Port Arthur  

 Sundial: 446
State/Province:  Texas Country:  USA
Dial Type:  Equatorial Dial Condition:  Excellent
  Latitude and Longitude: 29° 52.472' N  93° 55.782' W
Location:
  • 800 Block of 4th Street at Mobile Ave. a few blocks NE of downtown.
 
Description:
  • A large Erickson Monument polar equatorial dial of light colored granite, approximately 6 feet in diameter and 6 inches thick. The gnomon shaft is steel, extending from the ground through the dial plate and outward another two feet. The base is a simple tier of raised concrete. 24 hours are inscribed on each side of the dial (summer and winter) as radiating lines with Arabic numbers at the end. Time is graduated by half-hour and 5 minute marks. Two equation of time graphs, each about 3 x 6 feet engraved in granite, are set at the north and south ends of the dial, providing corrections from Apr-Sep, and Oct-Mar. [An interesting note about the engraving for the Apr-Sep graph: The line originally said "For daylight savings time, subtract one hour", the word "subtract" was filled in and "you add" was inscribed over it.] In the top quadrant of the dial (both obverse and reverse) where the sun's shadow will never cast, are the names of cities in 16 different Time Zones. A beautiful and well-crafted sundial, it makes a fitting Seaman's Memorial.

    Compare this dial with other Erickson dials
 
General Information:Inscription:
  • Owner: Sponsored by Port Arthur Port Commission
  • Dedicated to the memory of the 31 crew members of the "Texaco Oklahoma", lost at sea, March 28, 1971.
  • Designer: Stephen A. Ionides from Erickson Monument Co.
  • Builder: Erickson Monument Co, Funded by Sea Explorer Post 700/701
  • Construction Date: 1973
 
References:
  • Other Erickson Polar Equatorial Dials:
    24, 81, 172, 194, 224, 415, 446, 447, 495, 5140, 511

Last Revised: 2022-02-13 23:40