Space: 1889 Equipment

Scientific Equipment
Item  Weight, lbs.   Cost, England    Cost, Syrtis Major 
binoculars, 6x30, with leather case 2    £3 £6 4s
camera, 4x7 field type 6    £8 £17
camera, film magazine type 3    £5 5s £11
camera, Kodak (only developed on Earth) 2    £11 £25
compass, pocket ---    15s £1 10s
dissecting kit 2    £5 £10 4s
doctor's bag & supplies 10    £3 £7
dressing kit 2    £8 £12
field laboratory apparatus set, chemical 15    £5 £11 10s
field laboratory apparatus set, electical 8    £6 £12 16s
hunting kit 2    £3 £4
laudanum, 4 oz. bottle 0.3 2s 4s
magnifying glass n/a    12s £1 4s
medical kit, colonial 10    £4 £9
navigation instrument set 8    £12 £24 16s
portable microscope set 10    £45 £91
surveying instrument set 20    £25 £52
telegraph instrument set 1    £1 £2 2s
telescope or spy glass, hand-held, 'draw' type, 20x 1    £1 £2 2s
telescope, tripod mounted, 50x 35    £20 £44
tourist's companion (thermometer, altimeter/barometer, compass, etc.) 6    £8 £17
wire, insulated, 1 mile spool 100    £1 £22

Reference Materials
Item  Weight, lbs.   Cost, England    Cost, Syrtis Major 
Bowditch's Practical Navigator and Almanac 5    £1 £2 10s
Conklin's Handy Manual of Useful Information and Atlas of the Worlds 3    3s 9s
Edison's Encyclopedia of General Information 3    2s 10s
Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 volumes 165    £30 £36 10s
The Millwright's Companion and Handy-book 1    8s £1
Rand McNally & Co's New Pictorial Atlas of the Worlds 2    £1 £2 4s
Robb's Medical Companion and Household Physician 3    £2 £4 6s
Rose and Carless Manual of Surgery 2    £1 £2 4s
Savill's System of Clinical Medicine 3    £1 £2 6s

Tools
Item  Weight, lbs.   Cost, England    Cost, Syrtis Major 
axe, felling 3    2s 8s
forge, portable 500    £6 £60
hatchet 2    6p 5s
knife, two-bladed jack n/a    1s 2s
knife, camp or hunting n/a    4s 8s
lockpick set n/a    18s £2
machete and sheath 2    8d 5s
photographic lab, portable 30    £7 £17
pick, mattock, or shovel 5    2s 14s
saw, buck with 30" blade 3.5 2s 10s
sledgehammer or maul 16    5s £11
steam engine and boiler, 4 HP 1,000    £28 £130
steam engine and boiler, 10 HP 1,850    £48 £250
tools, carpenter's 30    £4 £11
tools, instrument maker's 10    £7 £15
tools, metalworker's 60    £6 £18
trap, bear 3    1s 8s
trap, small animal 1    6d 3s

Travelling Gear
Item  Weight, lbs.   Cost, England    Cost, Syrtis Major 
ammunition chest for 250 rds. of rifle/shotgun ammo 5    £1 £1
ammunition, 12 ga. buckshot, black powder, 500 rds. 65    £1 12s £10
ammunition, 12 ga. buckshot, smokeless, 500 rds. 65    £2 8s £11 6s
ammunition, pistol, 100 rds. (1d6K calibers) 3    6s 12s
ammunition, rifle, 100 rds. (1.5d6K calibers) 5    8s £1 6s
ammunition, rifle, 100 rds. (2d6K calibers) 9    16s £2 10s
backpack 1.5 2s 2s
bag, carpet 3    2s 10s
ball, rugby 0.84 8s £1
belt with holster and ammo pouch 2    £1 9s £2
belt or bandoleer for cartridges 2    5s 5s
billy, lead-filled leather sap 0.5    6s 12s
billy, extra-heavy and long "Paralyzer" sap 1    8s 16s
blanket 4    8d 8d
brass knuckles, finest grade 0.5    6s 12s
canteen, 1 quart filled 2.5 3s 4s
camp stove, portable, coal oil 2    10s £1 4s
camping cooking and eating outfit 80    £5 £18
cartridge bag, 75 rds., over-shoulder type 2    £1 £1
cigars, 100 good Havana 4    £3 £7
clothing, foul weather 3    £1 to £5 £1 6s to £5 6s
clothing, rough-living 3    £1 to £3 £1 6s to £5
clothing, cotton duck hunting pants and coat, finest grade 3    £2 £2 12s to £3
cot, folding 15    6s £2
cricket set (2 bats, 2 balls, pads, stumps, net, rules, etc.) 25    £3 £8 10s
flask, liquor, half pint 1    10s £1
food, canned, one day 4    8d 9s
food, one day 3    6d or more 6d or more
fishing tackle 1    12s £2 6s
golf set (9 clubs, bag, balls, etc.) 30    £4 £11
Gramophone or similar 3    £5 £10 6s
hammock 2    4s 12s
lamp, miner's safety 0.3 8d 2s
lantern, carbide 1    1s 4s
lantern, storm or railway conductor's 2    5s 14s
lantern, dark or policeman's 2    5s 14s
lawn tennis set (4 rackets, 6 balls, net, rules, etc.) 15    £3 £7 10s
lighter, oil-filled, contains 50 primers to light the oil n/a 1s 2s
liquor, 12 bottles of port 70    £1 14s £5 4s
liquor, 12 bottles of whiskey 70    £4 4s £10 8s
liquor, 12 bottles of brandy 70    £5 10s £13
liquor, 12 bottles of gin 70    £4 10s £11
liquor, 12 bottles of rum 70    £4 £10
padlock, bronze railway, with 2 keys 1.5 3s 10s
root beer, 12 bottles 70    12s £8
rope, 100 feet of 3/8" manila 5    2s 2s
scabbard for rifle or shotgun 6    5s 5s
sight, tang-mounted vernier style for rifles n/a    15s £2
sight, Duplex telescopic for rifles n/a    £3 10s £10
spectacles, steel framed, prescription lenses ---    £1 5s £3
stool, folding camp 4    3s 3s
sunglasses ---    £2s £4s
tarp, 10 x 10 feet, 10 oz. canvas 12    10d 10d
tent, miners' (7' across, one pole) 20    15s 15s
tent, two-man (two shelter halves) 12    £3 £3
tent, wall, ten man (14' x 16') 76    £4 5s £4 5s
tent, wedge or 'A', two-man 30    £1 10s £1 10s
tripod (for survey instruments, cameras, etc.) 12    10s £2 4s
trunk, steamer 6    8s £1 8s
watch, pocket n/a    £2 to £10 £4 to £20
watch, schoolboy's n/a    15s £1 10s
watch, stop n/a    £3 £6 4s

