Thought I might put up a couple of images just for discussion.

compasses-A.jpg (89 KB, 261 downloads)

...and another.

compasses-B.jpg (79 KB, 202 downloads)

In the time before dirt formed, when I was still a sprog, I had a copy of a rilly kewl book, "1001 Things To Make And Do". I seem to remember something along the lines of your scanned pages there, too. I'd give a pretty to have that book back. It had several fireplaces, ways to commit arson make fire, projectile hurling devices, knives, spears, traps and all manner of other lethal fun things.

Three Hawks

I think you can drop a magnatized needle on a small tree leaf thats floating on the surface of a calm puddle will point north/south...

looked cool on one of those man vs. wilderness shows anyhow..
TCA

well made compasses were available back then and I have seen many references to their carry on expeditions, land and sea. I have a fairly large one with a sundial on it, but pocket size existed. I found an old French trade compass in Osage lands when I lived in Oklahoma--bought it from a Native American lady--brass case and it was in an old buckskin pouch.

Lewis and Clark had a compass and another instrument with them for reading stars...sextant I believe it's called. That was 1804.

Sparks

Kit Carson carried a compass. Once, a young man asked him if he ever got lost. Carson replied, "Son, you're never lost when you're explorin'! You're just seein' new territory."

Will

Mike R is correct good accuraye compasses go back a long way, if using the needle method a puddle from a footprint or small hollowtop stump works well and is more stable than some of the other sources of water.

quote:

Originally posted by Mike R:
well made compasses were available back then and I have seen many references to their carry on expeditions, land and sea. old buckskin .

I've sen offered for sale copies of the brass-cased compass owned by George Washington, and the wood-cased one carried by Robert Rogers. Both had folding gnomens, so that they could be used as sundials.

Cool!
I don't think I'd pay over $25 for either of them, because it was probably at best owned by George Washington Wilson who lives in the next block and Robert Rogers who graduated from a high school on the west side in 1998.

Oh, you said copies...never mind....

Sparks

three Hawks, I have an original printing of "The American Boys Handy Book". su titled, "What to do and how to do it" by D.C. (Dan) Beard,and I believe it is being reproduced by Dover Publications. It sounds a lot like the book you miss. The stuff in it would send the Nanny government types screaming. How to make a kite large enough for a boy to fly on, how to make blow guns and so on. Makes that recent hit book for boys seem like sissy stuff...Beard was the guy that Baden-Powell had to let into the Boy Scouts when the Scouts came to the U.S., as Beard already had an organization, "The Buckskin Men and Boys" and a hand book, "The Buckskin Book for Buckskin Men and Boys" that I wish I'd stolen from my local library 65 years ago...Dover is reproducing several of his books,and all are worth owning..Best,Hank

hank just went to www.abebooks.com there are several The American Boys Handy Book,and 208 total listings,some his some others look the entire list over when you see his name worth the time.listed starting at $2.50 item #6 and after.Typed in the authors name,the title wouldnt get me there.

walking crow, thanks...I've been able to pick up most of his books, several in the original printings, but the one I still look for is the "Buckskin Book for Buckskin Men and Boys"..I made my first horn, at age 12 based on that book...walked 5 miles to a slaughter house to get a skull with horns attached, spent a whole summer drilling a hole using a "sprig bit" a hand turned, Tee shaped drill bit..I still have the rat tail file I bought to enlarge the drilled hole to accept a bugle mouth piece (it was going to be a blowing horn)..and I have the very visible scar left by the kitchen knife I converted to a sheath knife as per the book..I was 13 then...as a city kid, this was as influential in who I became as the Boy Scout Handbook..best regards, Hank