The University of Washington Observatory, with a 6 inch Brashear objective 
on a Warner & Swasey equatorial mount.

   In 1890, Joseph Taylor worked under Schaeberle at Lick Observatory.
   1891 or 1892, Joseph Taylor, now a mathematics professor, taught the 
first astronomy class at U.W.  In 1891 or 1892, Taylor received a grant of 
$3,000 from the U.W. regents, of which $2,000 was spent on the (current) 
telescope and $1,000 on the first observatory, which was built on the 
original campus on 4th & University in downtown Seattle.  A mason was 
responsible for the pier, a carpenter for the framing, and Taylor himself 
finished the structure in between classes.
   Taylor was interested in a Clark objective, but Schaeberle informed him 
that for a moderate sized objective, Brashear would be the equal and price 
would be less.  The 6 inch Brashear objective possibly cost $650., with the 
Warner & Swasey mount accounting for the remainder of the roughly $2,000.  
In recent years, the telescope was still itemized in U.W. inventories with 
a value of $2,000.
   In 1895, U.W. moved to Denny Hall at current location, and the 
observatory was subsequently built of the remaining Tenino sandstone 
blocks, and is thus the second oldest building on the campus.
   Taylor taught General Astronomy and Observational Astronomy classes.
   The 3 inch Bamberg elbow transit was purchased in the 1920s, possibly 
from the U.S. Geodetic Survey.  It was used as late as the 1970s and 
remains in very good condition.
   The equatorial telescope was restored in the late 1990s and is currently 
in excellent condition.  The weight driven clock drive works well.  The 
objective has several very minor blemishes, a few square inches of slight 
haze, seemingly from water, but overall it is in very good condition.  The 
focuser, slow motion controls, and other mechanical parts work well.  The 
dome and shutter are stiff but function.  The dome has a Warner & Swasey 
plaque, and is the smallest W & S dome known to people who have visited 
many domes.
   Also part of the facilities are: A Zeiss astrograph, rather crudely 
constructed.  A chronograph, used with the transit, seemingly not in 
working condition, without an appropriate clock.  An unsigned filar 
micrometer of moderate quality.  An unsigned filar micrometer of very fine 
quality.  An objective prism, possibly made in the late 1900s by Herman 
Dittmer.  A Berger surveyor's transit.  A pendulum clock.

Images:
2 postcards, circa 1910:
   http://home.europa.com/~telscope/uwobs.jpg       113kb
2 photographs of the telescope:
   http://home.europa.com/~telscope/uwscope.jpg      91kb
   http://home.europa.com/~telscope/uwtel.jpg        66kb
The Bamberg transit:
   http://home.europa.com/~telscope/uwtranst.jpg     64kb
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home page:   http://www.europa.com/~telscope/binotele.htm