1991, New York Tribune, New York City, NY, July 25, US Census, 1840, 1850, 1860, and US Naval Observatory, Report of the Superintendent, October 6, US Naval Observatory, Report of the Superintendent, August 19, US Naval Observatory, Report of the Superintendent, July 15, US Naval Observatory, Chronometer Logs, Vol. II. US Naval Observatory, Chronometer Rate Logs, Vol. IX, 228. Whitney, Marvin E. The Ship s Chronometer. Cincinnatti: The American Watchmakers Institute Press, 1985, Acknowledgments I thank my friends, NAWCC member Tom Brown, a criminal investigator and a first-rate researcher, and Richard Schmidt, a retired US Naval Observatory astronomer, for their valued time and effort in uncovering much of the data used in this project. I also thank my good friend, Paul Regan, fellow chronometer collector and NAWCC member, for his insistence that this article be written and for his multifaceted support throughout the entire project. My thanks to Commander Peter Linstead-Smith, O.B.E. Royal Navy (ret.) for his input and positive review of this article. To our editor Therese Umerlik and her staff for the great work and layout of this project. About the Author Burt Cifrulak is a Vietnam veteran and retired police inspector and academy director, who served 30 years with the Allegheny County Police, Pittsburgh, PA. Starting out with collecting and studying the history of the Hamilton and Lancaster family of pocket watches, then he expanded to collecting marine chronometers and researching their historical role in science, geographical mapping, and navigation of the seas. Burt coauthored a previous Watch & Clock Bulletin article on the Adams and Perry Watch Company and Lancaster Watch Companies, which was featured in the May/ June 2013, No. 403 issue. Burt has been a member of the NAWCC since September/October 2015 NAWCC Watch & Clock Bulletin

11 Collection Connection The National Watch and Clock Museum houses more than 12,000 timepieces at its Columbia, PA, location, but several NAWCC members are unable to visit this horological collection. So we are bringing that collection to you. Several articles in the Watch & Clock Bulletin feature items similar to those in the Museum, and we are highlighting those timepieces in this feature through photographs and explanations provided by Museum Director Noel Poirier and Curator Kimberly Jovinelli. Marine chronometer, ca Marine chronometers represent some of the most widely traveled objects in the Watch and Clock Museum collection. This example, made by Thomas Mercer and marked Bryant Biggs, is a great example of just that. Built by Mercer in St. Albans, England, and sold to clockmakers Bryant Biggs and Co. in Cardiff Wales, this chronometer served the Royal Navy as indicated by the broad arrow on the dial. It was documented to have served in the South Pacific, having visited the ports of the Tonga Islands, Pago Pago, and Sydney, Australia. NAWCC Watch & Clock Bulletin September/October