Wildman Whitehouse
Encyclopedia
Edward Orange Wildman Whitehouse (1 October 1816 - 26 January 1890) was an English
surgeon
, better-known for his ultimately unsuccessful endeavours as chief electrician of the transatlantic telegraph cable
for the Atlantic Telegraph Company
.
to a merchant
, he qualified as a member of the Royal College of Surgeons
in 1840 and established a successful practice in Brighton
.
In the 1850s, he conducted experiments that, he held, showed that feared problems with practical data rate
s on underwater cables would not prohibit a commercial service. Though his claims were disputed by William Thomson
(later known as Lord Kelvin), he was an able propagandist for the undertakers of a proposed transatlantic cable.
Cyrus West Field
recruited Whitehouse as chief electrician to the Atlantic Telegraph Company
; Thomson subsequently became scientific advisor, convinced that Whitehouse's theories were wrong but believing him to have the practical skill to make the scheme work.
When the cable finally opened for business, it was beset with the problems that Thomson had foreseen. Whitehouse's inadequate apparatus had to be replaced by Thomson's more sensitive mirror galvanometer
and Whitehouse succeeded in fatally damaging the cable by delivering massive shocks of 2,000 volt
s in an attempt to rectify the problems. Whitehouse continually maintained that the cable and his equipment were a success. Though he put up a desperate public defence of his conduct and was more than ready to apportion blame among all other parties, an 1861 enquiry concluded that he should bear the majority of the responsibility. It has been argued that the manufacture, storage and handling of the 1858 cable would have led to premature failure in any case.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
surgeon
Surgery
Surgery is an ancient medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, or to help improve bodily function or appearance.An act of performing surgery may be called a surgical...
, better-known for his ultimately unsuccessful endeavours as chief electrician of the transatlantic telegraph cable
Transatlantic telegraph cable
The transatlantic telegraph cable was the first cable used for telegraph communications laid across the floor of the Atlantic Ocean. It crossed from , Foilhommerum Bay, Valentia Island, in western Ireland to Heart's Content in eastern Newfoundland. The transatlantic cable connected North America...
for the Atlantic Telegraph Company
Atlantic Telegraph Company
The Atlantic Telegraph Company was a company formed in 1856 to undertake and exploit a commercial telegraph cable across the Atlantic ocean, the first such telecommunications link....
.
Life
Born in LiverpoolLiverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
to a merchant
Merchant
A merchant is a businessperson who trades in commodities that were produced by others, in order to earn a profit.Merchants can be one of two types:# A wholesale merchant operates in the chain between producer and retail merchant...
, he qualified as a member of the Royal College of Surgeons
Royal College of Surgeons of England
The Royal College of Surgeons of England is an independent professional body and registered charity committed to promoting and advancing the highest standards of surgical care for patients, regulating surgery, including dentistry, in England and Wales...
in 1840 and established a successful practice in Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
.
In the 1850s, he conducted experiments that, he held, showed that feared problems with practical data rate
Data rate
Data rate can refer to:* Bit rate, or data transfer rate* Data signaling rate* Data rate units-See also:* Baud rate* Channel capacity* Throughput* Bandwidth everything in this page is falsified...
s on underwater cables would not prohibit a commercial service. Though his claims were disputed by William Thomson
William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin
William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin OM, GCVO, PC, PRS, PRSE, was a mathematical physicist and engineer. At the University of Glasgow he did important work in the mathematical analysis of electricity and formulation of the first and second laws of thermodynamics, and did much to unify the emerging...
(later known as Lord Kelvin), he was an able propagandist for the undertakers of a proposed transatlantic cable.
Cyrus West Field
Cyrus West Field
Cyrus West Field was an American businessman and financier who, along with other entrepreneurs, created the Atlantic Telegraph Company and laid the first telegraph cable across the Atlantic Ocean in 1858.-Life and career:...
recruited Whitehouse as chief electrician to the Atlantic Telegraph Company
Atlantic Telegraph Company
The Atlantic Telegraph Company was a company formed in 1856 to undertake and exploit a commercial telegraph cable across the Atlantic ocean, the first such telecommunications link....
; Thomson subsequently became scientific advisor, convinced that Whitehouse's theories were wrong but believing him to have the practical skill to make the scheme work.
When the cable finally opened for business, it was beset with the problems that Thomson had foreseen. Whitehouse's inadequate apparatus had to be replaced by Thomson's more sensitive mirror galvanometer
Mirror galvanometer
thumb|right|200px|A mirror galvanometerA mirror galvanometer is a mechanical meter that senses electric current, except that instead of moving a needle, it moves a mirror. The mirror reflects a beam of light, which projects onto a meter, and acts as a long, weightless, massless pointer...
and Whitehouse succeeded in fatally damaging the cable by delivering massive shocks of 2,000 volt
Volt
The volt is the SI derived unit for electric potential, electric potential difference, and electromotive force. The volt is named in honor of the Italian physicist Alessandro Volta , who invented the voltaic pile, possibly the first chemical battery.- Definition :A single volt is defined as the...
s in an attempt to rectify the problems. Whitehouse continually maintained that the cable and his equipment were a success. Though he put up a desperate public defence of his conduct and was more than ready to apportion blame among all other parties, an 1861 enquiry concluded that he should bear the majority of the responsibility. It has been argued that the manufacture, storage and handling of the 1858 cable would have led to premature failure in any case.
Obituaries
- The ElectricianThe ElectricianThe Electrician was a scientific journal of electromagnetics published by Williams & Co.-External links:*...
, January 31, 1890, page 319 - The TimesThe TimesThe Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
, January 29, 1890, page 1 - Daily Telegraph, January 30, 1890, page 1
- The LancetThe LancetThe Lancet is a weekly peer-reviewed general medical journal. It is one of the world's best known, oldest, and most respected general medical journals...
, February 1, 1890, page 277
About Whitehouse
- Edward Orange Wildman Whitehouse (1816-1890) Website on Whitehouse's life and work, with transcripts of publications and documents on his role as Electrician of the 1857/58 Atlantic Cable project.
- "Board of Trade Committee to Inquire into … Submarine Telegraph Cables’, Parl. papers (1860), 52.591, no. 2744
- Bright, C. (1898) Submarine Telegraphs: Their History, Construction, and Working
- Dr E.O.W. Whitehouse and the 1858 transatlantic cable Full text of Donard de Cogan's paper (above).
- Scientists, engineers and Wildman Whitehouse: measurement and credibility in early cable telegraphy Full text of Bruce J. Hunt's paper (above).
- — (2004) "Whitehouse, (Edward Orange) Wildman (1816-1890)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, accessed 24 July 2005
- Smith, C. & Wise M.N. (1989) Energy and Empire: A Biographical Study of Lord Kelvin
- Thompson, S.P. (1910) The Life of William Thomson, Baron Kelvin of Largs, 2 vols.
- The Life of William Thomson—The Atlantic Telegraph: Failure Extract from S.P. Thompson (above) with much material on Whitehouse.
By Whitehouse
- Whitehouse, E.O.W. (1856) "The law of squares: is it applicable or not to the transmission of signals in submarine circuits ?", The Athenaeum, January 30, 1856
- — (1855) Report on a series of experimental observations (full text)
- — (1858a) The Atlantic Telegraph: The Rise, Progress, and Development of its Electrical Department
- — (1858b) Reply to the Statement of the Directors of the Atlantic Telegraph Company (extracts)
- — (1858b) Reply to the Statement of the Directors of the Atlantic Telegraph Company (full text)
- — (1858c) Recent Correspondence between Mr. Wildman Whitehouse and the Atlantic Telegraph Company (full text)