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The International Exhibition: Ward's night-signal telegraph, 1862. Creator: Unknown
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The International Exhibition: Ward's night-signal telegraph, 1862. Creator: Unknown
The International Exhibition: Ward's night-signal telegraph, 1862....an ingenious system of marine telegraph, consisting of flags for day and lights at night...The flags are composed of three colours that embrace strong contrasts with each other...These flags are twenty-seven in number, and furnish a representative for each letter of the alphabet...Their division of colour is such as to make them distinguishable at any seen distance...and applicable to any codebook in use, of whatever language, government, or nation, or useful in themselves without the aid of any code...The lights telegraphic arrangement is complete for holding continuous communications of any length, on any subject, over a sea range for miles around, with equal correctness and facility as by the electric on land, and practical for dispatching the international news between Europe and America...By using another lantern one hundred and sixty additional changes can be effected, and by adding a sixth the number may be again increased by three hundred and eighty-four, making the aggregate six hundred and thirty-six separate distinct signals...In our Engraving of Ward's night-signal alphabet the blank spots indicate white lights, and the sectioned ones red lights'. From "Illustrated London News", 1862
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Media ID 35126227
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1862 International Exhibition Code Communication Cultural Event Exposition Great London Exposition Industrial Revolution Information International Exhibition Of 1862 Lights Machine Machinery Manufacturing Mechanisation Message Shipping Industry Signalling Telecommunication Telecommunications Telegraph Trade Fair World Fair Worlds Fair Illustrated London News White And Black
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EDITORS COMMENTS
This photograph showcases an intriguing invention from the past: Ward's night-signal telegraph, exhibited at The International Exhibition in 1862. The creator of this ingenious system remains unknown, but its impact on long-distance communication at sea was significant. During the day, this telegraph utilized flags with strong contrasting colors, consisting of twenty-seven distinct designs, each representing a letter of the alphabet. The flags' division of color made them easily distinguishable from a distance, regardless of language, government, or nation. At night, the telegraph switched to a lighting arrangement that enabled continuous communication over vast sea ranges, comparable to the electric telegraph on land. The lighting system consisted of white and red lights, with blank spots representing white lights and sectioned ones representing red lights. With an additional lantern, one hundred and sixty changes could be made, and by adding a sixth, the number of distinct signals increased to a remarkable six hundred and thirty-six. Ward's night-signal telegraph revolutionized maritime communication, allowing for the swift and accurate transmission of international news between Europe and America. This photograph is a captivating reminder of the technological advancements that shaped our history and paved the way for modern communication systems.
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