heroes of the telegraph-第11部分

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k　bed；　he　observed　to　the　doctor；　'The　best　is　yet　to　come。'　In　tapping　his　chest　one　day；　the　physician　said；'　This　is　the　way　we　doctors　telegraph；　professor；'　and　Morse　replied　with　a　smile；　'Very　goodvery　good。'　These　were　his　last　words。　　He　died　at　New　York　on　April　2；　1872；　at　the　age　of　eighty…one　years；　and　was　buried　in　the　Greenwood　Cemetery。



CHAPTER　IV。

SIR　WILLIAM　THOMSON。

Sir　William　Thomson；　the　greatest　physicist　of　the　age；　and　the　highest　authority　on　electrical　science；　theoretical　and　applied；　was　born　at　Belfast　on　June　25；　1824。　　His　father；　Dr。　James　Thomson；　the　son　of　a　Scots…Irish　farmer；　showed　a　bent　for　scholarship　when　a　boy；　and　became　a　pupil　teacher　in　a　small　school　near　Ballynahinch；　in　County　Down。　With　his　summer　earnings　he　educated　himself　at　Glasgow　University　during　winter。　　Appointed　head　master　of　a　school　in　connection　with　the　Royal　Academical　Institute；　he　subsequently　obtained　the　professorship　of　mathematics　in　that　academy。　　In　1832　he　was　called　to　the　chair　of　mathematics　in　the　University　of　Glasgow；　where　he　achieved　a　reputation　by　his　text…books　on　arithmetic　and　mathematics。

William　began　his　course　at　the　same　college　in　his　eleventh　year；　and　was　petted　by　the　older　students　for　his　extraordinary　quickness　in　solving　the　problems　of　his　father's　class。　　It　was　quite　plain　that　his　genius　lay　in　the　direction　of　mathematics；　and　on　finishing　at　Glasgow　he　was　sent　to　the　higher　mathematical　school　of　St。　Peter's　College；　Cambridge。　　In　1845　he　graduated　as　second　wrangler；　but　won　the　Smith　prize。　　This　'consolation　stakes'　is　regarded　as　a　better　test　of　originality　than　the　tripos。　　The　first；　or　senior；　wrangler　probably　beat　him　by　a　facility　in　applying　well…known　rules；　and　a　readiness　in　writing。　　　One　of　the　examiners　is　said　to　have　declared　that　he　was　unworthy　to　cut　Thomson's　pencils。　　It　is　certain　that　while　the　victor　has　been　forgotten；　the　vanquished　has　created　a　world…wide　renown。

While　at　Cambridge　he　took　an　active　part　in　the　field　sports　and　athletics　of　the　University。　　He　won　the　Silver　Sculls；　and　rowed　in　the　winning　boat　of　the　Oxford　and　Cambridge　race。　　He　also　took　a　lively　interest　in　the　classics；　in　music；　and　in　general　literature；　but　the　real　love；　the　central　passion　of　his　intellectual　life；　was　the　pursuit　of　science。　　The　study　of　mathematics；　physics；　and　in　particular；　of　electricity；　had　captivated　his　imagination；　and　soon　engrossed　all　the　teeming　faculties　of　his　mind。　　At　the　age　of　seventeen；　when　ordinary　lads　are　fond　of　games；　and　the　cleverer　sort　are　content　to　learn　without　attempting　to　originate；　young　Thomson　had　begun　to　make　investigations。　　The　CAMBRIDGE　MATHEMATICAL　JOURNAL　of　1842　contains　a　paper　by　him'On　the　uniform　motion　of　heat　in　　homogeneous　solid　bodies；　and　its　connection　with　the　mathematical　theory　of　electricity。'　In　this　he　　demonstrated　the　identity　of　the　laws　governing　the　distribution　of　electric　or　magnetic　force　in　general；　with　the　laws　governing　the　distribution　of　the　lines　of　the　motion　of　heat　in　certain　special　cases。　　The　paper　was　followed　by　others　on　the　mathematical　theory　of　electricity；　and　in　1845　he　gave　the　first　mathematical　development　of　Faraday's　notion；　that　electric　induction　takes　place　through　an　intervening　medium；　or　'dielectric；'　and　not　by　some　incomprehensible　'action　at　a　distance。'　He　also　devised　an　hypothesis　of　electrical　images；　which　became　a　powerful　agent　in　solving　problems　of　electrostatics；　or　the　science　which　deals　with　the　forces　of　electricity　at　rest。

