[thread=73275]Discussion thread[/thread]
1672 Isaac Newton’s letter on light and colour is read to the Royal society and criticised by Robert Hooke. Newton threatens to withdraw from the Royal Society. The cracks are papered over.
1679 Newton and Hooke correspond on light, the movement of planets and many other subjects. They disagree but are still polite to each other.
1680 Newton ends his letters to Hooke. Hooke continues to write occasionally. Their relationship deteriorates from unfriendly rivalry to icy feud. (It is amazing how much of science is filled with these.) Newton will make sure the correspondence is destroyed as part of his efforts to claim all credit for gravity and electrics.
POD
1681 Hooke’s latest letter to Newton about telescope apertures mentions in passing that new results from Hamburg suggest his theory of light may be mistaken. Newton is incensed and writes to Halley (who has friends in Germany) demanding more details. Halley does his best but what he sends is a garbled account of Von Guericke’s electric experiments. Newton tries to set up the experiments to refute Hooke but uses copper wire (not silk thread ) due to the mistranslation of a spelling mistake.
1682 For the next ten years Newton works privately on many subjects one of which is his study of electrics based on the apparatus he had built. He dislikes the popular theories of fluids preferring corpuscular theories. He starts by spinning a magnet mounted on a wheel next to a wire and showing a compass is deflected. Then using the size of sparks as a measure of potential he proposes his laws of electrics.
1. The flow of electric corpuscles (OTL Current) is such to oppose the movement of a magnet and the force on a magnet is proportional to the flow, inversely proportional to the square of the distance to the wire and such that the magnet would move to oppose the flow of corpuscles
2. The flow is proportional to the electric potential (OTL Voltage), the cross sectional area of the wire and inversely proportional to the length of the wire (now referred to as the width where W=k A/l) (OTL Conductance). This is usually written as F= PW (OTL I = V/R).
(The time this takes comes from his biblical numerology studies which I assume will have little effect on the future and because he is Newton, he tells nobody about his work)[/FONT]
1683 Robert Sieur de La Salle reaches mouth of the Mississippi and claims Louisiana (present day East NuSpania and West Carolina) in the name of Louis XIV and with 700 colonists from France founds FortSt Louis.
1687 Newton is persuaded to publish his Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy in which he reveals his theory of gravity and laws of motion. Hooke claims he has not been given credit for his suggestions. This is probably true.
1701 War of Spanish Succession. (Entirely unaffected, changes so far are limited to Newton and his immediate household.) [/FONT]
1703 With the death of Hooke and Newton’s election to the Presidency he achieves a dominance over the Royal Society and British science, which will be unchallenged for the next 25 years.
1704 Newton publishes his work on corpuscle theory of light in OPTIKS which includes a chapter on electrics which he separates from ‘statiks’. He also discusses an experiment in which a spark in one loop causes a spark in a second isolated loop. This effect he explains as the movement of electric corpuscles through the lumniferous aether just as light corpuscles move.
The example of Newton is often quoted as the irreplaceable genius without whom the progress of human knowledge would be quite different. However although he made several significant discoveries I contend that he produced nothing that would not have become known in the next generation. Consider, calculus was invented independently by Hooke and Leibniz, Charlesworth or Franklyn were as likely to formulise electrics, theories of gravity were wide spread in the scientific community and it can be argued Huygens’ theory of light was superior.
My conclusion is that once the scientific method is adopted the path of science is constrained. The general worship of the great man is as fatuous as it is demeaning. No matter how great the genius the most he can do is speed up or retard the inevitable march of progress by a few years.
Inevitability and the history of science (Josiah Winthock, University of WestPort, Williamsland 1905)
Winthock is one of the most mediocre of thinkers and so spends what little genius he has on diminishing those who are far beyond him.
An answer to Inevitability: Oxford Quarterly Science Review (Naiomi Takahashee, Oxford University Press 1907)
1706 Birth of Benjamin Franklin in Boston, Newengland.
1709 In an attempt to defend Newton’s light theories from attack by the followers of Huygens’ wave theory George Bratton manages to send a signal 281 feet using a primitive electric semaphore.
1710 Newton oversees the move of the Royal Society to new premises in Crane Court and institutes invitational public lectures by famous scientists as a defence of his theories. Naturally nobody opposed to his ideas will give a lecture there until the Rev White in 1798.
