Mount Wilson Observatory Optical Shop Papers: Finding Aid mssMtWilson2

Finding aid prepared by Steven Collicelli, March 5, 2011.

The Huntington Library

1151 Oxford Road

San Marino, California 91108

Business Number: (626) 405-2191

reference@huntington.org

URL: http://www.huntington.org

Contributing Institution: The Huntington Library

Title: Mount Wilson Observatory Optical Shop Papers

Identifier/Call Number: mssMtWilson2

Physical Description: 4.51 Linear Feet (9 boxes)

Date (inclusive): 1911-1966

Date (bulk): 1930-1947

Abstract: This collection contains records of the Mount Wilson Observatory Optical Shop, relating to the operation of the department from 1911 to 1963 (bulk 1930-1947). 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 of Material: English.

Conditions Governing Access

Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more information.

Conditions Governing Use

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]. Mount Wilson Observatory Optical Shop Papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Deposit, Observatories of the Carnegie Institution of Washington Collection, 1988. 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.

Biographical / Historical

Founded in December 1904 by George Ellery Hale and funded by the Carnegie Institution, the Mount Wilson Observatory 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 Mount Wilson Observatory 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 Contents

The Mount Wilson Observatory Optical Shop Papers comprise 8 boxes of material relating to the operation of the department from 1911 to 1963 (bulk 1930-1947). 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.

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 Mount Wilson Observatory 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 9 boxes in the following order:

Boxes 1-2: Research and Procedure Notes
Box 3: Correspondence
Boxes 4-6; 9: Shop Inventories, Invoices, and Requisition Slips
Boxes 7-8: Job Lists and Time Charts and Ephemera

Indexing: Added Entries

Adams, Walter S. (Walter Sydney), 1876-1956.

Addressee of Frank E. (Frank Elmore) Ross, 1874-1960 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, 1898-1973.

Addressee of Jet Propulsion Laboratory (U.S.) letter (1949, Nov. 22). Box 3 (40).

Subjects and Indexing Terms

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

Inventories -- California -- 20th century

Letters (correspondence) -- United States -- 20th century

Notebooks -- California -- 20th century

Time sheets -- California -- 20th century

Carnegie Institution of Washington.

Mount Wilson and Palomar Observatories.

Adams, Walter S. (Walter Sydney), 1876-1956

Research and Procedure Notes

Box 1

Research and Procedure Notes

Box 1, Folder 1

Shop Notebook. 1 item. 1911, Feb.-Oct.

Box 1, Folder 2

Shop Notebook. 1 item. 1911, Oct.-1912, Sep.

Box 1, Folder 3

Shop Notebook. 1 item. 1912, Oct.-1913, May.

Box 1, Folder 4

Shop Notebook. 1 item. 1913, May-Nov.

Box 1, Folder 5

Shop Notebook. 1 item. 1913, Dec.-1914, Oct.

Box 1, Folder 6

Shop Notebook. 1 item. 1914, Oct.-1916, Apr.

Box 1, Folder 7

Shop Notebook. 1 item. 1916, Apr.-1917, Oct.

Box 1, Folder 8

Shop Notebook. 1 item. 1917, Oct.-1918, June

Box 1, Folder 9

"Silvering Notes." 1 item. 1931, Oct.-1938, Nov.

Box 1, Folder 10

Shop Notebook. 1 item. [1936, Dec. 15-1938,-Mar.].

Box 1, Folder 11

Lens Blueprints. 7 items. 1937, Dec.-1939, Jan.

Box 1, Folder 12

Shop Notebook. 1 item. [1939-1942].

Box 1, Folder 13

Shop Notebook. 1 item. 1943, Mar.-1944, Dec.

Box 2

Research and Procedure Notes

Box 2, Folder 1

Performance Graphs, Focal Ratio Data. 9 items. 1936, Nov.-Dec.

Box 2, Folder 2

"The Schmidt Camera Project" 4th Progress Report. 1 item. 1942, May.

Box 2, Folder 3

"The Schmidt Camera Project" 5th Progress Report. 1 item. 1942, May.

