Measures for Progress: A History of the National Bureau of Standards

520 APPENDIX A
Hassler sets up camp in the field, a drawing based on a reproduction of a time-darkened
painting.
Visible under tents are his 24-inch theodolite for measuring angles and his wonder-
Jul Jersey wagon, with its wine chamber, disappearing dining and work table, and
array of compact instrument and provision chests.
a satisfactory location for a baseline. On the other hand, he had started to train the
first of the lieutenants of artillery sent him from West Point as assistants, and there
was under construction a remarkable carriage for transporting the theodolite and other
delicate instruments to be used.6 Not until April did he determine on the location for
his first baseline, near the Hackensack River in New Jersey, and begin establishing
triangulation points.
A year after beginning the survey, Hassler was asked again when it would be
completed and was warned of Congress's dissatisfaction with his meager progress.
On April 14, 1818, Congress acted, modifying the law authorizing the survey in order
to put Army and Navy officers in charge of the work, thereby excluding Hassler from
further direction or participation. His biographer is doubtless right in declaring that
As completed a year later, the barouche-like vehicle he designed to convey his instru-
ments, some weighing a hundred pounds or more, was based on a Jersey wagon mounted
on strong braces and huge springs, to be drawn by two or four horses. Ruggedly con-
structed to maneuver on rough roads and hilly terrain, it had numerous compartments
in a double bottom for storing smaller instruments, tools, stationery and books, and a
music box to keep him company as he worked late into the night. In a locker under
the seat were his traveling clothes and "a little spirit-room," containing his supply of
Swiss wines and the crackers and cheese he lived on in the field. A tent covering
secured the carriage in bad weather. With its suspended table, the vehicle served as
Hassler's office by day and, with the table secured, as a sleeping chamber at night.
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