THE ROADMETER
The following information is from a segment called “Route of the Pioneers,” from the video History of the Church, Part 1:
“Each day William Clayton recorded, among other details of the trip, the distance traveled. At first this was determined by guesses which differed by 2 – 4 miles. Then Clayton decided to measure the distance exactly. He measured the circumference of a wagon wheel and tied a piece of red flannel to a spoke and spent the day counting the revolutions. That got so monotonous that Clayton proposed that a mechanical counter of some sort be built. At President Young’s request, Orson Pratt designed a machine having 2 cogs and 2 anglet (?) screws, one cog to measure each mile, the other to measure 30 miles. A skilled mechanic named Appleton Harmon began work on the device following Orson Pratt’s design. Known as “roadometer,” it was attached to a wagon wheel to count miles and tenths of miles. Later, another cog was added to rotate once every 10 miles showing each mile and also each quarter mile.”
Information sent by: David and Norma Tew, woodland Hills, Utah