Box 2, Folder 4

"The Schmidt Camera Project" Final Progress Report. 1 item. 1942, Aug.

Box 2, Folder 5

Army Air Force Training Manual. 8 items. 1943, Aug.

Box 2, Folder 6

"Progress Report on NDRC Project D3-29." 1 item. [1943].

Box 2, Folder 7

Note on Reflecting Telescope. 1 item. [1943].

Box 2, Folder 8

Prism and Camera Lens Diagrams. 3 items. [1943].

Box 2, Folder 9

Shop Notebook. 1 item. 1944, Sep.-Oct.

Box 2, Folder 10

Note on Primers. 1 item. 1946, Oct.

Box 2, Folder 11

"Facts Concerning 36'' Machine." 1 item. 1947, Sep.

Box 2, Folder 12

Notes on 48' Schmidt Lens. 4 items. [before 1947, Sep.].

Box 2, Folder 13

1 item. Prism Diagram. 1949, Mar.

Box 2, Folder 14

20 items. Temperature Diagrams. 1949, June-1949, Sep.

Box 2, Folder 15

Casting Diagram for Iron Tools. 1 item. 1952, Jan.

Box 2, Folder 16

Shop Notebook. 1 item. 1962, July-1963, June.

Box 2, Folder 17

"Laboratory Optical Work." 1 item. [Undated].

Box 2, Folder 18

Lens Diagram. 1 item. [Undated].

Box 2, Folder 19

Notes on Adhesives. 1 item. [Undated].

Box 2, Folder 20

Notes on Testing Plane-Parallels. 1 item. [Undated].

Box 2, Folder 21

Notes on Polishing. 1 item. [Undated].

Box 2, Folder 22

Notes on Polishing Glass. 6 items. [Undated].

Box 2, Folder 23

Star Charts. 2 items. [Undated].

Box 2, Folder 24

Vistanex Polybutene Specifications. 1 item. [Undated].

Correspondence

Box 3

Correspondence

Box 3, Folder 1

Ross, Frank E. (Frank Elmore), 1874-1960. 1 letter to Walter S. (Walter Sydney) Adams, 1876-1956. Includes notes on 60'' telescope. 1936, May 30.

Box 3, Folder 2

James H. Rhodes & Company. 2 letters to Don O. Hendrix. 1941, May-June.

Box 3, Folder 3

Day, R. K. 1 letter to J. R. Masters. 1941, June 19.

Box 3, Folder 4

Andrus, H. C. 1 letter to R. K. Day. 1941, June 23.

Box 3, Folder 5

Witherspoon, B. H. 2 letters to Walter S. (Walter Sydney) Adams, 1876-1956. 1941, July-1941, Aug.

Box 3, Folder 6

Stewart, Irvin. 1 letter to "All Personnel of the OSRD organization." 1941, Oct. 8.

Box 3, Folder 7

Jones, A. E. 1 letter to Mount Wilson Observatory. 1941, Oct. 9.

Box 3, Folder 8

Bush, Vannevar, 1890-1974. 1 letter to Don O. Hendrix. Includes a "Pledge of Secrecy." 1941, Oct. 14.

Box 3, Folder 9

Thompson, Charles G. 1 letter to Don O. Hendrix. 1941, Oct. 27.

Box 3, Folder 10

O'Brien, Brian, 1898-1992. 1 letter to Don O. Hendrix. 1941, Nov. 13.

Box 3, Folder 11

Bush, Vannevar, 1890-1974. 1 letter to "All Persons Holding Office of Scientific Research and Development Appointments Carrying No Compensation." Includes form signed by Don O. Hendrix. 1941, Dec. 4.

Box 3, Folder 12

Hopkins, Robert E. (Robert Earl). 2 letters to Theodore Dunham. Includes 4 pages of lens notes. 1942, Dec.- 1943, Mar.

Box 3, Folder 13

Arthur, E. P. 1 letter to Don O. Hendrix. 1942, Dec. 31.

