When I started here back in 2007, my predecessor had this chain wrapped around the ceiling of the office for display and I'm completing the move to a new office and took it down. Now I'm curious as I know little about it other than my predecessor mentioned that he had removed it from some trash and hung on to it. It does not appear to be a surveyor's chain, at least any I'm familiar with. Anyone?
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Why not a survey chain?
How long, in how many links??ÿ
Any names marked on it?
100' No other markings. Links appear to be in 1' increments. The chain has tags indicating the 10' increments as can be seen in the photo. I'm guessing some type of engineers chain, but that is only a guess.?ÿ
Looks like a 66 foot surveyors chain to me...
Looks like a 66 foot surveyors chain to me...
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That little brass tag is a Tally Mark.?ÿ That particular one indicates "4" of whatever it is tallying.?ÿ There should be more, but since they are brass, oft-times they may be broken off.?ÿ Depending on the chain and handles, the end of the link, at the handle, to the same point on the other end is the length of chain.?ÿ An engineer chain is 100 feet, a survey chain could be 66' typically, and in Texas, and possibly other "Spanish origin" states, it could be a Vara Chain.?ÿ I have only seen 1 vara chain in my 44 years of surveying.
Also, the manufacturer would stamp their name on the end of the brass handle.?ÿ K& E, Chesterman, Sheffield (European), among many others.
Closer inspection one of the tags is stamped with 'Chesterman "JC" Sheffield -ENG
The ENG part, Engineering or England?
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@brad-ott he was posting while I was typing. I estimated the links I couldn't see from those I could. Not terribly scientific.
@thebionicman I sincerely apologize. ?ÿSeriously, sometimes I can be a dick. ?ÿIt is one of my many super powers. ?ÿI hope you will forgive me and maybe even show me the undeserved kindness of forgetting my snotty post. ?ÿI mean this. ?ÿI am sorry.
the giveaway that it is an engineer's chain was the four pointed tally = 66' which obviously would not be on a surveyors chain
Found this with my googlefu which shed some light on my office decoration. I know a bit more now than when I pulled it down from the ceiling. I think I will put it back up in the new office as a nod to my mentor who left it to me.
http://www.dehilster.info/geodetic_instruments/20th_century_chesterman_imperial_chain.php
disregard above. I just checked two of my chains and both have tallies after 10 links
Eng. I believe would be England, since Sheffield is in England.
A surveyors chain would have 100 0.66' links, it appears that a 66' chain was modified to 100' by adding 100 0.34' links into the mix. Those smaller links can be seen to be all bundled at one end. Quite interesting as I have never seen one before. Probably way cheaper to add links than actually buy a 100' steel tape. Most likely it was used for railroad construction.
Paul in PA
PS, Do I get any points for imagination as I posted before seeing the second page post above?
No worries at all. Nice thing about getting old. Already forgotten ????
