Mount Wilson Observatory Optical Shop Papers: Finding Aid. No online items

Transcription

1 No online items Finding aid prepared by Steven Collicelli, March 5, The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens Manuscripts Department 1151 Oxford Road San Marino, California Phone: (626) URL: The Huntington Library. All rights reserved. mssmount Wilson optical shop 1

2 Overview of the Collection Title: Optical Shop Papers Dates (inclusive): Bulk dates: Collection Number: mssmount Wilson optical shop Creator: Optical Shop. Extent: 931 items in 8 boxes Repository: The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens. Manuscripts Department 1151 Oxford Road San Marino, California Phone: (626) reference@huntington.org URL: Abstract: This collection contains records of the Optical Shop, relating to the operation of the department from 1911 to 1963 (bulk ). The department was responsible for repairing and maintaining the Observatory's telescopes, as well as for observatories around the United States. The materials include research and procedural notes, correspondence, inventories and requisition slips, and job lists and employee time sheets. Language: English. Access Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information, contact Reader Services. Publication Rights The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher. Preferred Citation [Identification of item]. Optical Shop Papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California. Provenance Deposit, Observatories of the Carnegie Institution of Washington Collection, Approximately fifty additional separate collections form the Mount Wilson Papers of the Observatories of the Carnegie Institution of Washington and are available for research in the Manuscripts Department of the Huntington Library. Historical Note Founded in December 1904 by George Ellery Hale and funded by the Carnegie Institution, the quickly became one of the 20th century s major astronomical research centers. Located just north of Los Angeles high atop the San Gabriel Mountains, the observatory took full advantage of Southern California s clear nights and uniquely steady air. The observatory s 60 telescope completed in 1908 was the largest then in existence. In 1917, another Mount Wilson telescope, 100 in diameter, claimed that title. The Optical Shop was the department responsible for repairing and maintaining these telescopes. Optical Shop workers ground and polished mirrors, lenses, and prisms: tasks requiring meticulous precision and technique. In addition to serving Mount Wilson, the Optical Shop produced optical instruments for observatories across the country. During the Second World War, the Optical Shop played an important role in U.S. war effort. Shop technicians produced roof prisms for military optics on a large scale, eventually publishing an instruction manual for other optical workshops. Experiments with newly-invented Schmidt cameras helped develop the field of aerial photography. New camera shutters and film sweep mechanisms were invented. Procedures for measuring lens resolution were tested. Scope and Content The Optical Shop Papers comprise 8 boxes of material relating to the operation of the department from 1911 to 1963 (bulk ). This material is divided into four general categories: research and procedural notes, correspondence, inventories and requisition slips, and job lists and employee time sheets. Each group is arranged chronologically. Various scientific manuals, brochures, and unidentified notes have been gathered into a folder of ephemera. mssmount Wilson optical shop 2

3 Shop notebooks form the bulk of the research material. These notebooks outline various procedures for grinding and polishing mirrors, drilling glass, and configuring lenses. Several notebooks track the construction of the observatory s 100 Hooker telescope as well as the 200 Hale telescope housed at the California Institute of Technology s Palomar Observatory. Declassified research on aerial photography for the National Defense Research Committee is included in several progress reports. The majority of correspondence is between Optical Shop technicians and astronomers both at Mount Wilson and elsewhere around the country. These letters are generally technical in nature with the various interlocutors trying to solve specific optical problems. Several manufacturing firms solicit the Optical Shop personnel about their products. Walter S. Adams and Don O. Hendrix participate in the bulk of the correspondence. Included is Hendrix s signed Pledge of Secrecy and commission from the Office of Scientific Research and Development. Inventory notebooks detail the supplies used in the Optical Shop: everything from towels and paper goods to slabs of optical glass and chemical solvents. Lists of lenses, mirrors, and prisms record material in stock and material lent out to other institutions. Requisition slips and shipping invoices illustrate the broad network of suppliers the shop needed for their highly specialized work. A number of notebooks chart the myriad jobs the Optical Shop performed for both the and other institutions. These notebooks assign each job a number, outline the work, and list the employees working on it. Separate employee time charts are also included with address and contact information for each. Notable participants include: Walter S. Adams, who succeeded Hale as director of the observatory, Don O. Hendrix, the Shop's chief optician and Ira Sprague Bowen, Bannevar Bush, Robert E. Hopkins, Brian O'Brien, Frank E. Ross, and Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Note: Two inventory notebooks have been treated for mold and are held separate from the main collection. Please contact Reader Services for access to these notebooks. Arrangement Arranged in 8 boxes in the following order: Boxes 1-2: Research and Procedure Notes Box 3: Correspondence Boxes 4-6: Shop Inventories, Invoices, and Requisition Slips Boxes 7-8: Job Lists and Time Charts and Ephemera Indexing: Added Entries Adams, Walter S. (Walter Sydney), Addressee of Frank E. (Frank Elmore) Ross, letter (1936, May 30). Box 3 (1). Addressee of B.H. Witherspoon letters (1941, July-1941, Aug.). Box 3 (5). Addressee of Benjamin Liebowitz letter (1945, Dec. 10). Box 3 (29). Bowen, Ira Sprague, Addressee of Jet Propulsion Laboratory (U.S.) letter (1949, Nov. 22). Box 3 (40). Indexing Terms The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the Huntington Library's Online Catalog. Subjects Carnegie Institution of Washington. Mount Wilson and Palomar Observatories. -- History -- Sources. Optical Shop. Office of Scientific Research and Development. Astronomers -- United States -- Correspondence. Astronomical observatories -- California -- Wilson, Mount (Mountain) Astronomical photography -- Equipment and supplies. Astronomy -- United States -- History -- 20th century -- Sources. Astrophysics -- History -- 20th century -- Sources. Telescopes -- Design and construction -- History -- Sources. Forms/Genres Inventories -- California -- 20th century. mssmount Wilson optical shop 3

