To Steve Vernon, Steve are you going to go back and do anymore research? or has things after 911 stoped this? did you get to photograph any reels that you saw? and how many different reels do you think they have? You are kind of a celeberty to be allowed to take them apart, It seems as if a part of those mfgs. folks were in there with you, if only those reels could talk! Also are these items marked as to whom or what company or campanies donated them? Let all of us know about this adventure, Your OHIO Conection Col. M. lorens aka SWIM JIG
Milt, if you're referring to pictures of patent models that occasionally show up in articles, I'll tell you the story behind the "research." It's a perfect example of how uncovering historical information often depends on nothing more than dumb luck.
Twenty-two or twenty-three years ago, at a flea market in Lancaster Co., Pa., I chatted with a dealer about some reels he had on a table. Don't know how we managed to get so far on the subject, but sooner or later, he identified himself as an employee of the Division of Transportation at the Smithsonian. By that time, I was compiling info for Antique Fishing Reels, so the conversation wandered off toward the museum's collection of reels. Long story short, he arranged for me to come see it.
It took a long time to make the arrangements (with the Curator of the Division of Community Life), but about twenty-one years ago, my wife and I drove to D.C. on a drizzly Tuesday morning and were able to park right in front of the appropriate museum entrance. I hauled some photo equipment in and was escorted to a barn-like storage room filled with cabinets with enormous drawers.
The museum's entire collection of reels fit in one drawer. As both gentlemen watched, I was permitted to remove the reels one-by-one and even to disassemble several of them sufficiently to see the patented features. I photographed all the patent models, but I didn't bother with the four production models of twentieth-century reels (Harris combo, Meek #3, early South Bend, Humphreys).
As you can imagine, it was a thrill to see and fondle the models. Years earlier, the Patent Office's model collection had been destroyed and/or sold off, but that's a sad saga that's been told before. So the museum's reel models were among the few models still held in government's hands.
Anyway, I've gotten a lot of use from the photographs over the years. Used them in an article in the defunct Antique Angler, which showed up in late 1984, sort of a shameless promotion for the book, which came out a couple of months later. And I still use the photos when they're relevant.
Well, so much for the "adventure." Any more research at the museum? Nope.
I posted a .pdf version of the patent model article at the link below. It's about 1.5MB, so it will take a while to download over a dialup connection, and you need Adobe Reader to view it.
Harvy and len it works however it takes a loooonnnggg time its worth the wait! and you must have that reader with the fat hand , NOW if this old rusty reel can do it you computor guys can do it and the wait is worth it, go get a coffee, or? then raed it! Your snowed in OHIO CONECTION COL. M lorens aka SWIM JIG we dont use chains in OHIO we use D9GH cats!
Thanks, Steve. Got all three pages with this old klunker. I don't know what's the matter with those other two guys. I wish you'd have gotten the serial number on that early SB. Can you still find out? Jim
I don't know what causes the downloading problems. Maybe it's best to have a recent-version Adobe Reader, and maybe it would help to open Adobe Reader before downloading. Then, as Milt suggests, have patience, tho with broadband, you shouldn't need it.
With Firefox, Adobe Reader opens right away, then fills up with file. With IE, which I don't use, AR opens only after the download's complete or close to it.
Steve: Just out of curiosity, can you open the home page of ORCA on line with Firefox. It is the only web site that I have been unable to open. It looks like it is loading, and then stalls and I have to close Firefox and reload it. I have reported this to Paul, but I still can't use the ORCA web site. It works OK with IE.
Great story, Steve. Thanks for posting it. Sounds like you really had a rare opportunity with the Smithsonian collection. My copy of your book is getting a bit dog-eared from use, which is a compliment.
I still think that, given the expertise and collections in ORCA, we should approach the Smithsonian about creating a temporary exhibition concerning sportfishing in America. I honestly believe that it would be well recieved both by the museum and the public.
To Steve Vernon, Steve are you going to go back and do anymore research? or has things after 911 stoped this? did you get to photograph any reels that you saw? and how many different reels do you think they have? You are kind of a celeberty to be allowed to take them apart, It seems as if a part of those mfgs. folks were in there with you, if only those reels could talk! Also are these items marked as to whom or what company or campanies donated them? Let all of us know about this adventure, Your OHIO Conection Col. M. lorens aka SWIM JIG