Box 3, Folder 14

Hendrix, Don O. 1 letter to H.K. Stephenson Esq. 1943, Jan. 4.

Box 3, Folder 15

Hendrix, Don O. 2 letters to Herbert E. Ives, 1882-1953. 1943, Jan.-Feb.

Box 3, Folder 16

Christie, W.H. 1 letter to Herbert Eugene Ives, 1882-1953. 1943, Jan. 21.

Box 3, Folder 17

[Mount Wilson Observatory Optical Shop]. 1 letter to Polaroid Corporation. 1943, Feb. 2.

Box 3, Folder 18

Christie, W. H. 1 letter to "Norton Company." 1943, Feb. 4.

Box 3, Folder 19

Christie, W. H. 4 letters to Brian O'Brien, 1898-1992. 1943, Feb.-1943, Mar.

Box 3, Folder 20

Christie, W. H. 1 letter to N. C. Jamison. 1943, Feb. 19.

Box 3, Folder 21

Mount Wilson Observatory. 1 letter to Army Air Force Materiel Center. 1943, Feb. 26.

Box 3, Folder 22

O'Brien, Brian, 1989-1992. 1 letter to W. H. Christie. Includes envelope. 1943, Mar. 4.

Box 3, Folder 23

The Norton Company. 1 letter to W. H. Christie. 1943, Mar. 13.

Box 3, Folder 24

Hopkins, Robert E. (Robert Earl). 1 letter to Don O. Hendrix. Includes 6 pages of diagrams. 1943, Mar. 19.

Box 3, Folder 25

Buckley, Walter G. 1 letter to Don O. Hendrix. 1943, Mar. 29.

Box 3, Folder 26

Mount Wilson Observatory. 1 letter to Walter G. Buckley. 1943, Mar. 31.

Box 3, Folder 27

Hendrix, Don O.1 letter to Aluminum Company of Canada, Ltd. 1943, Mar. 31.

Box 3, Folder 28

Felker Manufacturing Co. 1 letter to Mount Wilson Observatory. Includes shipping invoice. 1943, Apr. 2.

Box 3, Folder 29

Liebowitz, Benjamin. 1 letter to Walter S. (Walter Sydney) Adams, 1876- 1956. 1945, Dec. 10.

Box 3, Folder 30

Mount Wilson Optical Dept. 1 letter to Benjamin Liebowitz. 1946, Jan. 15.

Box 3, Folder 31

Liebowitz, Benjamin. 2 letters to Don O. Hendrix. 1946, Jan.-Feb.

Box 3, Folder 32

Hendrix, Don O. 1 letter to Benjamin Liebowitz. 1946, Mar. 25.

Box 3, Folder 33

Hansen, Waldemar G. 1 letter to Don O. Hendrix. 1946, Aug. 15.

Box 3, Folder 34

Optical Mold and Machinery Co. 1 letter to Don O. Hendrix. Includes 3 BW photographs. 1946, Sep. 1.

Box 3, Folder 35

Martling, M. G. 1 letter to Don O. Hendrix. 1947, Jan. 17.

Box 3, Folder 36

Rule, B. H. 1 letter to Don. O. Hendrix. Includes "Erection Notes -- 72'' Mirror & Cell." 1947, Sep. 22.

Box 3, Folder 37

"XTY." 1 letter to Don O. Hendrix. Enclosed 6 strips of photographic negatives and includes envelope. 1947, Oct. 4.

Box 3, Folder 38

Elgin National Watch Company. 1 letter to Don Hendrix. 1949, Feb. 2.

Box 3, Folder 39

Bingswanger-Henkin Industries. 1 letter to H. L. (Henry L.) Giclas. 1949, Mar. 28.

Box 3, Folder 40

Jet Propulsion Laboratory (U.S.). 1 letter to Ira Sprague Bowen, 1898- 1973. 1949, Nov. 22.

Box 3, Folder 41

Leekley and Booz Vapor Blast Manufacturing, Co. 1 letter to Don O. Hendrix. 1949, Dec. 12.