1713 Treaty of Utrecht. End of war with France and Spain. Britain gains East Newfoundland, Hudson, Gibraltar and Arcadia. Austria gets most of the Spanish European empire and United Provinces gets fortresses in Austrian Netherlands. Spain gives Britain the Asiento, the right to sell slaves in South America, this is passed on to the South Sea Company (which loses money on the deal).
1714 Asked to testify before the Longitude board Newton lists the possible methods (chronometers, transits of the moon, moons of Jupiter and Bratton’s signals) and states they are all impractical. Parliament votes funds for a prize.
(Changes are now widespread in the scientific community, their support staff (instrument makers and servants) and the upper classes interested in science)
1718 Mississippi company founds New Orleans.
1719 Charlesworth develops the first practical electric pump (OTL generator), powered by a water wheel and used to drive his experiments in electric communication.
Collapse of the Mississippi Company in France causes economic slump and political unrest.
1720 Collapse of South Sea Bubble in September, Walpole becomes the first Prime Minister.
1723 Franklin moves to Philadelphia and then to London. He attends Charlesworth’s lectures at Crane House and continues to correspond with him when he returns to Newengland.
1725 Henri Pitot develops the electric turboule or turbul (OTL motor. Note the word turbine has not yet been coined and now probably never will be) in order to power a water pump at the top of a tower to simulate rain for a royal masque.
1728 Demonstration semaphore (from the Greek, a carrier of signals) system set up and signal sent form London to Dover (65 miles).
Newton Dies.
Franklin returns to Boston and opens printing business in partnership with his father in law and in competition with his brother.
(From this time change starts to spread significantly beyond the scientific community).
1729 Treaty of Seville gives Spanish coast guards the right to search British ships in south American waters, Captain Shadwick loses his left thumb while being arrested for smuggling in the West Indies.
1730 Charlesworth receives the first Copely medal for his work on Semaphore signals. Daniel Bernoulli invents probability-thermodynamics.
Harrison starts his work on chronometers.
1735 Founding of the Royal Semaphore Institute (RSI) in York to train the builders and operators of semaphore stations. The crest of the institute shows a shield vertically divided, on the left is a gold lightning flash on azure while the right is a red bull rampant on white. The supporters are figures of mercury and the motto is Sapientia Superat Moras. (usually translated as “wisdom overcomes chaos” but RSI members translate it as “Brains beat Shite”.)
1737 George William Frederick born at Cliveden. (future King George III, a different person to OTL although still plain spoken, not very bright but respectable. He does not get Porphyria.) Franklin invents the Franklin Balls which quickly replace Newton’s Plates in semaphore stations. (OTL capacitors).
1738 The Sullivan Spark Code is introduced. This indicates letters by a system of one or two sparks (known as a Stutt). The combination of up to six Sparks (written as | ) or Stutts (written as : ) indicates a letter, number, other symbol or common English Phrase. For example ‘the’ can be indicated by | : | / : | : : / | | / while | | | | | | / is “God Save the King”
State of the art in 1740
The idea of semaphore signals and electrics has stimulated interest in science and raised the profile of scientists and scientific institutions. There is now an obvious answer to the question “What use is science?” . The result is a fashion for science and a craze for electrics among the upper classes in England spreading rapidly throughout Europe. More wealthy amateur scientists will choose to look at physics rather than natural history and a boost will be given to the idea of natural laws.
However while this will change the life of individuals, particularly in the upper classes the total effect on society will be superficial. People will talk more about science but this will not translate into significant scientific advances. Although in this world scientific historians will trace the start of the industrial/scientific revolution to this period.
The Royal Navy is the only institution with both the money and will to consider building semaphores, instant communication between London and the western ports would be useful in the event of war and priceless in a Nor’Easterly wind. Luckily Charlsworth, although a clergyman comes from a Naval family and a second cousin of Sir Charles Wagner (First Lord Of the Admiralty at the time). Sullivan was captain of HMS Union when he invented the code. The result was a reasonably strong pro-semaphore faction in the Navy. The opposing faction considered the whole idea to be a waste of money and dispatch ships and couriers were quite adequate.
OXFORD ENGLISH DICTIONARY(23rd edition:1893)
Stutt (stǔt) (Pl stutts) noun 1. In Sullivan and similar codes, the rapid repetition of the signal, used in conjunction with the spark and silent intervals to represent letters, numbers or symbols. 2. In poker and similar card games two of a kind and by extension a pair of anything (Virginian). 3. Breasts (Royal Navy, arch). ORIGIN uncertain: possible reference to Yorkshire dialect word ‘stut’ meaning a bull from the appearance of the signal in early semaphore stations or to OE ’stutte’ meaning to hesitate. First use: 1739 Travels of Charles Wesley, “ March 2d, 1739. I was at Mr. Sidebotham’s, with Mr. Farrant and others. I urged him to throw away his science, his sparks and his stutts; but he adhered to them with the greater obstinacy.” [/FONT]
1739 War with Spain. Sometimes known as the war of Shadwick’s Thumb. Magnified by Pitt and Grenville for domestic reasons, Walpole is reluctant to fight, neither combatant is very enthusiastic.
