Original Item: Only One Available. A barometer is a scientific instrument that is used to measure air pressure in a certain environment. Pressure tendency can forecast short term changes in the weather. Many measurements of air pressure are used within surface weather analysis to help find surface troughs, pressure systems and frontal boundaries.

This is a lovely example of a WWII U.S. Navy Barometer in a black phenolic case that measures pressure in inches of mercury. It is identified as from the Bureau of Ships with a number followed by the year of manufacture, 12215-42. Manufactured by Friez, Baltimore as printed at the bottom of the barometer face. The Julien P Friez Company was founded in 1876 in Baltimore, Maryland as a manufacturer of weather instruments. They operated the Belfort Observatory in Baltimore. They became Julien P Friez & Sons in 1913, and Julien died in 1916. In 1929 the company was acquired by the Consolidated Instrument Company. A year later the company was acquired by Bendix Corporation. The Friez company operated relatively independently at first but they began calling themselves the Friez Instrument Division of Bendix sometime around 1943. They continued in operation until about 1966. Bendix was acquired by Allied Corporation (later called AlliedSignal) in 1983, which later bought Honeywell and adopted the Honeywell name.

One of Julien Friez's sons founded an instrument company in the Belfort Observatory workshop of Julien P Friez & Sons in the late 1940s, which was renamed the Belfort Instrument Company in 1949. Belfort Instrument continues to develop and sell meteorological instruments today, still in Baltimore though no longer at the Belfort Observatory location.

It's barometer face measures 4 7/8" in diameter and the back flange measures 6 ½ inches. The face is protected by a plexiglass cover with a movable pointer. The POINTER SET calibration screw is located on the back of the case and is marked P1 / P-38915 with a GE logo.

This lovely example comes more than ready for display!

NOTE: This item is sold for as a historical artifact only, and not as a meteorological measuring device. We make no guarantees regarding its ability to function.