21. Too Cumbersome for the Field – Mechanical Calculators

The introduction of logarithms for calculations, followed by the invention of the slide rule, predated...

20. They Doubled the Life of Astronomers – Logarithms

The credit for developing the concept of logarithms in the 17th century is given to...

19. There were no Stories about Drafting

In history books about surveying, there are lots of stories involving adventure, transportation, climbing mountains,...

18. Philadelphia or Chicago – Level Rods

Two types of level rods have been well recognized for years – the Philadelphia rod...

17. On the Bubble – Wye and Dumpy Levels

Land surveyors who mainly do boundary surveys only occasionally are required to do survey level...

16. Not Quite Redundant – The Surveyor’s Compass

In Article 2 of this series, it was explained that the difference between a surveyor’s...

15. The “Vagaries of that Instrument” – The Altimeter

Altimeters measure the height above sea level by measuring barometric pressure.

14. A Town in Devonshire, England and the Tavistock Theodolite

With the introduction of the smaller, lighter Wild T2 theodolite in 1924, it became apparent...

13. Kern – 170 Years of History

Kern & Co. was founded in 1819 by Jakob Kern in Aarau, Switzerland. Jakob Kern...

12. Wild – The Leader in Optical Theodolites

The story is that, in 1902, Heinrich Wild, a 24-year-old Swiss surveyor stood behind his...