Semaphores have been set up in Plymouth, Portsmouth, Chatham, London (Admiralty House), Birmingham, Holyhead, York, Dublin and Edinburgh. First experiments with semaphores on ships.
1740 Dutch ‘fortress’ semaphores built (wind powered). First commercial semaphore company set up, the Royal Dover Semaphore Company, with the Prince of Wales as honorary Director. The London and Southern Semaphore Company, as it is later known, is one of the few ever to pay significant dividends.
1741 Semaphore mania, twelve legal semaphore companies set up along with no less than 86 illegal share issues. These include the “London, China and East Indies Semaphore Company” and the “Company to talk to semaphores on the moon” both of which receive significant investment. Admiral Terrence attacks Porto Bello in Panama. The British are ignominiously repelled by local forces after only two weeks and most of the captured silver ends up at the bottom of the sea following a hurricane. (This is not celebrated as victory and God save the King is not written)
1742 First Royal Semaphore stations built in France. By Royal decree no semaphores can be built without a official approval and must be operated by the Royal Semaphore Officer (OSR). In practice only government stations are built.
Collapse of Semaphore bubble in London, City closes down illegal companies and launches prosecution of two notorious promoters (not for fraud or stock manipulation, which is legal, but for breaking the rules of trading). The result is a sharp drop in the legal share prices as traders cover their losses by selling, this produces a general fall in share value. The country ends up with four charted semaphore companies (London and Southern, Scottish and Northern, Royal Welsh and The Irish Semaphore) with significant capital and a lot of fleeced investors. They all use slightly different systems and compete to build coverage.
Walpole resigns as First Lord of the Treasury after the disputed Great Bedwyn election result is voted on (a traditional vote of no confidence in the executive following an election).
British invasion of Cuba is resisted strongly and the force is finally withdrawn in order to launch the attack on Florida.
James Howard Lieut.RN proposes a semaphore method of determining longitude.
1743 British invasion of Florida is a total disaster, as all future invasions will also be. Diseases, swamps, murderous Americans (OTL Indians), local Spanish forces that know the land and a country with absolutely no value. The British and their colonists, will launch a total of four invasions in the next fifty years all with much the same result. I don’t know why eighteenth century British governments fixated on Florida, presumably because it is the easiest part of Spanish America to invade. There is a traditional Carolina saying “Never fight the Russians in the winter, the Yanks in Boston or any man in Florida”.
1744 French invasion attempt scattered by storm (who tries to invade across the Channel in February?) Anglo-Spanish war merges with the eight years war. (OTL war of Austrian succession)
Franklin sells out to his brother, gives up business and devotes himself to science. He proves sparks and lightning are the same phenomenon.
1745 Jacobite Rebellion in Scotland, initial government complacency turns to panic after the Jacobite army destroys Cope’s army at the battle of Falkirk (19th September). Thanks to the Semaphore the news reaches the British army in Europe in a matter of hours and troops are rushed back to England. Charles Edward loses a vote in council to invade England thanks to reports leaked from the Edinburgh Semaphore (still in English hands) about preparations for defence.
Princess Sophie Augusta Fredericka Maries Prince Peter of Russia and changes her name to Catherine.
First semaphore station in America built in New Orleans by the Viscomte de Tailibere. This is the first of a chain intended to reach up the Mississippi to Canada.
1746 Massive English army under the Duke of Cumberland invades Scotland and crushes rebellion, clan structure destroyed and Highlands ravaged. Charles is wounded in a skirmish after the battle of Dunbar and dies of an infection on Skye inspiring the traditional Scots lament The Prince of the Isles.
Franklin receives the Copely Medal and is elected a Member of the Royal Semaphore Institute.
1747 Franklin invents the lightning Rod and designs an improved semaphore mast. He is elected a Fellow of the Royal Society and invited to England.
Calendar Reform Act passed in Parliament and adds 11 days to bring English dates in line with Gregorian calendar. (A few years before OTL and the start of the year is moved to 1st January for all purposes) There are riots from those people who loose out but most landowners make a profit. The tax year is also changed to payment on Jan 1st , the increased income is used to expand the navy, including semaphore systems and to reward supporters of the crown.