Fuel
Item  Weight, lbs.   Cost, England    Cost, Syrtis Major 
coal 2,000    1s 6d £10
petroleum or gasoline, 88 octane 2,000    £3 £200
liquid fuels 2,000    £6 £200
wood or peat n/a    free free
carbide 1    5d 1s

Explosives
Item  Weight, lbs.   Cost, England    Cost, Syrtis Major 
black powder, barrel 6    10s 10s
dynamite, case of 100 sticks 50    £5 £20
nitroglycerin, case of 20 bottles 5    £1 £2 10s

Land Transport
Item  Weight, lbs.   Cost, England    Cost, Syrtis Major 
wagon, light, farm or delivery (2 ton capacity) 1,000    £10 £12
wagon, freight, conestoga, or cape 3,200    £50 £60
howdah 250    £10 £10
bicycle, safety 26    £5 £12 12s
bicycle, penny-farthing 40    £10 £24
horse saddle, military, wallets and tack 26    £1 to £15 £2 to £30
horse saddle, hunting with tack 13    £1 to £10 £2 to £15
horse saddle, western, stock or cowboy with tack 12    £2 to £8 £2 to £17
panniers, two of 100# capacity 10    £3 £3
2-6-0 tank locomotive, about as small as std. gauge gets 20,000    £800 £2,800
"40 Ton" Shay two-truck geared locomotive 60,000    £1,200 £7,200
railway car, private 40,000    £800 £6,000

Water Transport
Item  Weight, lbs.   Cost, England    Cost, Syrtis Major 
boat, folding canvas (the Acme, 12' long) 35    £7 £15
longboat - good sailing, 32' long, 7' wide, 10 oars, capacity 25 men and 3 tons 2,000    £50 £50
launch - shallow waters, 28' long, 7' wide, capacity 30 men and 4 tons 2,500    £50 £50
cutter - 18' long, 5' wide, 4 oars, capacity 8 men and 0.25 ton 250    £10 £10
whaleboat or pinnace - 26'-28' long, 6'-8' wide, 6 oars, capacity about 0.5-1 ton 500-1,000    £30 £30
dingy - 10' long, 3' wide, 2 oars, 3 people, capacity about 400# 120    £5 £5
boat, rowing ?    £3 £3
steam launch - 24' long, 8' beam, capacity 4 tons or 30 men 5,000    £50 £100
steamer, river or canal, small ?    £100 £200

Miscellaneous
Item  Weight, lbs.   Cost, England    Cost, Syrtis Major 
plain gold ring, 18 karat, 5 pwt. ---    1 gn. 2 gn.
plain silver ring, 18 karat, 5 pwt. ---    1 gn. 2 gn.
gold ring with diamond ---    1 gn. 2 gn.
gold ring with ruby ---    1 gn. 2 gn.
harmonica, Hohner ---    3 s 6 s
violin with case, good quality 10    1 gn. 3 gn.
zither with case, good quality 12    2 gn. 5 gn.


Bulk freight costs to Mars estimated at 2 shillings per pound.

some of the sources: Sears, Roebuck Catalog for 1897; Bannerman Catalogue of Military Goods, 1927; Harrod's Stores Price List, May 1895; Great Western Gun Works Catalogue, 1897 and of course the original Space: 1889 rules.


1889 Index Page