Box 3, Folder 42

Vrabel, Joseph. 1 letter to Don O. Hendrix. 1950, Mar. 25.

Box 3, Folder 43

Corning Glass Works. 1 letter to Don O. Hendrix. Includes notes on Pyrex glass. 1952, Jan. 8.

Box 3, Folder 44

Hendrix, Don O. 1 letter to Eastman Kodak Co. [Undated].

Box 3, Folder 45

Farrand Optical Co., Inc. 1 letter to "Dear Sir." [Undated].

Shop Inventories, Invoices, and Requisition Slips

Box 4

Shop Inventories

Box 4, Folder 1

Optical Parts- Inventory. 1 item. 1928, July-1935, Jan.

Box 4, Folder 2

Glass Purchases. 1 item. 1929, Mar.-1940, Mar.

Box 4, Folder 3

Shop Supplies-Inventory. 1 item. 1931, Mar.-1935, Feb.

Box 4, Folder 4

Shop Supplies-Inventory. Includes: "Guarantee for Big Ben Chime Alarm" and 8 supply slips signed 'Martin.' 10 items. 1935, Jan.-1937, Jan.

Box 4, Folder 5

Optical Equipment Inventory. 1 item. 1935, May 11.

Box 4, Folder 6

Shop Supplies- Inventory. 1 item. 1937, Jan.-1938, Apr.

Box 4, Folder 7

Shop Supplies- Inventory. Includes 2 business cards: Abbott Linen, Co. and Carolina Absorbent Cotton, Co. 3 items. 1938, May-1939, Dec.

Box 9, Folder 1

Lens Stock Inventory. 1 item. 1930, Sep.-1936, Oct.

General

Item has been treated for mold and is housed separately.

Box 9, Folder 2

Shop Supplies-Inventory. 1 item. 1937, July-1941, May.

General

Item has been treated for mold and is housed separately.

Box 5

Shop Inventories (continued)

Box 5, Folder 1

Shop Supplies- Inventory. 1 item. 1939, Dec.-1941, Nov.

Box 5, Folder 2

Glass Stock Inventory. 1 item. 1940, Apr. 17.

Box 5, Folder 3

Prism Stock Inventory 1 item. 1940, Apr. 23.

Box 5, Folder 4

Lens Stock Inventory. 1 item. 1940, Apr. 24.

Box 5, Folder 5

Mirror Stock Inventory. Includes 1 page insert. 2 items. 1940, Apr.-1944, Sep.

Box 5, Folder 6

Shop Supplies- Inventory. 1 item 1941, Nov.-1943, Aug.

Box 5, Folder 7

Shop Supplies Inventory. 1 item. 1943, Aug.-1945, June.

Box 5, Folder 8

Present Status of Pyrex and Quartz Mirrors. Created by the Fund for Astrophysical Research. 1 item. 1946, Dec. 14.

Box 6

Inventories (continued), Invoices, and Requisition Slips

Box 6, Folder 1

Shop Inventory. 1 item. 1948.

Box 6, Folder 2

Shop Inventory. 1 item. [1948].

Box 6, Folder 3

Iron Tools and Test Plates-Inventory. Includes 3 measurement templates. 4 items. [Undated].

Box 6, Folder 4

Shop Inventory. 2 items. [Undated].

Box 6, Folder 5

Spencer Lens Company. 9 invoices. 1920, Nov.-1924, Dec.

Box 6, Folder 6

Corning Glass Works. 5 invoices. 1924, June.

Box 6, Folder 7

Parsons Optical Glass Company. 6 invoices. 1927, Sep.-1931, June.

Box 6, Folder 8

Jena Glaswerk Schott & Gen. Jena. 9 invoices. 1929, Dec.-1939, July.

Box 6, Folder 9

Fish-Schurman Inc. 2 invoices. 1930, Feb.-1936, May.

Box 6, Folder 10

Pittsburg Plate Glass, Co. 1 invoice. 1935, Jan. 18.

Box 6, Folder 11

Bausch and Lomb Optical Company. 2 invoices. 1943, Mar. 3.

