heroes of the telegraph-第18部分

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telegraphic　circles；　'three　hundred　of　the　notabilities　of　rank　and　fashion　gathered　together　at　Mr。　Pender's　house　in　Arlington　Street；　Piccadilly；　to　celebrate　the　completion　of　submarine　communication　between　London　and　Bombay　by　the　successful　laying　of　the　Falmouth；　Gibraltar　and　Malta　and　the　British　Indian　cable　lines。'　Mr。　Pender's　house　was　literally　turned　outside　in；　the　front　door　was　removed；　the　courtyard　temporarily　covered　with　an　iron　roof　and　the　whole　decorated　in　the　grandest　style。　Over　the　gateway　was　a　gallery　filled　with　the　band　of　the　Scots　Fusilier　Guards；　and　over　the　portico　of　the　house　door　hung　the　grapnel　which　brought　up　the　1865　cable；　made　resplendent　to　the　eye　by　a　coating　of　gold　leaf。　　A　handsome　staircase；　newly　erected；　permitted　the　guests　to　pass　from　the　reception…room　to　the　drawing…room。　　In　the　grounds　at　the　back　of　the　house　stood　the　royal　tent；　where　the　Prince　of　Wales　and　a　select　party；　including　the　Duke　of　Cambridge　and　Lady　Mayo；　wife　of　the　Viceroy　of　India　at　that　time；　were　entertained　at　supper。　　Into　this　tent　were　brought　wires　from　India；　America；　Egypt；　and　other　places；　and　Lady　Mayo　sent　off　a　message　to　India　about　half…　past　eleven；　and　had　received　a　reply　before　twelve；　telling　her　that　her　husband　and　sons　were　quite　well　at　five　o'clock　the　next　morning。　The　recorder；　which　was　shown　in　operation；　naturally　stood　in　the　place　of　honour；　and　attracted　great　attention。

The　minor　features　of　the　recorder　have　been　　simplified　by　other　inventors　of　late；　for　example；　magnets　of　steel　have　been　substituted　for　the　electro…magnets　which　influence　the　swinging　coil；　and　the　ink；　instead　of　being　electrified　by　the　mouse…mill；　is　shed　on　the　paper　by　a　rapid　vibration　of　the　siphon　point。

To　introduce　his　apparatus　for　signalling　on　long　submarine　cables；　Sir　William　Thomson　entered　into　a　partnership　with　Mr。　C。　F。　Varley；　who　first　applied　condensers　to　sharpen　the　signals；　and　Professor　Fleeming　Jenkin；　of　Edinburgh　University。　　In　conjunction　with　the　latter；　he　also　devised　an　'automatic　curb　sender；'　or　key；　for　sending　messages　on　a　cable；　as　the　well…known　Wheatstone　transmitter　sends　them　on　a　land　line。

In　both　instruments　the　signals　are　sent　by　means　of　a　perforated　ribbon　of　paper；　but　the　cable　sender　was　the　more　complicated；　because　the　cable　signals　are　formed　by　both　positive　and　negative　currents；　and　not　merely　by　a　single　current；　whether　positive　or　negative。　　Moreover；　to　curb　the　prolongation　of　the　signals　due　to　induction；　each　signal　was　made　by　two　opposite　currents　in　successiona　positive　followed　by　a　negative；　or　a　negative　followed　by　a　positive；　as　the　case　might　be。　The　after…current　had　the　effect　of　curbing　its　precursor。　　This　self…　acting　cable　key　was　brought　out　in　1876；　and　tried　on　the　lines　of　the　Eastern　Telegraph　Company。

Sir　William　Thomson　took　part　in　the　laying　of　the　French　Atlantic　cable　of　1869；　and　with　Professor　Jenkin　was　engineer　of　the　Western　and　Brazilian　and　Platino…Brazilian　cables。　　He　was　present　at　the　laying　of　the　Para　to　Pernambuco　section　of　the　Brazilian　coast　cables　in　1873；　and　introduced　his　method　of　deep…sea　sounding；　in　which　a　steel　pianoforte　wire　replaces　the　ordinary　land　line。　　The　wire　glides　so　easily　to　the　bottom　that　'flying　soundings'　can　be　taken　while　the　ship　is　going　at　full　speed。　　A　pressure…gauge　to　register　the　depth　of　the　sinker　has　been　added　by　Sir　William。

About　the　same　time　he　revived　the　Sumner　method　of　finding　a　ship's　place　at　sea；　and　calculated　a　set　of　tables　for　its　ready　application。　His　most　important　aid　to　the　mariner　is；　however；　the　adjustable　compass；　which　he　brought　out　soon　afterwards。　　It　is　a　great　improvement　on　the　older　instrument；　being　steadier；　less　hampered　by　friction；　and　the　deviation　due　to　the　ship's　own　magnetism　can　be　corrected　by　movable　masses　of　iron　at　the　binnacle。

Sir　William　is　himself　a　skilful　navigator；　and　delights　to　cruise　in　his　fine　yacht；　the　Lalla　Rookh；　among　the　Western　Islands；　or　up　the　Mediterranean；　or　across　the　Atlantic　to　Madeira　and　America。　　His　interest　in　all　things　relating　to　the　sea　perhaps　arose；　or　at　any　rate　was　fostered；　by　his　experiences　on　the　Agamemnon　and　the　Great　Eastern。　Babbage　was　among　the　first　to　suggest　that　a　lighthouse　might　be　made　to　signal　a　distinctive　number　by　occultations　of　its　light；　but　Sir　William　pointed　out　the　merits　of　the　Morse　telegraphic　code　for　the　purpose；　and　urged　that　the　signals　should　consist　of　short　and　long　flashes　of　the　light　to　represent　the　dots　and　dashes。

