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Frank, I am impressed that by 1884 the manufacturing world had
advanced to the point where "Excellent chronometers can be purchased
brand new for 25 to 30 pounds..." in England.

However, I am not sure that this is indicative of the situation in
1850 which was, as you recall, the watershed year in which you claim
that it became more economic to buy a second sextant than to buy a
good sextant. Certainly, in the United States, manufacturing did not
get into gear until after the Civil War. (Indeed, at the start of the
Civil War the number of steam engines (both stationary and for use in
transport) in the entire United States did not exceed 5000.) The
centre of the world's chronometer industry at this time - and for
many decades to come - was Prescott in Lancashire here in England.
The vast majority of chronometer makers bought the parts from
Prescott manufacturers and built them up into chronometers with their
own names on them. This is true for chronometer makers in the US as
well and I think it is true to say that by 1850 no chronometer had
been completely made by an American clock maker 'from the plates up'.
Indeed, this is generally true right up until WWII when Hamilton
started to fill the urgent requirement for chronometers for the US navy.

Perhaps more indicative of the price of chronometers at the time of
interest is a letter dated June 19, 1863 from Captain J. M. Gillis,
U.S.N. Superintendent of the US Naval Observatory to Rear Admiral
Davis, Chief of the Bureau of Navigation. Regarding the acquisition
of chronometers he wrote, "In the judgement of of Messrs. Negus and
Company, Messrs. Eggert and Sons and Messrs. Bliss and Company, the
only makers of chronometers in New York, $250 will be a reasonable
compensation for chronometers of the standard exacted for naval
service." (From "The Ship's Chronometer" by Marvin E. Whitney)

Geoffrey

At 03:40 16/07/2009, you wrote:

>Geoffrey, I've got a few more bits of data on prices of chronometers
>versus sextants.
>
>First, there's Lecky c.1884:
>"[one can get longitude...] first by the chronometer, and secondly
>by Lunars. These last, however, are rapidly dying out, and are
>mostly looked upon now as "fancy navigation." Excellent chronometers
>can be purchased brand new for 25 to 30 [pounds]; when second-hand,
>and equally good, for much less; in fact, they are becoming a drug
>in the market. The better class of vessels seldom carry fewer than three."
>
>I'm not sure what would qualify as "much less" than 25 to 30 pounds
>but I would guess half that at least, say 12-15 pounds (?).
>Meanwhile at nearly the same date, according to "The Sextant" by H.
>Wilberforce Clarke, a finer sextant sells for about 14 pounds. So
>that's approximate price parity and also an explicit statement of
>the existence of a thriving market for second-hand chronometers.
>
>This is not proof of anything --just a little more data.
>
>-FER
>
>
>
>
>

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