Capstan, Patent Model

1886

The Smithsonian collected this capstan model from the Patent Office in 1926 without documentation of its maker or patent date. Of the 85 capstan patents granted in the U.S. between 1790 and 1895, it matches the drawings and specifications of an 1886 design by Frank Allen and Frank A. Grater, and is presumed therefore to be the model they submitted with their 1879 application.