4 Letters (correspondence) -- United States -- 20th century. Notebooks -- California -- 20th century. Time sheets -- California -- 20th century. Additional Contributors Adams, Walter S. (Walter Sydney), Bowen, Ira Sprague, , recipient. Bush, Vannevar, Hendrix, Don O. Hopkins, Robert E. (Robert Earl) O'Brien, Brian, Ross, Frank E. (Frank Elmore), Jet Propulsion Laboratory (U.S.). Research and Procedure Notes Box Box Research and Procedure Notes 1911, Feb.-Oct. Shop Notebook. 1 item. 1911, Oct.-1912, Sep. Shop Notebook. 1 item. 1912, Oct.-1913, May. Shop Notebook. 1 item. 1913, May-Nov. Shop Notebook. 1 item. 1913, Dec.-1914, Oct. Shop Notebook. 1 item. 1914, Oct.-1916, Apr. Shop Notebook. 1 item. 1916, Apr.-1917, Oct. Shop Notebook. 1 item. 1917, Oct.-1918, June Shop Notebook. 1 item. 1931, Oct.-1938, Nov. Silvering Notes. 1 item. [1936, Dec ,-Mar.]. Shop Notebook. 1 item. 1937, Dec.-1939, Jan. Lens Blueprints. 7 items. [ ]. Shop Notebook. 1 item. 1943, Mar.-1944, Dec. Shop Notebook. 1 item. Research and Procedure Notes 1936, Nov.-Dec. Performance Graphs, Focal Ratio Data. 9 items. 1942, May. The Schmidt Camera Project 4th Progress Report. 1 item. 1942, May. The Schmidt Camera Project 5th Progress Report. 1 item. 1942, Aug. The Schmidt Camera Project Final Progress Report. 1 item. 1943, Aug. Army Air Force Training Manual. 8 items. [1943]. Progress Report on NDRC Project D item. [1943]. Note on Reflecting Telescope. 1 item. [1943]. Prism and Camera Lens Diagrams. 3 items. 1944, Sep.-Oct. Shop Notebook. 1 item. 1946, Oct. Note on Primers. 1 item. 1947, Sep. Facts Concerning 36 Machine. 1 item. [before 1947, Sep.]. Notes on 48 Schmidt Lens. 4 items. 1949, Mar. 1 item. Prism Diagram. 1949, June-1949, Sep. 20 items. Temperature Diagrams. 1952, Jan. Casting Diagram for Iron Tools. 1 item. 1962, July-1963, June. Shop Notebook. 1 item. [Undated]. Laboratory Optical Work. 1 item. [Undated]. Lens Diagram. 1 item. [Undated]. Notes on Adhesives. 1 item. [Undated]. Notes on Testing Plane-Parallels. 1 item. [Undated]. Notes on Polishing. 1 item. [Undated]. Notes on Polishing Glass. 6 items. mssmount Wilson optical shop 4