1748 Peace. Everybody gets back pretty much what they started with.
New England Semaphore Company set up by Franklin and Thomas, it is not a success but by public subscription it builds the first long range Semaphore station outside Europe. Intended to communicate with ships at sea, with Franklin’s genius it achieves a range of 1300 miles.
1749 First Austrian, Prussian and Russian semaphore stations. First long range French Semaphore Stations in Canada. Franklin travels to England with instructions from Massachusetts, New York and Pennsylvania. He receives honorary doctorates in Philosophy, Medicine and Law from Oxford, Edinburgh and CambridgeUniversities. He is feted by society and his scientific lectures receive a standing ovation. His political aims have a limited success. Pennsylvania’s charter is modified but New York and Massachusetts will have to wait.
The State of the art in 1750
Electrics is dominated by the shadow of Newton, particularly in Britain. (His reputation is, if anything, even higher than in our world) Newtonian is becoming a synonym for reason, science, logic, genius and wisdom. (Consider OTL Einstein or rocket scientist) This unquestioning adulation will not outlast the present generation of scientists and by the 1790’s the Newtonian orthodoxy will be challenged from several directions. Leibniz’s notation for calculus is too useful to be lost (but its widespread use is delayed for a decade or so) becoming common in Europe about 1760 and in England about 1800. The Newtonian notation for dx/dt and dx/dl (a dot or stroke over the variable) will remain in common use (The stroke is derived from his electrics theories and does not exist in OTL).
The prevailing corpuscular theory confuses the phenomenon of weir transmission (OTL Induction) with the production of semaphore particles (OTL radio waves). It allows no useful predictions about semaphore signals. (There is obviously no concept of wavelength and the frequency of the transmission is confused with the frequency of the AC supply and both are considered as the mass of the particles emitted. The signals are assumed to follow the curve of the earth under gravity as opposed to bouncing off the heavyside layer producing more erroneous conclusions about velocity and mass of these particles.)
The flow of electric corpuscles (OTL Alternating Current) is studied but static electrics (this will come to include OTLDC) is looked down on and considered a chemical phenomenon. Thus electric energy can not be stored but must be made when required using a Charlesworth pump. Atmospheric (OTL Newcommon) engines, water wheels and windmills are all used as power sources. Weirs (OTL transformers) have been developed for semaphore stations and are just being applied to the transmission of power. The first efforts to use electric pumps and turbuls (OTL generators and motors) are taking place in coal mines in Yorkshire.
A Semaphore operator or Master of Electrics with MRSI after his name (traditionally known as “Sparks” at sea) is an important person. The master of an arcane skill, protected by a powerful professional body and in great demand. The leaders of the profession are becoming internationally famous. George Shuttlebotham even ends up a Russian Count and an alleged lover of Catherine the Great. (OK I know butterflies should prevent any such monarch but she is simply too good to loose)
Commercial semaphore stations are large expensive towers with tall wooden masts on top carrying thick copper cables, they are individually tuned and operated by experts (Members of the Royal Semaphore Institute in Britain). They have a range of about 300 miles but have been detected at much greater distances.
Long range stations are operated by the Royal Navy and the French Royal Semaphore Corps and are massive, imagine church towers with several three stage masts on top. They usually are operated by a “Master of Signals” (a warrant officer) and eight junior “signalmen”. It is an accepted perk that they also send non official messages (for a fee) so long as it does not interfere with official business. They need significant power usually provided by a nearby dam and water power. Some also have windmill sails to conserve water.
Sea going semaphores are also cranky and bulky, use man powered pumps (OTL dynamos) and have a transmission range of about 50 miles. They are equally expensive, need expert users (warrant officers) and the admiralty has fitted them in 12 first rates only at this point. However such a device can receive a transmission from a RN shore station over 1000 miles away.
Improvements to masts (OTL aerials) and increased power will increase range, the development of the powder tube (OTL coherer, not a valve despite the name) will increase the sensitivity of stations in receive posture but the spark will remain as the indicator.
An agreement is being discussed with the new Portuguese foreign minister (de Melo) to lease land on Pico Island (Peacoe Station in English) to build a Semaphore in the Azores.
In the next ten years transmissions from Cleggan (Galway) to the Peacoe ( Azores) to St Johns (Newfoundland) will become practical but semaphores, particularly long distance ones, will remain large, expensive and temperamental. Maximum range will approach 2000 miles.
