Cary HO47 small survey sextant
Small brass survey quintant by Cary
This is one of the smaller sextants in my collection (together with the Ilon and reflecting circle). Just check the photograph of it next to my full size Cary survey sextant. It seems that the sextant is all brass and based on the broad arrow and HO47 engraving it seems to have seen service at the Hydrographic Office of the UK. It is a handy device, but I wonder if it would have been practical for everyday use.
On the other hand, it has a round handle making it easy to grip. It is of the vernier type with a small loupe rather than a real microscope. The loupe does function well though. The instrument has been through rough times. The horizon mirror is weathered through (needs replacing), the lens of the eye piece of the telescope is missing; it has been cleaned from its original black paint and some of the plastic is broken. Yes, plastic, that is the black material (or so I think it is). There are different types of 'early' plastic but the most probable would be celluloid or bakelite. THe former would place the instrument after 1909. The HO number however seems to place it somewhere around 1885 - 1890 making the plastic most probably celluloid tinted black. Any further information is welcome.
Cary HO47
Data sheet
- Serialnumber
- 3560
- Material
- Brass
- graduation
- deg
- measuring range
- 170 (130)
- Radius limb in mm
- 80
- accuracy
- 1'
- fine reading
- vernier (single)
- Size instrument (l x w x h) in m
- 0.13 x 0.18 x 0.07
- weight instrument in kg
- 0.7
- country obtained from
- Netherlands
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Small brass survey quintant by Cary