William Kennish
Encyclopedia
William Kennish was a poet, engineer, explorer, scientist, inventor, and the first person hired by the United States government to explore a route for a Panama Canal
.
He was born in the Parish of Maughold, on the Isle of Man
, in a cottage on the Douglas-Ramsey Road. He spoke Manx
, and knew very little English until he became a seaman in the Royal Navy at the age of 22. He learned English and rose to the rank of Master Carpenter by the time he was 27. In October 1826, he married Mary Byford, of Gillingham, Chatham, Kent, England.
Between 1827 and 1832, while in the service of the Royal Navy, he invented a system for correcting pointing naval artillery for parallax
and a system for moving naval artillery on to land and using it there. He improved the design of the theodolite
. He introduced the practice of painting naval vessels gray. In addition, he worked on an artificial horizon for navigation; a[n] Automatic sounding instrument; a method of drowning the magazine of a ship of war ; an hydraulic ventilator; [and] a hydrostatic diving machine[.]"
When the Royal Navy became interested in steam propulsion, between 1832 and 1840, he designed several steam engines and an early screw propeller.
He retired from the Royal Navy in about 1840, and began writing poetry. In 1844 his collection of poems, Mona's Isle and Other Poems, was published in London. In 1845 he began teaching. Also about this time, he invented a system for a pneumatic tube to convey messages, which became commonly used after he died.
In 1849, he emigrated to America. He soon began surveying gold-bearing land in Columbia, and in 1855 planned a route for a Panama Canal for the United States government. His report on the survey of the Panama Canal was included in The Practicality and Importance of a Ship Canal to Connect the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, published in 1855 by George F. Nesbitt & Co. of New York.
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
.
He was born in the Parish of Maughold, on the Isle of Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
, in a cottage on the Douglas-Ramsey Road. He spoke Manx
Manx
Manx is an adjective describing things or people related to the Isle of Man:* Manx people**Manx surnames* Isle of ManIt may also refer to:-Languages:...
, and knew very little English until he became a seaman in the Royal Navy at the age of 22. He learned English and rose to the rank of Master Carpenter by the time he was 27. In October 1826, he married Mary Byford, of Gillingham, Chatham, Kent, England.
Between 1827 and 1832, while in the service of the Royal Navy, he invented a system for correcting pointing naval artillery for parallax
Parallax
Parallax is a displacement or difference in the apparent position of an object viewed along two different lines of sight, and is measured by the angle or semi-angle of inclination between those two lines. The term is derived from the Greek παράλλαξις , meaning "alteration"...
and a system for moving naval artillery on to land and using it there. He improved the design of the theodolite
Theodolite
A theodolite is a precision instrument for measuring angles in the horizontal and vertical planes. Theodolites are mainly used for surveying applications, and have been adapted for specialized purposes in fields like metrology and rocket launch technology...
. He introduced the practice of painting naval vessels gray. In addition, he worked on an artificial horizon for navigation; a[n] Automatic sounding instrument; a method of drowning the magazine of a ship of war ; an hydraulic ventilator; [and] a hydrostatic diving machine[.]"
When the Royal Navy became interested in steam propulsion, between 1832 and 1840, he designed several steam engines and an early screw propeller.
He retired from the Royal Navy in about 1840, and began writing poetry. In 1844 his collection of poems, Mona's Isle and Other Poems, was published in London. In 1845 he began teaching. Also about this time, he invented a system for a pneumatic tube to convey messages, which became commonly used after he died.
In 1849, he emigrated to America. He soon began surveying gold-bearing land in Columbia, and in 1855 planned a route for a Panama Canal for the United States government. His report on the survey of the Panama Canal was included in The Practicality and Importance of a Ship Canal to Connect the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, published in 1855 by George F. Nesbitt & Co. of New York.