Box 6, Folder 12

F.C. Nash and Co. 1 invoice. 1943, Mar. 6.

Box 6, Folder 13

Crucible Steel Company of America. 1 invoice. 1944, Mar. 15.

Box 6, Folder 14

Slips. 3 items. 1920

Box 6, Folder 15

Slips. 22 items. 1921

Box 6, Folder 16

Slips. 41 items. 1922

Box 6, Folder 17

Slips. 27 items. 1923

Box 6, Folder 18

Slips. 33 items. 1924

Box 6, Folder 19

Slips. 28 items. 1925

Box 6, Folder 20

Slips. 37 items. 1926

Box 6, Folder 21

Slips. 44 items. 1927

Box 6, Folder 22

Slips. 23 items. 1928

Box 6, Folder 23

Slips. 58 items. 1929

Box 6, Folder 24

Slips. 52 items. 1930

Box 6, Folder 25

Slips. 40 items. 1931

Box 6, Folder 26

Slips. 9 items. 1932

Box 6, Folder 27

Slips. 7 items. 1933

Box 6, Folder 28

Slips. 16 items. 1934

Box 6, Folder 29

Slips. 14 items. 1935

Box 6, Folder 30

Slips. 22 items. 1936

Box 6, Folder 31

Slips. 29 items. 1937

Box 6, Folder 32

Slips. 13 items. 1938

Box 6, Folder 33

Slips. 21 items. 1939

Box 6, Folder 34

Slips. Includes one Foundation for Astrophysical Research requisition slip. 20 items. 1940

Box 6, Folder 35

Slips. Includes one Foundation for Astrophysical Research requisition slip. 9 items. 1941

Box 6, Folder 36

Slips. 10 items. 1942

Box 6, Folder 37

Slips. 32 items. 1943

Box 6, Folder 38

Requisition for Polaroid. Includes note "Ted" to Don O. Hendrix. 2 items. [Undated].

Job Lists and Time Charts and Ephemera

Box 7

Job Lists and Time Charts

Box 7, Folder 1

Lens Work Notebook. 1 item. 1933, July-1937, June.

Box 7, Folder 2

Don O. Hendrix Optical Work Time Charts. 9 items. 1937, Nov.-1939, Mar.

Box 7, Folder 3

Record of Mirrors Aluminized. Includes three oak leaf shipping tags. 4 items. 1938, Feb.-1947, Feb.

Box 7, Folder 4

Finished Mirrors Notebook. Includes 3 notes concerning various lens jobs. 4 items. 1938, Dec.-1940, June.

Box 7, Folder 5

Outside Jobs Record Notebook. 1 item. 1941, Mar.-Nov.

Box 7, Folder 6

Time Book for Inter Department Jobs. 1 item. 1941, Apr.-1942, Feb.

Box 7, Folder 7

Job # 18 Work And Time Charts. 1 item. 1941, Sep.-Apr. 1942.

Box 8

Job Lists and Time Charts (continued) and Ephemera

Box 8, Folder 1

Outside Job Numbers Book 1. 1 item. 1941, Oct.-1948, Dec.

Box 8, Folder 2

Outside Job Numbers Book 2. 1 item. 1945, Jan.-1949, Apr.

Box 8, Folder 3

Daily Employee Time Charts. 1 item. 1941, Nov.-1942, Apr.

Box 8, Folder 4

Daily Employee Time Charts. 1 item. 1942, Apr.-Sep.

Box 8, Folder 5

Production Log Book. 1 item. 6. [1942-1943]. Job Numbers. 1 item. 1943, Mar.-Apr.

Box 8, Folder 7

General Repairs. 2 items. 1946, May 22.

Box 8, Folder 8

General Repairs and Work in Shop for Completion. 3 items. 1946, Oct. 15.

Box 8, Folder 9

General Repairs and Work in Shop for Completion. Includes a handwritten addendum. 5 items. 1947, Feb. 1.

Box 8, Folder 10

Job Numbers.15 items. 11. [1907-1949]. Ephemera. 20 items. [Undated].