1908 Keuffel & Esser Saegmueller Solar Transit, Twisted Frame, Mountain Size

Description

his is a beautiful mountain size (smaller) Keuffel & Esser Saegmueller solar transit, t
his is one of only a few of this type known to exist.
This transit has the addition of “twisted frame” standards and disappearing cross hairs.
The optics and cross hairs are in great shape, the motions turn smoothly and it comes with the original box and tripod.
Postage is .00 if within the US, more  If you are outside the US; no charge for careful packing.
Here is some information on the firm of Keuffel and Esser:
Keuffel and Esser
Wilhelm Johann Diedrich Keuffel and Herman Esser were partners in the firm of Keuffel & Esser which was founded in July 1867 at 79 Nassau St. Manhattan. They were two German immigrants, who were importers and jobbers of drawing materials and mathematical and surveying instruments.
Keuffel (1838-1908), born in Walbeck (Rhineland, Germany) and was employed in the hardware business in Germany and Birmingham, England, prior to his immigration to Hoboken, NJ, in 1866. The next year he joined with Herman Esser (1845-1908) who was originally from Wuppertal-Elbertfeld. In 1875, the firm was incorporated as Keuffel & Esser Company (also known as K & E) and moved from Manhattan to Third and Grand Street in Hoboken, New Jersey. Wilhelm J. D. Keuffel died in Hoboken, New Jersey in 1908. Herman Esser retired from Keuffel & Esser Co. in 1902. He was back in Bad Godesberg (near Bonn, Rhine River, Germany) in April of 1902 and died there in April 1908.
In the coming decades, Keuffel & Esser began to expand, opening showrooms, offices and new factories in New York, New Jersey, Chicago, St. Louis, San Francisco, Detroit, and Montreal. They first manufactured surveying instruments in 1885 and introduced an innovative new line of surveying equipment in the 1890s. The company's first product was hard rubber curves and triangles. Later products included drafting paper, surveying instruments, and drafting aids such as slide rules. Keuffel & Esser held patents for a wide range of slide rule features, including improved cursor indicators, functions and scales, and the adjustable body mechanism. The company was so successful that in 1965 it went public on NASDAQ. However, in the coming years, rapid changes in technology including the development of calculators, CAD systems and laser surveying systems, had a detrimental effect on Keuffel & Esser, which shrank drastically after 1972. In 1982 Keuffel & Esser filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and eventually was bought out by several companies including Cubic Precision (acquired in 1997 by BRUNSON) or Azon Corporation. Currently, Azon Corporation owns the Keuffel & Esser name and trademarks.