On　gaining　a　fellowship　at　his　college；　he　spent　some　time　in　the　laboratory　of　the　celebrated　Regnault；　at　Paris；　but　in　1846　he　was　appointed　to　the　chair　of　natural　philosophy　in　the　University　of　Glasgow。　　It　was　due　to　the　brilliant　promise　he　displayed；　as　much　as　to　the　influence　of　his　father；　that　at　the　age　of　twenty…two　he　found　himself　wearing　the　gown　of　a　learned　professor　in　one　of　the　oldest　Universities　in　the　country；　and　lecturing　to　the　class　of　which　he　was　a　freshman　but　a　few　years　before。

Thomson　became　a　man　of　public　note　in　connection　　with　the　laying　of　the　first　Atlantic　cable。　　After　Cooke　and　Wheatstone　had　introduced　their　working　telegraph　in　1839；　the　idea　of　a　submarine　line　across　the　Atlantic　Ocean　began　to　dawn　on　the　minds　of　men　as　a　possible　triumph　of　the　future。　　Morse　proclaimed　his　faith　in　it　as　early　as　the　year　1840；　and　in　1842　he　submerged　a　wire；　insulated　with　tarred　hemp　and　india…rubber；　in　the　water　of　New　York　harbour；　and　telegraphed　through　it。　　The　following　autumn　Wheatstone　performed　a　similar　experiment　in　the　Bay　of　Swansea。　　A　good　insulator　to　cover　the　wire　and　prevent　the　electricity　from　leaking　into　the　water　was　requisite　for　the　success　of　a　long　submarine　line。　　India…rubber　had　been　tried　by　Jacobi；　the　Russian　electrician；　as　far　back　as　1811。　　He　laid　a　wire　insulated　with　rubber　across　the　Neva　at　St。　Petersburg；　and　succeeded　in　firing　a　mine　by　an　electric　spark　sent　through　it；　but　india…rubber；　although　it　is　now　used　to　a　considerable　extent；　was　not　easy　to　manipulate　in　those　days。　　Luckily　another　gum　which　could　be　melted　by　heat；　and　readily　applied　to　the　wire；　made　its　appearance。　　Gutta…percha；　the　adhesive　juice　of　the　ISONANDRA　GUTTA　tree；　was　introduced　to　Europe　in　1842　by　Dr。　Montgomerie；　a　Scotch　surveyor　in　the　service　of　the　East　India　Company。　　Twenty　years　before　he　had　seen　whips　made　of　it　in　Singapore；　and　believed　that　it　would　be　useful　in　the　fabrication　of　surgical　apparatus。　　Faraday　and　Wheatstone　soon　discovered　its　merits　as　an　insulator；　and　in　1845　the　latter　suggested　that　it　should　be　employed　to　cover　the　wire　which　it　was　proposed　to　lay　from　Dover　to　Calais。　　It　was　tried　on　a　wire　laid　across　the　Rhine　between　Deutz　and　Cologne。　　In　1849　Mr。　C。　V。　Walker；　electrician　to　the　South　Eastern　Railway　Company；　submerged　a　wire　coated　with　it；　or；　as　it　is　technically　called；　a　gutta…percha　core；　along　the　coast　off　Dover。

The　following　year　Mr。　John　Watkins　Brett　laid　the　first　line　across　the　Channel。　　It　was　simply　a　copper　wire　coated　with　gutta…percha；　without　any　other　protection。　　The　core　was　payed　out　from　a　reel　mounted　behind　the　funnel　of　a　steam　tug；　the　Goliath；　and　sunk　by　means　of　lead　weights　attached　to　it　every　sixteenth　of　a　mile。　　She　left　Dover　about　ten　o'clock　on　the　morning　of　August　28；　1850；　with　some　thirty　men　on　board　and　a　day's　provisions。　　The　route　she　was　to　follow　was　marked　by　a　line　of　buoys　and　flags。　　By　eight　o'clock　in　the　evening　she　arrived　at　Cape　Grisnez；　and　came　to　anchor　near　the　shore。　　Mr。　Brett　watched　the　operations　through　a　glass　at　Dover。　　'The　declining　sun；'　he　says；　'enabled　me　to　discern　the　moving　shadow　of　the　steamer's　smoke　on　the　white　cliff；　thus　indicating　her　progress。　　At　length　the　shadow　ceased　to　move。　　The　vessel　had　evidently　come　to　an　anchor。　　We　gave　them　half　an　hour　to　convey　the　end　of　the　wire　to　shore　and　attach　the　　type…　printing　instrument；　and　then　I　sent　the　first　electrical　message　across　the　Channel。　　This　was　reserved　for　Louis　Napoleon。'　According　to　Mr。　F。　C。　Webb；　however；　the　first　of　the　signals　were　a　mere　jumble　of　letters；　which　were　torn　up。　　He　saved　a　specimen　of　the　slip　on　which　they　were　printed；　and　it　was　afterwards　presented　to　the　Duke　of　Wellington。