Sir　William　has　done　more　than　any　other　　electrician　to　introduce　accurate　methods　and　apparatus　for　measuring　electricity。　　As　early　as　1845　his　mind　was　attracted　to　this　subject。　　He　pointed　out　that　the　experimental　results　of　William　Snow　Harris　were　in　accordance　with　the　laws　of　Coulomb。

In　the　Memoirs　of　the　Roman　Academy　of　Sciences　for　1857　he　published　a　description　of　his　new　divided　ring　electrometer；　which　is　based　on　the　old　electroscope　of　Bohnenberger　and　since　then　he　has　introduced　a　chain　or　series　of　beautiful　and　effective　instruments；　including　the　quadrant　electrometer；　which　cover　the　entire　field　of　electrostatic　measurement。　　His　delicate　mirror　galvanometer　has　also　been　the　forerunner　of　a　later　circle　of　equally　precise　apparatus　for　the　measurement　of　current　or　dynamic　electricity。

To　give　even　a　brief　account　of　all　his　physical　researches　would　require　a　separate　volume；　and　many　of　them　are　too　abstruse　or　mathematical　for　the　general　reader。　　His　varied　services　have　been　acknowledged　by　numerous　distinctions；　including　the　highest　honour　a　British　man　of　science　can　obtain　the　Presidency　of　the　Royal　Society　of　London；　to　which　he　was　elected　at　the　end　of　last　year。

Sir　William　Thomson　has　been　all　his　life　a　firm　believer　in　the　truth　of　Christianity；　and　his　great　scientific　attainments　add　weight　to　the　following　words；　spoken　by　him　when　in　the　chair　at　the　annual　meeting　of　the　Christian　Evidence　Society；　May　23；　1889　：…

'I　have　long　felt　that　there　was　a　general　impression　in　the　non…　scientific　world；　that　the　scientific　world　believes　Science　has　discovered　ways　of　explaining　all　the　facts　of　Nature　without　adopting　any　definite　belief　in　a　Creator。　　I　have　never　doubted　that　that　impression　was　utterly　groundless。　　It　seems　to　me　that　when　a　scientific　man　saysas　it　has　been　said　from　time　to　timethat　there　is　no　God；　he　does　not　express　his　own　ideas　clearly。　　He　is；　perhaps；　struggling　with　difficulties；　but　when　he　says　he　does　not　believe　in　a　creative　power；　I　am　convinced　he　does　not　faithfully　express　what　is　in　his　own　mind；　He　does　not　fully　express　his　own　ideas。　　He　is　out　of　his　depth。

'We　are　all　out　of　our　depth　when　we　approach　the　subject　of　life。　The　scientific　man；　in　looking　at　a　piece　of　dead　matter；　thinking　over　the　results　of　certain　combinations　which　he　can　impose　upon　it；　is　himself　a　living　miracle；　proving　that　there　is　something　beyond　that　mass　of　dead　matter　of　which　he　is　thinking。　　His　very　thought　is　in　itself　a　contradiction　to　the　idea　that　there　is　nothing　in　existence　but　dead　matter。　　Science　can　do　little　positively　towards　the　objects　of　this　society。　　But　it　can　do　something；　and　that　something　is　vital　and　fundamental。　　It　is　to　show　that　what　we　see　in　the　world　of　dead　matter　and　of　life　around　us　is　not　a　result　of　the　fortuitous　concourse　of　atoms。

'I　may　refer　to　that　old；　but　never　uninteresting　subject　of　the　miracles　of　geology。　　Physical　science　does　something　for　us　here。　　St。　Peter　speaks　of　scoffers　who　said　that　〃all　things　continue　as　they　were　from　the　beginning　of　the　creation；〃　but　the　apostle　affirms　himself　that　〃all　these　things　shall　be　dissolved。〃　It　seems　to　me　that　even　physical　science　absolutely　demonstrates　the　scientific　truth　of　these　words。　　We　feel　that　there　is　no　possibility　of　things　going　on　for　ever　as　they　have　done　for　the　last　six　thousand　years。　　In　science；　as　in　morals　and　politics；　there　is　absolutely　no　periodicity。　　One　thing　we　may　prophesy　of　the　future　for　certainit　will　be　unlike　the　past。　Everything　is　in　a　state　of　evolution　and　progress。　　The　science　of　dead　matter；　which　has　been　the　principal　subject　of　my　thoughts　during　my　life；　is；　I　may　say；　strenuous　on　this　point；　that　THE　AGE　OF　THE　EARTH　IS　DEFINITE。　　We　do　not　say　whether　it　is　twenty　million　years　or　more；　or　less；　but　me　say　it　is　NOT　INDEFINITE。　　And　we　can　say　very　definitely　that　it　is　not　an　inconceivably　great　number　of　millions　of　years。　　Here；　then；　we　are　brought　face　to　face　with　the　most　wonderful　of　all　miracles；　the　commencement　of　life　on　this　earth。　　This　earth；　certainly　a　moderate　number　of　millions　of　years　ago；　was　a　red…hot　globe；　all　scientific　men　of　the　present　day　agree　that　life　came　upon　this　earth　somehow。　　If　some　form　or　some　part　of　the　life　at　present　existing　came　to　this　earth；　carried　on　some　moss…grown　stone　perhaps　broken　away　from　mountains　in　other　worlds；　even　if　some　part　of　the　life　had　come　in　that　wayfor　there　is　nothing　too　far…fetched　in　the　idea；　and　probably　some　such　action　as　that　did　take　place；　since　meteors　do