Thomas S. Negus (May 1, 1828 – March 17, 1894) was a 19th-century American businessman. He was well known for the manufacture and sale of maritime chronometers and nautical instruments in New York City under the name T.S. & J.D. Negus Company. He served on the Board of Pilot Commissioners for New Jersey. He died on March 17, 1894, in
Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.
In 1848, Negus and his brother John D. Negus founded the firm of T.S. & J.D. Negus, which manufactured and sold maritime chronometers and nautical instruments at 140 Water Street, New York City near the East River. The firm made chronometers for the United States Navy as well as shipmasters and yachtsmen. Their instruments were among the best manufactured in the country. The firm traded as T. S. Negus & Co. in 1864 and as T.S. & J.D. Negus in 1869. The firm was described as "probably the most prolific American Chronometer manufacturer" up through the first quarter of the 20th century. From 1886 to 1887, in competitive trials of chronometers at the United States Naval Observatory, located in Washington, D. C., their chronometers passed first place in a list of 45 chronometers submitted for testing. Sea captains came to the shop to purchase and have their chronometers tested, rated and certified.
Thomas's brother, John D. Negus, died on September 26, 1890. John's son, John S. Negus continued in the firm under the T.S. & J.D. Negus name until his death on July 14, 1944. His son, John C. Negus, from Brooklyn, continued with the firm as senior partner until his death on December 15, 1961. His son, John S. Negus II, ran the family business until his death in 1963. On March 8, 1964, the ''New York Daily News'' announced that John C. Negus II bequeathed to the Museum of the City of New York a 19th-century ship's binnacle that the Negus firm made.
On May 1, 1931, the firm moved to 69 Pearl Street, New York. They had a five-story building with the words "Negus" on the front window. On the office safe was the gold lettering that said: "T. S. & J. D. Negus, Est. 1848." A Negus chronometer went with
Robert Peary
Robert Edwin Peary Sr. (; May 6, 1856 – February 20, 1920) was an American explorer and officer in the United States Navy who made several expeditions to the Arctic in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He is best known for, in Apri ...
to the North Pole. Another was with Richard E. Byrd at the south Pole. When
John Mercer Brooke
John Mercer Brooke (December 18, 1826 – December 14, 1906) was an American sailor, engineer, scientist, and educator. He was instrumental in the creation of the Transatlantic Cable, and was a noted marine and military innovator.
Early li ...
was on the North Pacific Exploring and Surveying Expedition in 1852, he said the best chronometer on the expedition proved to the one made by T. S. Negus and Company, which was purchased by the government for $325. The Negus chronometer was thought to be a district advantage compared to those made in Europe.
binoculars
Binoculars or field glasses are two refracting telescopes mounted side-by-side and aligned to point in the same direction, allowing the viewer to use both eyes (binocular vision) when viewing distant objects. Most binoculars are sized to be held ...
lamps
Lamp, Lamps or LAMP may refer to:
Lighting
* Oil lamp, using an oil-based fuel source
* Kerosene lamp, using kerosene as a fuel
* Electric lamp, or light bulb, a replaceable component that produces light from electricity
* Light fixture, or ligh ...
,
lantern
A lantern is an often portable source of lighting, typically featuring a protective enclosure for the light sourcehistorically usually a candle or a wick in oil, and often a battery-powered light in modern timesto make it easier to carry and h ...
sextant
A sextant is a doubly reflecting navigation instrument that measures the angular distance between two visible objects. The primary use of a sextant is to measure the angle between an astronomical object and the horizon for the purposes of celes ...
s, telescopes, and quadrants. Below are two examples.
Taffrail Logs, operating on principles in a manner similar to a car's
odometer
An odometer or odograph is an instrument used for measuring the distance traveled by a vehicle, such as a bicycle or car. The device may be electronic, mechanical, or a combination of the two (electromechanical). The noun derives from ancient Gr ...
by towing a rotor from the stern (or taffrail) by a long line. Negus boasted that their improved Taffrail Log was "the best ever manufactured." It featured a swivel-bearing mount for the recording element that was designed by John S. Negus and intended to reduce the irregularities encountered in rough seas. It the time it cost $27. The U.S. Navy transferred this example to the Smithsonian in 1950.
Box Chronometer, a 56-hour marine chronometer with a spring detent escapement, and indications for hours, minutes, seconds, and up and down. Weston College donated it to the Smithsonian in 1967. It the 1930s it cost $450.
Publications
* T. S. & J. D. Negus, Illustrated Catalogue and Price List of Nautical & Optical Instruments (New York, 1899).
* T. S. & J. D. Negus, Illustrated Catalogue of Nautical Instruments (New York, ca. 1938).
Pilots Commissioner
Negus was named Pilots Commissioner of the New Jersey board by Governor Parker of New Jersey. He was president of the New Jersey board for 15 years. He was a member of Holland Lodge of
Free Masons
Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...
and belonged to the Seventh Regiment for 14 years.
Death
Negus died on March 17, 1894, at age 66. His funeral was at his home in
The pilot-boat '' Thomas S. Negus'' was named in honor of Negus in 1873. On October 9, 1873, the pilot boat ''Thomas S. Negus'' won a notable victory over her competitors in the Cape May Regatta, which was a race from Owl's Head Point around to
Cape May Lighthouse
The Cape May Lighthouse is a lighthouse located in the U.S. state of New Jersey at the tip of Cape May, in Lower Township's Cape May Point State Park. It was built in 1859 under the supervision of U.S. Army engineer William F. Raynolds, was autom ...
in New Jersey, and back to the Sandy hook Lightship. Thomas S. Negus, of the N. J. Pilots' Commissioners, was one of the invited guests on board the ''Negus'' during the race. Negus later wrote: "Arrived at the Lightship off Sandy Hook at 8 h. 49 m. 30s. A. M. Hailed Judges on board, who informed us we were the second boat in, The ''Enchantress'' only being ahead of us."