I'm interrupting the TexasLockLearList to discuss something that
actually has relevance to caving, and to Lee Jay Graves RIP.
The caving connection is the Brunton Pocket Transit, aka the Brunton
Compass.
Except for the old-timers, most of you probably have never used one, so
here is some background from Wikipedia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brunton_compass
It was commonly used by cavers when I started in Fall 1968.
But over the next several years it had been largely replaced (at least
among the American cavers I knew) by the Suunto compass made in Finland,
which are still popular today.
https://www.suunto.com/en-us/About-Suunto/History-Timeline/
In fact for quite a few years a set of the compass and clinometer has
been donated by TSS to the winner of the TCR Survey Contest.
Now the Lee Jay connection: His storage shed needs to be empty by July
31, so Justin Shaw assembled a team with Galen Falgot, Drew Thompson,
Eric Flint & Meg, and Logan McNatt to go over there Friday July 19th
evening. Gil Ediger loaned his wonderful Isuzu dump truck and we spent
several hours loading over half the contents of the shed. Early the next
morning we unloaded everything onto tables in Gil's front yard for an
"Everything Must Go Fire Sale".
As we emptied the tubs and bags, I noticed something I had never seen
before: a _*Brass*_ Brunton Pocket Transit, in pristine never-used
condition! So I removed it from the sale items thinking it can go in the
Texas Speleological Center Museum whenever that is transferred from the
old TSS office at the Pickle Research Campus. A Google search showed the
image below which is identical except Lee Jay's is stamped with INDIA
rather than STANLEY LONDON. It appears to be functional and probably
modern. At least it doesn't say "Made in China"!
Comments and more information on this item are most welcome.Please
forward to other cavers who might have insight.
Thanks,
Logan McNatt
Image result for Brass Brunton compass India
END OF INTERRUPTION; RESUME "USUAL" PROGRAMING ON TEXASLOCKLEARLIST
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