Ashcroft Clock

 Q:  I have an old nautical clock made by the Ashcroft Manufacturing Co. of New York. According to information from the company, the style of the logo on the face was used between 1907 and 1929. The clock mechanism was made by Seth Thomas of Thomaston, Connecticut. The only numbers are “3081” at the base of the faceplate and “19” on the back of the faceplate. How was this clock used?

A:  This clock was designed to be used in engine rooms and on ships and locomotives. Before navigation used global satellites, celestial navigation was used. The navigator used a sextant to measure the angle between the sun, moon, stars, or planets and the horizon at a given time. The time must be accurate to the second, since a difference of four seconds results in a difference of about one nautical mile when figuring the position of the ship. A nautical clock, or marine chronometer, is accurate enough to be used for celestial navigation. Edward Ashcroft founded his company in 1852. The company made pressure gauges for steam engines. Later, alarms, counters, indicators, and machinists’ tools were also made. There have been many acquisitions, spin-offs, and changes in ownership over the years. The company headquarters was moved to Stratford, Connecticut, in 1951. The name became Ashcroft Inc. in 2006. It is still in business making air, water, and steam pressure gauges and temperature instrumentation.