Madas Calculating Machine

This manually operated non-printing stepped drum calculating machine is brass, painted black ,with a black metal frame and cover. Digits are set by pushing down seven German silver levers. The number set appears in a row of windows between the levers. A zeroing knob for the levers and these windows is to the left of them. The operating crank is on the right. Left of the levers is a window showing a number relating to automatic division. Left of this is a lever and rod combination used to set the machine for addition or subtraction and, if desired, for automatic division.

Behind the entry levers is a movable carriage with seven windows for the revolution counter, 12 windows for the result register, zeroing levers for these registers, a bell, and rods with springs for moving the carriage. The bell rings when the result passes through zero. The thumbscrews can be used to set up numbers in the result register. Sliding decimal markers are available for all three registers. The inside of the lid has a paper sheet with instructions in German and in English.

A mark on the front of the machine reads: MADAS (/) Pat. Jahnz (/) U.S.A. Ptd Dec. 16th 1913 (/) D.R.P. etc. A second mark there reads: No. 3533. A third mark there reads: MADE IN SWITZERLAND. A paper tag glued to the back of the machine reads: J.W.O. Following these initials are illegible letters. A metal tag on the front of the machine reads: W.A. Morschhauser (/) SOLE AGENT (/) 1 Madison Avenue (/) NEW YORK CITY

This model of the MADAS was introduced in 1913 and sold until about 1930.

Compare MA.317288, MA.324278, MA.323586 and 1982.0794.88.

Reference:

H. W. Egli, Ltd., MADAS 50 Jahre Arbeit, Zurich.

Currently not on view