Chain, Surveyor's - Julius H. Adams

 
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Chain, Surveyor's - Julius H. Adams
Chain, Surveyor's - Julius H. Adams
Chain, Surveyor's - Julius H. Adams
Chain, Surveyor's - Julius H. Adams

Chain, Surveyor's - Julius H. Adams

Object number2015.002.03
Date1903
MediumSteel, Brass
DimensionsLength: 396 in. (1005.8 cm)
Credit LineOld State House Museum Collection
Terms
  • Chain, surveyor's
DescriptionA Surveyor’s Chain used by Julius H. Adams, a self-taught surveyor who helped distinguish land lines in Bradley and Calhoun counties, Arkansas. Adams was born March 6, 1847 in Coosa County, Alabama. In 1864, he joined Company “B” Flippin’s Battalion and served in the Civil War until the surrender in 1865. After the Civil War, Adams married Nancy Hargis on January 4, 1866 in Bradley County, Arkansas and worked as a self-taught surveyor and eventually as a Timber Estimator for the Arkansas Lumber Company in Warren, Arkansas. He and his family lived in a residence built by Adams near Warren. Adams died January 27, 1927 in Bradley County.

The chain is made of steel, with the rods linked together and handles on either end of it. The rods and links are steel, and the handles are brass. There are fifty rods connected by two links each, making the chain 33 feet long. There are tally tags that indicate smaller distances attached along the chain as well. The Surveyor's Chain is an instrument used to measure distance for land surveying and plotting, which allows for personal, legal, and commercial development. In use, the surveyor would be aided by a chainman, who would oversee the chain being straight at all times during measurement. To calculate the distance of a space, the chain would be mounted to a pole, then spread straight towards the ranging rod, which is the end destination of measurement. Given how many times the chain would need to be gathered and repositioned could be calculated into measured units by the surveyor.

This chain was manufactured by the Keuffel and Esser Company in 1903, as indicated by the "Keuffel & Esser Co. New York 7781C" trademark imprinted on the brass handles. Keuffel and Esser Co. was founded by William J.D. Keuffel and Herman Esser in 1867 in New York City. The company began manufacturing surveying instruments the same year and was also in the business of drawing materials and slide rules. Eventually, the company expanded to Keuffel and Esser Manufacturing Complex in Hoboken, New Jersey in 1906. This chain is Model Number 12 with the Serial Number 7781C, which places its production year as 1903.
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