B68-526 SURVEYING INSTRUMENT. Yeiser Meridian Finder. Patented in 1859 by Frederick Yeiser of Lexington, KY; it's a variation of the Burt solar compass, which revolutionized surveying by using solar sightings rather than magnetic compasses to establish lines of latitude and longitude. It consists of a 4" diameter circular brass table mounted on an iron base, 11" high, with a level and vernier angle adjustment, and a Burt-type instrument that can be used to take sightings and calculate the position of the meridian. Yeiser subsequently obtained two other patents covering improvements, and this example more closely resembles the 1860 patent. Yeiser's name and the first patent date are engraved on the table, as well as the name of Sturm, Steffens & Co., an obscure Indianapolis maker of mathematical instruments. We are only aware of one other example of this instrument, in the collection of the Kentucky Historical Society, which more closely resembles the original patent drawings and lists as makers both Yeiser and John Hougham, of Franklin, IN, another maker of scientific instruments. In immaculate condition, with the brass having its original, never-polished, patina; a unique piece of surveying history. From the collection of Chuck Morgan. Good+ 500-1000