1672 Isaac Newton’s letter on light and colour is read to the Royal society and criticised by Robert Hooke. Newton threatens to withdraw from the Royal Society. The cracks are papered over.
1679 Newton and Hooke correspond on light, the movement of planets and many other subjects. They disagree but are still polite to each other.
1680 Newton ends his letters to Hooke. Hooke continues to write occasionally. Their relationship deteriorates from unfriendly rivalry to icy feud. (It is amazing how much of science is filled with these.) Newton will make sure the correspondence is destroyed as part of his efforts to claim all credit for gravity and electrics.
POD
1681 Hooke’s latest letter to Newton about telescope apertures mentions in passing that new results from Hamburg suggest his theory of light may be mistaken. Newton is incensed and writes to Halley (who has friends in Germany) demanding more details. Halley does his best but what he sends is a garbled account of Von Guericke’s electric experiments. Newton tries to set up the experiments to refute Hooke but uses copper wire (not silk thread ) due to the mistranslation of a spelling mistake.
1682 For the next ten years Newton works privately on many subjects one of which is his study of electrics based on the apparatus he had built. He dislikes the popular theories of fluids preferring corpuscular theories. He starts by spinning a magnet mounted on a wheel next to a wire and showing a compass is deflected. Then using the size of sparks as a measure of potential he proposes his laws of electrics.
1. The flow of electric corpuscles (OTL Current) is such to oppose the movement of a magnet and the force on a magnet is proportional to the flow, inversely proportional to the square of the distance to the wire and such that the magnet would move to oppose the flow of corpuscles
2. The flow is proportional to the electric potential (OTL Voltage), the cross sectional area of the wire and inversely proportional to the length of the wire (now referred to as the width where W=k A/l) (OTL Conductance). This is usually written as F= PW (OTL I = V/R).
(The time this takes comes from his biblical numerology studies which I assume will have little effect on the future and because he is Newton, he tells nobody about his work)[/FONT]
1683 Robert Sieur de La Salle reaches mouth of the Mississippi and claims Louisiana (present day East NuSpania and West Carolina) in the name of Louis XIV and with 700 colonists from France founds FortSt Louis.
1687 Newton is persuaded to publish his Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy in which he reveals his theory of gravity and laws of motion. Hooke claims he has not been given credit for his suggestions. This is probably true.
1701 War of Spanish Succession. (Entirely unaffected, changes so far are limited to Newton and his immediate household.) [/FONT]
1703 With the death of Hooke and Newton’s election to the Presidency he achieves a dominance over the Royal Society and British science, which will be unchallenged for the next 25 years.
1704 Newton publishes his work on corpuscle theory of light in OPTIKS which includes a chapter on electrics which he separates from ‘statiks’. He also discusses an experiment in which a spark in one loop causes a spark in a second isolated loop. This effect he explains as the movement of electric corpuscles through the lumniferous aether just as light corpuscles move.
The example of Newton is often quoted as the irreplaceable genius without whom the progress of human knowledge would be quite different. However although he made several significant discoveries I contend that he produced nothing that would not have become known in the next generation. Consider, calculus was invented independently by Hooke and Leibniz, Charlesworth or Franklyn were as likely to formulise electrics, theories of gravity were wide spread in the scientific community and it can be argued Huygens’ theory of light was superior.
My conclusion is that once the scientific method is adopted the path of science is constrained. The general worship of the great man is as fatuous as it is demeaning. No matter how great the genius the most he can do is speed up or retard the inevitable march of progress by a few years.
Inevitability and the history of science (Josiah Winthock, University of WestPort, Williamsland 1905)
Winthock is one of the most mediocre of thinkers and so spends what little genius he has on diminishing those who are far beyond him.
An answer to Inevitability: Oxford Quarterly Science Review (Naiomi Takahashee, Oxford University Press 1907)
1706 Birth of Benjamin Franklin in Boston, Newengland.
1709 In an attempt to defend Newton’s light theories from attack by the followers of Huygens’ wave theory George Bratton manages to send a signal 281 feet using a primitive electric semaphore.
1710 Newton oversees the move of the Royal Society to new premises in Crane Court and institutes invitational public lectures by famous scientists as a defence of his theories. Naturally nobody opposed to his ideas will give a lecture there until the Rev White in 1798.
1713 Treaty of Utrecht. End of war with France and Spain. Britain gains East Newfoundland, Hudson, Gibraltar and Arcadia. Austria gets most of the Spanish European empire and United Provinces gets fortresses in Austrian Netherlands. Spain gives Britain the Asiento, the right to sell slaves in South America, this is passed on to the South Sea Company (which loses money on the deal).
