Many
of the inventions concerned with telecommunications spent some time
languishing on the sidelines before society found a profitable use for
them. The fax machine was certainly no exception. The patent for the fax
machine was granted on 27 May 1843, 33 years before the patent was given
for the telephone.
The
inventor was a Scotsman called Alexander Bain. He was apprenticed to a
clockmaker in Wick where he also invented the first electric clock which
was powered by an electromagnet propelling a pendulum. He patented the
fax machine on his move to London. As usual, this innovation was slow to
take off. The first commercial fax service was opened between Paris and
Lyon in 1865 and they were called pantélégraphes. Faxes really came into
their own in 1906 when they found their first major use, to transmit
photos for newspapers.
The
way that a fax machine works is very simple. The page to be sent is
divided into strips. Each line is then broken up into black and white
segments which can then be sent like the dots and dashes of Morse Code
and put together at the other end. Digital fax machines have only
changed this principles slightly. Pages are now divided into tiny
squares called Pels, each of which can be either black or white.
BAIN, ALEXANDER (1810-1877), the author of
several important telegraphic inventions, the chief of which was the
automatic chemical telegraph, was born in the parish of Watten,
Caithness-shire. After having served as apprentice to a clockmaker at
Wick, he came up to London in 1837 as a journeyman. He was led, bv
lectures which lie attended at the Adelaide Gallery, to apply
electricity to the working of clocks, and was one of the first to devise
a method by which a number of clocks could be worked electrically from a
standard time-keeper, though the credit of this invention is claimed by
Wheatstone as well as by Bain. It is doubtful, again, whether he was the
inventor of the first printing telegraph, as this too is disputed. In
both cases he was unquestionably very earty in the field. He discovered
independently the use of the earth circuit, but here he was certainly
anticipated by Steinkeil. Electric fire-alarms and sounding apparatus
were also among his inventions. His most important invention was the
chemical telegraph of 1843 previously mentioned. This apparatus could be
worked at a speed hitherto impossible, and its invention certainly
entitles Bain to the credit of being the pioneer of modern high-speed
telegraphy. It is stated that the rate at which the apparatus was
capable of working was discovered accidentally, in consequence of the
breaking of a spring during an experiment. The machine ran down, but the
message was nevertheless properly received. Perhaps the most valuable
part of the invention consisted in the use of strips of perforated paper
for the. transmission of the message. This contrivance was long after
adopted by Wheatstone, and is in use in all the existing high-speed
systems of telegraphy. He received as much as 7,000l for his telegraphic
patents, but the money was wasted in litigation, and he died a poor man.
Intemperance was another cause of his non-success in life. In 1873 he
received a grant from the Royal Society of 1507, and at the time of his
death he was supported by a government pension of 807 a year.
Alexander Bain Inventor of the Electric
Clock
Alexander Bain, the clockmaker who
electrified time
By Mark Ollig
An 1845 model of Alexander Bain’s electric magnet clock. This clock used
electromagnets to power the pendulum. The smaller dial inside this clock
is a seconds dial, synchronized with the main timekeeping mechanism
driven by the electromagnetic pendulum.
Alexander Bain was born Oct. 12, 1810, in Wick, Scotland, and was known
for his contributions to telegraphy technology.
He also invented the electric magnet clock, the focus of today’s column.
Bain, a self-taught engineer with limited formal education, started
working as a clockmaker in London in 1837.
He furthered his knowledge of electricity and electromagnetism at the
Polytechnic Institution for Science and Technology.
Bain regularly visited the London Adelaide Gallery, which displayed
modern inventions.
“It was in the year 1837 that it occurred to me (while viewing the
beautiful electromagnetic apparatus in motion at the Adelaide Gallery)
that the same power might be used, with advantage, in working clocks,”
Bain wrote in his 1852 book, “A Short History of the Electric Clocks.”
In 1840, Bain’s interest in merging horology, the art and science of
timekeeping, with electromagnetism led him to develop the first clock
using electric magnets.
Bain replaced the traditional weights and springs of a clock with an
electromagnet to power the pendulum.
As the pendulum swung, it completed an electrical circuit, powering the
electromagnet and establishing a continuous cycle that enhanced the
clock’s time accuracy by eliminating the necessity for winding.
The elimination of weights and springs also lessened friction and wear,
thereby extending the clock’s lifespan.