5 Research and Procedure Notes 3 4 [Undated]. Star Charts. 2 items. [Undated]. Vistanex Polybutene Specifications. 1 item. Correspondence Box 3 Correspondence 1936, May 30. Ross, Frank E. (Frank Elmore), letter to Walter S. (Walter Sydney) Adams, Includes notes on 60 telescope. 1941, May-June. James H. Rhodes & Company. 2 letters to Don O. Hendrix. 1941, June 19. Day, R. K. 1 letter to J. R. Masters. 1941, June 23. Andrus, H. C. 1 letter to R. K. Day. 1941, July-1941, Aug. Witherspoon, B. H. 2 letters to Walter S. (Walter Sydney) Adams, , Oct. 8. Stewart, Irvin. 1 letter to All Personnel of the OSRD organization. 1941, Oct. 9. Jones, A. E. 1 letter to. 1941, Oct. 14. Bush, Vannevar, letter to Don O. Hendrix. Includes a Pledge of Secrecy. 1941, Oct. 27. Thompson, Charles G. 1 letter to Don O. Hendrix , Nov. 13. O Brien, Brian, letter to Don O. Hendrix , Dec. 4. Bush, Vannevar, letter to All Persons Holding Office of Scientific Research and Development Appointments Carrying No Compensation. Includes form signed by Don O. Hendrix , Dec , Mar. Hopkins, Robert E. (Robert Earl). 2 letters to Theodore Dunham. Includes 4 pages of lens notes , Dec. 31. Arthur, E. P. 1 letter to Don O. Hendrix , Jan. 4. Hendrix, Don O. 1 letter to H.K. Stephenson Esq , Jan.-Feb. Hendrix, Don O. 2 letters to Herbert E. Ives, , Jan. 21. Christie, W.H. 1 letter to Herbert Eugene Ives, , Feb. 2. [ Optical Shop]. 1 letter to Polaroid Corporation , Feb. 4. Christie, W. H. 1 letter to Norton Company , Feb.-1943, Mar. Christie, W. H. 4 letters to Brian O Brien, , Feb. 19. Christie, W. H. 1 letter to N. C. Jamison , Feb letter to Army Air Force Materiel Center , Mar. 4. O Brien, Brian, letter to W. H. Christie. Includes envelope , Mar. 13. The Norton Company. 1 letter to W. H. Christie , Mar. 19. Hopkins, Robert E. (Robert Earl). 1 letter to Don O. Hendrix. Includes 6 pages of diagrams , Mar. 29. Buckley, Walter G. 1 letter to Don O. Hendrix , Mar letter to Walter G. Buckley , Mar. 31. Hendrix, Don O.1 letter to Aluminum Company of Canada, Ltd , Apr. 2. Felker Manufacturing Co. 1 letter to. Includes shipping invoice , Dec. 10. Liebowitz, Benjamin. 1 letter to Walter S. (Walter Sydney) Adams, , Jan. 15. Mount Wilson Optical Dept. 1 letter to Benjamin Liebowitz , Jan.-Feb. Liebowitz, Benjamin. 2 letters to Don O. Hendrix , Mar. 25. Hendrix, Don O. 1 letter to Benjamin Liebowitz , Aug. 15. Hansen, Waldemar G. 1 letter to Don O. Hendrix , Sep. 1. Optical Mold and Machinery Co. 1 letter to Don O. Hendrix. Includes 3 BW photographs , Jan. 17. Martling, M. G. 1 letter to Don O. Hendrix , Sep. 22. Rule, B. H. 1 letter to Don. O. Hendrix. Includes Erection Notes Mirror & Cell , Oct. 4. XTY. 1 letter to Don O. Hendrix. Enclosed 6 strips of photographic negatives and includes envelope , Feb. 2. Elgin National Watch Company. 1 letter to Don Hendrix. mssmount Wilson optical shop 5