1714 Asked to testify before the Longitude board Newton lists the possible methods (chronometers, transits of the moon, moons of Jupiter and Bratton’s signals) and states they are all impractical. Parliament votes funds for a prize.
(Changes are now widespread in the scientific community, their support staff (instrument makers and servants) and the upper classes interested in science)
1718 Mississippi company founds New Orleans.
1719 Charlesworth develops the first practical electric pump (OTL generator), powered by a water wheel and used to drive his experiments in electric communication.
Collapse of the Mississippi Company in France causes economic slump and political unrest.
1720 Collapse of South Sea Bubble in September, Walpole becomes the first Prime Minister.
1723 Franklin moves to Philadelphia and then to London. He attends Charlesworth’s lectures at Crane House and continues to correspond with him when he returns to Newengland.
1725 Henri Pitot develops the electric turboule or turbul (OTL motor. Note the word turbine has not yet been coined and now probably never will be) in order to power a water pump at the top of a tower to simulate rain for a royal masque.
1728 Demonstration semaphore (from the Greek, a carrier of signals) system set up and signal sent form London to Dover (65 miles).
Newton Dies.
Franklin returns to Boston and opens printing business in partnership with his father in law and in competition with his brother.
(From this time change starts to spread significantly beyond the scientific community).
1729 Treaty of Seville gives Spanish coast guards the right to search British ships in south American waters, Captain Shadwick loses his left thumb while being arrested for smuggling in the West Indies.
1730 Charlesworth receives the first Copely medal for his work on Semaphore signals. Daniel Bernoulli invents probability-thermodynamics.
Harrison starts his work on chronometers.
1735 Founding of the Royal Semaphore Institute (RSI) in York to train the builders and operators of semaphore stations. The crest of the institute shows a shield vertically divided, on the left is a gold lightning flash on azure while the right is a red bull rampant on white. The supporters are figures of mercury and the motto is Sapientia Superat Moras. (usually translated as “wisdom overcomes chaos” but RSI members translate it as “Brains beat Shite”.)
1737 George William Frederick born at Cliveden. (future King George III, a different person to OTL although still plain spoken, not very bright but respectable. He does not get Porphyria.) Franklin invents the Franklin Balls which quickly replace Newton’s Plates in semaphore stations. (OTL capacitors).
1738 The Sullivan Spark Code is introduced. This indicates letters by a system of one or two sparks (known as a Stutt). The combination of up to six Sparks (written as | ) or Stutts (written as : ) indicates a letter, number, other symbol or common English Phrase. For example ‘the’ can be indicated by | : | / : | : : / | | / while | | | | | | / is “God Save the King”
State of the art in 1740
The idea of semaphore signals and electrics has stimulated interest in science and raised the profile of scientists and scientific institutions. There is now an obvious answer to the question “What use is science?” . The result is a fashion for science and a craze for electrics among the upper classes in England spreading rapidly throughout Europe. More wealthy amateur scientists will choose to look at physics rather than natural history and a boost will be given to the idea of natural laws.
However while this will change the life of individuals, particularly in the upper classes the total effect on society will be superficial. People will talk more about science but this will not translate into significant scientific advances. Although in this world scientific historians will trace the start of the industrial/scientific revolution to this period.
The Royal Navy is the only institution with both the money and will to consider building semaphores, instant communication between London and the western ports would be useful in the event of war and priceless in a Nor’Easterly wind. Luckily Charlsworth, although a clergyman comes from a Naval family and a second cousin of Sir Charles Wagner (First Lord Of the Admiralty at the time). Sullivan was captain of HMS Union when he invented the code. The result was a reasonably strong pro-semaphore faction in the Navy. The opposing faction considered the whole idea to be a waste of money and dispatch ships and couriers were quite adequate.
OXFORD ENGLISH DICTIONARY(23rd edition:1893)
Stutt (stǔt) (Pl stutts) noun 1. In Sullivan and similar codes, the rapid repetition of the signal, used in conjunction with the spark and silent intervals to represent letters, numbers or symbols. 2. In poker and similar card games two of a kind and by extension a pair of anything (Virginian). 3. Breasts (Royal Navy, arch). ORIGIN uncertain: possible reference to Yorkshire dialect word ‘stut’ meaning a bull from the appearance of the signal in early semaphore stations or to OE ’stutte’ meaning to hesitate. First use: 1739 Travels of Charles Wesley, “ March 2d, 1739. I was at Mr. Sidebotham’s, with Mr. Farrant and others. I urged him to throw away his science, his sparks and his stutts; but he adhered to them with the greater obstinacy.” [/FONT]
1739 War with Spain. Sometimes known as the war of Shadwick’s Thumb. Magnified by Pitt and Grenville for domestic reasons, Walpole is reluctant to fight, neither combatant is very enthusiastic.
