| Reference number | AP/31/9 |
| Level | Item |
| Title | Unpublished letter, 'On the determination of the difference of longitude by means of the magnetic telegraph' from Elias Loomis to [Edward] Sabine |
| Creator | Loomis; Elias (1811-1889); American mathematician |
| Date | 8 August 1848 |
| Description | Loomis describes a series of experiments made under the direction of Professor Bache, for the determination of the difference of longitude between New York, Philadelphia and Washington, by means of the magnetic telegraph. By this series of experiments he considers it established that, by means of Morse’s telegraph, two clocks distant from each other 200 miles, can be compared together with the same precision as if they were placed side by side; and that the difference of longitude of two places can be determined with the same precision as the relative error of the clocks. He describes further similar experiments.
Subject: Navigation
Received 5 October 1848. Read 11 January 1849.
Written by Loomis at New York University.
Whilst the Royal Society declined to publish this paper in full, an abstract of the paper was published in volume 5 of Abstracts of the Papers Printed in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London [later Proceedings of the Royal Society] as 'On the determination of the difference of longitude, by means of the magnetic telegraph. By Elias Loomie, Esq., in a letter to Lieut.-Col. Sabine, R. A., For. Sec. R. S. Communicated by Lieut.-Col. Sabine, R. A., For. Sec. R. S'. |
| Extent | 7p |
| Format | Manuscript |
| Physical description | Ink on paper |
| Digital images | View item on Science in the Making |
| Access status | Open |
| Related material | DOI: 10.1098/rspl.1843.0170 |
Fellows associated with this archive
| Code | Name | Dates |
| NA8279 | Sabine; Sir; Edward (1788 - 1883) | 1788 - 1883 |