Bain’s electric magnet clock was powered by wet-cell batteries, a common
type of battery in the 19th century that used liquid electrolytes
(typically solutions of acids or salts) to enable the chemical reactions
that produce electricity.
One example of a wet-cell battery is the Daniell cell, invented by
British chemist John Frederic Daniell in 1836.
Daniell cells consisted of a copper container (cathode) with a copper
sulfate solution and a porous pot containing a zinc rod (anode) in
sulfuric acid or zinc sulfate solution.
The porous pot, a key component, allows ions to pass between the two
half-cells, maintaining electrical neutrality and enabling a continuous
flow of current.
The chemical reaction within the Daniell battery, housed in glass or
ceramic cells, produced a stable 1.1-volt direct current, generating
electromagnetic pulses that drove the pendulum’s swinging motion and
regulated the clock’s timekeeping.
This battery technology was a significant advancement, demonstrating the
potential of electricity to power a wide range of 19th-century devices,
including Bain’s clock and telegraphs.
Bain initially favored wet-cell batteries for their power, but the high
current they produced could corrode the metallic contact points in his
clock, leading to interruptions in the electrical circuit.
To reduce corrosion and extend battery life, Bain augmented his clock
with permanent magnets and coils, significantly reducing the required
current and minimizing interruptions caused by damaged contact points.
Having overcome the battery challenge, Bain focused his efforts on
further refining and developing his electric clock.
By July 1840, Bain had created preliminary models of electric magnet
clocks and was actively seeking guidance on how to proceed forward with
them.
After contacting William Baddeley, assistant editor of the Mechanics’
Magazine, a journal reporting on inventions and technical advances, Bain
was advised to meet with Charles Wheatstone, a physics professor at
King’s College, London.
They were introduced at the college Aug. 1, 1840, and met again Aug. 18
at Wheatstone’s home, where Bain brought his clock models.
When Bain demonstrated his electric magnet clock models, Wheatstone
reportedly dismissed their potential.
In November 1840, Wheatstone exhibited a model of an electric clock
before the Royal Society of London, claiming it was his invention – when
it was actually Bain’s.
However, unbeknownst to Wheatstone, on Oct. 10, 1840, Bain had already
applied for the first United Kingdom patent for an electric clock.
Alexander Bain received British Patent No. 8783 Jan. 11, 1841, for his
innovative electric clock, which used electromagnetic impulses to power
a pendulum.
The patent also noted collaborator John Barwise, a chronometer maker,
who reportedly provided financial support for the invention.
To further improve his clock design, Bain proposed an “earth battery”
that utilized the earth’s natural electrical potential by burying zinc
and copper plates to produce a small electric current.
“I discovered that consistent currents could be drawn from the earth,
eliminating the need for batteries entirely. This method has since been
my preferred solution in all accessible locations,” Bain wrote in 1852.
He used the term “consistent currents” to describe the steady flow of
electricity generated by running wires from the buried plates into his
clocks, tapping into the earth’s natural power source.
“Telluric current” is the earth’s natural electrical flow, which Bain
hoped to tap into.
He felt outdoor electric clocks were particularly well-suited for being
powered by wires, zinc, and copper plates in the ground.
However, its usage was limited due to the soil’s unreliable electrical
potential and geographical constraints, making widespread earth-battery
use impractical.
Alexander Bain, the clockmaker who electrified time, died Jan. 2, 1877,
and is buried in the Auld Aisle Cemetery in Kirkintilloch, Scotland.
The municipal council of Kirkintilloch added the following epitaph to
his tombstone April 10, 1959: “He thought above himself and also helped
to secure a great and better world.”
An 1845 model of Alexander Bain’s electric
magnet clock. This clock used electromagnets to power the pendulum. The
smaller dial inside this clock is a seconds dial, synchronized with the
main timekeeping mechanism driven by the electromagnetic pendulum.
A Short History of
the Electric Clocks
Explanations of their principles and mechanism, instructions for their
management and regulation by Alexander Bain, Patentee (1852) (pdf)
This comment system
requires you to be logged in through either a Disqus account
or an account you already have with Google, Twitter,
Facebook or Yahoo. In the event you don't have an account
with any of these companies then you can create an account
with Disqus. All comments are moderated so they won't
display until the moderator has approved your comment.