Semaphores have been set up in Plymouth, Portsmouth, Chatham, London (Admiralty House), Birmingham, Holyhead, York, Dublin and Edinburgh. First experiments with semaphores on ships.
1740 Dutch ‘fortress’ semaphores built (wind powered). First commercial semaphore company set up, the Royal Dover Semaphore Company, with the Prince of Wales as honorary Director. The London and Southern Semaphore Company, as it is later known, is one of the few ever to pay significant dividends.
1741 Semaphore mania, twelve legal semaphore companies set up along with no less than 86 illegal share issues. These include the “London, China and East Indies Semaphore Company” and the “Company to talk to semaphores on the moon” both of which receive significant investment. Admiral Terrence attacks Porto Bello in Panama. The British are ignominiously repelled by local forces after only two weeks and most of the captured silver ends up at the bottom of the sea following a hurricane. (This is not celebrated as victory and God save the King is not written)
1742 First Royal Semaphore stations built in France. By Royal decree no semaphores can be built without a official approval and must be operated by the Royal Semaphore Officer (OSR). In practice only government stations are built.
Collapse of Semaphore bubble in London, City closes down illegal companies and launches prosecution of two notorious promoters (not for fraud or stock manipulation, which is legal, but for breaking the rules of trading). The result is a sharp drop in the legal share prices as traders cover their losses by selling, this produces a general fall in share value. The country ends up with four charted semaphore companies (London and Southern, Scottish and Northern, Royal Welsh and The Irish Semaphore) with significant capital and a lot of fleeced investors. They all use slightly different systems and compete to build coverage.
Walpole resigns as First Lord of the Treasury after the disputed Great Bedwyn election result is voted on (a traditional vote of no confidence in the executive following an election).
British invasion of Cuba is resisted strongly and the force is finally withdrawn in order to launch the attack on Florida.
James Howard Lieut.RN proposes a semaphore method of determining longitude.
1743 British invasion of Florida is a total disaster, as all future invasions will also be. Diseases, swamps, murderous Americans (OTL Indians), local Spanish forces that know the land and a country with absolutely no value. The British and their colonists, will launch a total of four invasions in the next fifty years all with much the same result. I don’t know why eighteenth century British governments fixated on Florida, presumably because it is the easiest part of Spanish America to invade. There is a traditional Carolina saying “Never fight the Russians in the winter, the Yanks in Boston or any man in Florida”.
1744 French invasion attempt scattered by storm (who tries to invade across the Channel in February?) Anglo-Spanish war merges with the eight years war. (OTL war of Austrian succession)
Franklin sells out to his brother, gives up business and devotes himself to science. He proves sparks and lightning are the same phenomenon.
1745 Jacobite Rebellion in Scotland, initial government complacency turns to panic after the Jacobite army destroys Cope’s army at the battle of Falkirk (19th September). Thanks to the Semaphore the news reaches the British army in Europe in a matter of hours and troops are rushed back to England. Charles Edward loses a vote in council to invade England thanks to reports leaked from the Edinburgh Semaphore (still in English hands) about preparations for defence.
Princess Sophie Augusta Fredericka Maries Prince Peter of Russia and changes her name to Catherine.
First semaphore station in America built in New Orleans by the Viscomte de Tailibere. This is the first of a chain intended to reach up the Mississippi to Canada.
1746 Massive English army under the Duke of Cumberland invades Scotland and crushes rebellion, clan structure destroyed and Highlands ravaged. Charles is wounded in a skirmish after the battle of Dunbar and dies of an infection on Skye inspiring the traditional Scots lament The Prince of the Isles.
Franklin receives the Copely Medal and is elected a Member of the Royal Semaphore Institute.
1747 Franklin invents the lightning Rod and designs an improved semaphore mast. He is elected a Fellow of the Royal Society and invited to England.
Calendar Reform Act passed in Parliament and adds 11 days to bring English dates in line with Gregorian calendar. (A few years before OTL and the start of the year is moved to 1st January for all purposes) There are riots from those people who loose out but most landowners make a profit. The tax year is also changed to payment on Jan 1st , the increased income is used to expand the navy, including semaphore systems and to reward supporters of the crown.