Next　morning　this　pioneer　line　was　broken　down　at　a　point　about　200　Yards　from　Cape　Grisnez；　and　it　turned　out　that　a　Boulogne　fisherman　had　raised　it　on　his　trawl　and　cut　a　piece　away；　thinking　he　had　found　a　rare　species　of　tangle　with　gold　in　its　heart。　　This　misfortune　suggested　the　propriety　of　arming　the　core　against　mechanical　injury　by　sheathing　it　in　a　cable　of　hemp　and　iron　wires。　　The　experiment　served　to　keep　alive　the　concession；　and　the　next　year；　on　November　13；　1851；　a　protected　core　or　true　cable　was　laid　from　a　Government　hulk；　the　Blazer；　which　was　towed　across　the　Channel。

Next　year　Great　Britain　and　Ireland　were　linked　together。　　In　May；　1853；　England　was　joined　to　Holland　by　a　cable　across　the　North　Sea；　from　Orfordness　to　the　Hague。　　It　was　laid　by　the　Monarch；　a　paddle　steamer　which　had　been　fitted　for　the　work。　　During　the　night　she　met　with　such　heavy　weather　that　the　engineer　was　lashed　near　the　brakes；　and　the　electrician；　Mr。　Latimer　Clark；　sent　the　continuity　signals　by　jerking　a　needle　instrument　with　a　string。　　These　and　other　efforts　in　the　Mediterranean　and　elsewhere　were　the　harbingers　of　the　memorable　enterprise　which　bound　the　Old　World　and　the　New。

Bishop　Mullock；　head　of　the　Roman　Catholic　Church　in　Newfoundland；　was　lying　becalmed　in　his　yacht　one　day　in　sight　of　Cape　Breton　Island；　and　began　to　dream　of　a　plan　for　uniting　his　savage　diocese　to　the　mainland　by　a　line　of　telegraph　through　the　forest　from　St。　John's　to　Cape　Ray；　and　cables　across　the　mouth　of　the　St。　Lawrence　from　Cape　Ray　to　Nova　Scotia。　　St。　John's　was　an　Atlantic　port；　and　it　seemed　to　him　that　the　passage　of　news　between　America　and　Europe　could　thus　be　shortened　by　forty…eight　hours。　　On　returning　to　St。　John's　he　published　his　idea　in　the　COURIER　by　a　letter　dated　November　8；　1850。

About　the　same　time　a　similar　plan　occurred　to　Mr。　F。　N。　Gisborne；　a　telegraph　engineer　in　Nova　Scotia。　　In　the　spring　of　1851　he　procured　a　grant　from　the　Legislature　of　Newfoundland；　resigned　his　situation　in　Nova　Scotia；　and　having　formed　a　company；　began　the　construction　of　the　land　line。　　But　in　1853　his　bills　were　dishonoured　by　the　company；　he　was　arrested　for　debt；　and　stripped　of　all　his　fortune。　　The　following　year；　however；　he　was　introduced　to　Mr。　Cyrus　Field；　of　New　York；　a　wealthy　merchant；　who　had　just　returned　from　a　six　months'　tour　in　South　America。　　Mr。　Field　invited　Mr。　Gisborne　to　his　house　in　order　to　discuss　the　project。　　When　his　visitor　was　gone；　Mr。　Field　began　to　turn　over　a　terrestrial　globe　which　stood　in　his　library；　and　it　flashed　upon　him　that　the　telegraph　to　Newfoundland　might　be　extended　across　the　Atlantic　Ocean。　　The　idea　fired　him　with　enthusiasm。　　It　seemed　worthy　of　a　man's　ambition；　and　although　he　had　retired　from　business　to　spend　his　days　in　peace；　he　resolved　to　dedicate　his　time；