Here is a link to the Wells telescope that recently showed up in the "CL, EB, and other classic scope ads" forum. Take note of the included paper description.
WELLS link Sorry to start a string with links but I have no permission to post pictures from the ad.
Here is a CN link to Carroll telescopes. This string includes some entries about my scope (the Nautilus) which seems to be in between the Wells and normal Carroll productions.
CARROLL link
Those interested in Carroll telescopes will see the distinct similarities with the Wells. They are so alike that I originally thought the Wells was a Carroll. Now I'm not sure which came first or if there was a mutual meeting of the two individuals in the beginning. Either way, the Wells scope will certainly be of interest to the Carroll community. This was all way before my time. I'm all ears.
As Historian for the Stony Ridge Observatory for which George Carroll was the principal founder, I can shed some light on Neil's question about the Carroll-Wells relationship. Dan Wells and George Carroll were indeed friends and members of the Association of Amateur Astronomers (AAA) dating back to before 1947. The Wells 6-inch telescope was completed in 1947 according to the paper discription on the WELLS link. The AAA changed its name to Stony Ridge Observatory, Inc. (SRO) in 1960. While Dan Wells' profession was listed as an "engineer", I suspect that he may have have been an engineer at Lockheed-California Aircraft Company, as were a number of the original founders of AAA, including Carroll in those early years. Wells' name appears in a number of SRO documents from 1947 to c.1960 at which time Wells was no longer mentioned. The similarities of the Wells telescope to Carroll telescopes are very apparent. I'm certain that the Dan Wells 6-inch telescope is unique to his handy work, with inspiration and support from George Carroll.
--Steve Brewster
Stony Ridge Observatory, Inc.