1748 Peace. Everybody gets back pretty much what they started with.
New England Semaphore Company set up by Franklin and Thomas, it is not a success but by public subscription it builds the first long range Semaphore station outside Europe. Intended to communicate with ships at sea, with Franklin’s genius it achieves a range of 1300 miles.
1749 First Austrian, Prussian and Russian semaphore stations. First long range French Semaphore Stations in Canada. Franklin travels to England with instructions from Massachusetts, New York and Pennsylvania. He receives honorary doctorates in Philosophy, Medicine and Law from Oxford, Edinburgh and CambridgeUniversities. He is feted by society and his scientific lectures receive a standing ovation. His political aims have a limited success. Pennsylvania’s charter is modified but New York and Massachusetts will have to wait.
The State of the art in 1750
Electrics is dominated by the shadow of Newton, particularly in Britain. (His reputation is, if anything, even higher than in our world) Newtonian is becoming a synonym for reason, science, logic, genius and wisdom. (Consider OTL Einstein or rocket scientist) This unquestioning adulation will not outlast the present generation of scientists and by the 1790’s the Newtonian orthodoxy will be challenged from several directions. Leibniz’s notation for calculus is too useful to be lost (but its widespread use is delayed for a decade or so) becoming common in Europe about 1760 and in England about 1800. The Newtonian notation for dx/dt and dx/dl (a dot or stroke over the variable) will remain in common use (The stroke is derived from his electrics theories and does not exist in OTL).
The prevailing corpuscular theory confuses the phenomenon of weir transmission (OTL Induction) with the production of semaphore particles (OTL radio waves). It allows no useful predictions about semaphore signals. (There is obviously no concept of wavelength and the frequency of the transmission is confused with the frequency of the AC supply and both are considered as the mass of the particles emitted. The signals are assumed to follow the curve of the earth under gravity as opposed to bouncing off the heavyside layer producing more erroneous conclusions about velocity and mass of these particles.)
The flow of electric corpuscles (OTL Alternating Current) is studied but static electrics (this will come to include OTLDC) is looked down on and considered a chemical phenomenon. Thus electric energy can not be stored but must be made when required using a Charlesworth pump. Atmospheric (OTL Newcommon) engines, water wheels and windmills are all used as power sources. Weirs (OTL transformers) have been developed for semaphore stations and are just being applied to the transmission of power. The first efforts to use electric pumps and turbuls (OTL generators and motors) are taking place in coal mines in Yorkshire.
A Semaphore operator or Master of Electrics with MRSI after his name (traditionally known as “Sparks” at sea) is an important person. The master of an arcane skill, protected by a powerful professional body and in great demand. The leaders of the profession are becoming internationally famous. George Shuttlebotham even ends up a Russian Count and an alleged lover of Catherine the Great. (OK I know butterflies should prevent any such monarch but she is simply too good to loose)
Commercial semaphore stations are large expensive towers with tall wooden masts on top carrying thick copper cables, they are individually tuned and operated by experts (Members of the Royal Semaphore Institute in Britain). They have a range of about 300 miles but have been detected at much greater distances.
Long range stations are operated by the Royal Navy and the French Royal Semaphore Corps and are massive, imagine church towers with several three stage masts on top. They usually are operated by a “Master of Signals” (a warrant officer) and eight junior “signalmen”. It is an accepted perk that they also send non official messages (for a fee) so long as it does not interfere with official business. They need significant power usually provided by a nearby dam and water power. Some also have windmill sails to conserve water.
Sea going semaphores are also cranky and bulky, use man powered pumps (OTL dynamos) and have a transmission range of about 50 miles. They are equally expensive, need expert users (warrant officers) and the admiralty has fitted them in 12 first rates only at this point. However such a device can receive a transmission from a RN shore station over 1000 miles away.
Improvements to masts (OTL aerials) and increased power will increase range, the development of the powder tube (OTL coherer, not a valve despite the name) will increase the sensitivity of stations in receive posture but the spark will remain as the indicator.
An agreement is being discussed with the new Portuguese foreign minister (de Melo) to lease land on Pico Island (Peacoe Station in English) to build a Semaphore in the Azores.
In the next ten years transmissions from Cleggan (Galway) to the Peacoe ( Azores) to St Johns (Newfoundland) will become practical but semaphores, particularly long distance ones, will remain large, expensive and temperamental. Maximum range will approach 2000 miles.
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