6 Correspondence , Mar. 28. Bingswanger-Henkin Industries. 1 letter to H. L. (Henry L.) Giclas , Nov. 22. Jet Propulsion Laboratory (U.S.). 1 letter to Ira Sprague Bowen, , Dec. 12. Leekley and Booz Vapor Blast Manufacturing, Co. 1 letter to Don O. Hendrix , Mar. 25. Vrabel, Joseph. 1 letter to Don O. Hendrix , Jan. 8. Corning Glass Works. 1 letter to Don O. Hendrix. Includes notes on Pyrex glass. 4 [Undated]. Hendrix, Don O. 1 letter to Eastman Kodak Co. 5 [Undated]. Farrand Optical Co., Inc. 1 letter to Dear Sir. Shop Inventories, Invoices, and Requisition Slips Box 4 Box 5 Box Shop Inventories 1928, July-1935, Jan. Optical Parts- Inventory. 1 item. 1929, Mar.-1940, Mar. Glass Purchases. 1 item. 1931, Mar.-1935, Feb. Shop Supplies-Inventory. 1 item. 1935, Jan.-1937, Jan. Shop Supplies-Inventory. Includes: Guarantee for Big Ben Chime Alarm and 8 supply slips signed Martin. 10 items. 1935, May 11. Optical Equipment Inventory. 1 item. 1937, Jan.-1938, Apr. Shop Supplies- Inventory. 1 item. 1938, May-1939, Dec. Shop Supplies- Inventory. Includes 2 business cards: Abbott Linen, Co. and Carolina Absorbent Cotton, Co. 3 items. 1930, Sep.-1936, Oct. Lens Stock Inventory. 1 item. Item has been treated for mold and is held separate from the main collection. 1937, July-1941, May. Shop Supplies-Inventory. 1 item. Item has been treated for mold and is held separate from the main collection. Shop Inventories (continued) 1939, Dec.-1941, Nov. Shop Supplies- Inventory. 1 item. 1940, Apr. 17. Glass Stock Inventory. 1 item. 1940, Apr. 23. Prism Stock Inventory 1 item. 1940, Apr. 24. Lens Stock Inventory. 1 item. 1940, Apr.-1944, Sep. Mirror Stock Inventory. Includes 1 page insert. 2 items. 1941, Nov.-1943, Aug. Shop Supplies- Inventory. 1 item 1943, Aug.-1945, June. Shop Supplies Inventory. 1 item. 1946, Dec. 14. Present Status of Pyrex and Quartz Mirrors. Created by the Fund for Astrophysical Research. 1 item. Inventories (continued), Invoices, and Requisition Slips Shop Inventory. 1 item. [1948]. Shop Inventory. 1 item. [Undated]. Iron Tools and Test Plates-Inventory. Includes 3 measurement templates. 4 items. [Undated]. Shop Inventory. 2 items. 1920, Nov.-1924, Dec. Spencer Lens Company. 9 invoices. 1924, June. Corning Glass Works. 5 invoices. 1927, Sep.-1931, June. Parsons Optical Glass Company. 6 invoices. 1929, Dec.-1939, July. Jena Glaswerk Schott & Gen. Jena. 9 invoices. 1930, Feb.-1936, May. Fish-Schurman Inc. 2 invoices. 1935, Jan. 18. Pittsburg Plate Glass, Co. 1 invoice. 1943, Mar. 3. Bausch and Lomb Optical Company. 2 invoices. 1943, Mar. 6. F.C. Nash and Co. 1 invoice. 1944, Mar. 15. Crucible Steel Company of America. 1 invoice Slips. 3 items Slips. 22 items Slips. 41 items Slips. 27 items Slips. 33 items Slips. 28 items Slips. 37 items. mssmount Wilson optical shop 6

7 Shop Inventories, Invoices, and Requisition Slips Slips. 44 items Slips. 23 items Slips. 58 items Slips. 52 items Slips. 40 items Slips. 9 items Slips. 7 items Slips. 16 items Slips. 14 items Slips. 22 items Slips. 29 items Slips. 13 items Slips. 21 items Slips. Includes one Foundation for Astrophysical Research requisition slip. 20 items Slips. Includes one Foundation for Astrophysical Research requisition slip. 9 items Slips. 10 items Slips. 32 items. 8 [Undated]. Requisition for Polaroid. Includes note Ted to Don O. Hendrix. 2 items. Job Lists and Time Charts and Ephemera Box 7 Box 8 0 Job Lists and Time Charts 1933, July-1937, June. Lens Work Notebook. 1 item. 1937, Nov.-1939, Mar. Don O. Hendrix Optical Work Time Charts. 9 items. 1938, Feb.-1947, Feb. Record of Mirrors Aluminized. Includes three oak leaf shipping tags. 4 items. 1938, Dec.-1940, June. Finished Mirrors Notebook. Includes 3 notes concerning various lens jobs. 4 items. 1941, Mar.-Nov. Outside Jobs Record Notebook. 1 item. 1941, Apr.-1942, Feb. Time Book for Inter Department Jobs. 1 item. 1941, Sep.-Apr Job # 18 Work And Time Charts. 1 item. Job Lists and Time Charts (continued) and Ephemera 1941, Oct.-1948, Dec. Outside Job Numbers Book 1. 1 item. 1945, Jan.-1949, Apr. Outside Job Numbers Book 2. 1 item. 1941, Nov.-1942, Apr. Daily Employee Time Charts. 1 item. 1942, Apr.-Sep. Daily Employee Time Charts. 1 item. 1943, Mar.-Apr. Production Log Book. 1 item. 6. [ ]. Job Numbers. 1 item. 1946, May 22. General Repairs. 2 items. 1946, Oct. 15. General Repairs and Work in Shop for Completion. 3 items. 1947, Feb. 1. General Repairs and Work in Shop for Completion. Includes a handwritten addendum. 5 items. [Undated]. Job Numbers.15 items. 11. [ ]. Ephemera. 20 items. mssmount Wilson optical shop 7