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Edward Orange Wildman Whitehouse (1 October 1816 – 26 January 1890) was an English surgeon by profession and an electrical experimenter by avocation. He was recruited by entrepreneur Cyrus West Field as Chief Electrician to work on the pioneering endeavour to lay the first transatlantic telegraph cable for the Atlantic Telegraph Company between western Ireland to eastern Newfoundland. This pioneering project of the Victorian era began in 1854 and was completed in 1858; however the cable functioned for only three weeks. While Whitehouse sent the first telegraph communications on 16 August 1858 to the United States of America, he was ultimately held responsible for the undersea cable failure after he applied higher voltages in an effort to boost declining signals.

Life

Born in Liverpool to a merchant, he qualified as a member of the Royal College of Surgeons in 1840 and established a successful practice in Brighton.^[1]

First transatlantic cable

In the 1850s, Whitehouse conducted experiments that, he held, showed that feared problems with practical data rates on underwater cables would not prohibit a commercial service. Though his claims were disputed by William Thomson (Lord Kelvin), he was an able propagandist for the proponents of a proposed transatlantic cable.^[1] Cyrus West Field recruited Whitehouse as chief electrician to the Atlantic Telegraph Company; Thomson subsequently became scientific advisor, convinced that Whitehouse's theories were wrong but believing him to have the practical skill to make the scheme work.^[1] When the cable finally opened for business, it was beset with the problems that Thomson had foreseen.

Whitehouse's inadequate apparatus had to be replaced by Thomson's more sensitive mirror galvanometer but Whitehouse then ruined the cable by delivering massive shocks of 2,000 volts in an attempt to rectify the problems. Whitehouse continually maintained that the cable and his equipment were a success. Though he put up a desperate public defence of his conduct and was more than ready to apportion blame among all other parties, an 1861 enquiry concluded that he should bear the majority of the responsibility.^[1] It has been argued that the manufacture, storage and handling of the 1858 cable would have led to premature failure in any case.^[2]

Whitehouse was a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons, Licentiate of the Society of Apothecaries, Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society, Associate of the Institution of Civil Engineers, founding member of the Society of Telegraphic Engineers, and a member of the Royal Institution, the Royal Meteorological Society, the Physical Society, and the British Association for the Advancement of Science.

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Hunt (2004)
^ de Cogan (1985)

Sources

de Cogan, D. (1985). "Dr E.O.W. Whitehouse and the 1858 transatlantic cable". History of Technology. 10: 1–15.
Hunt, B. J. (2004). "Whitehouse, (Edward Orange) Wildman (1816-1890)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, accessed 24 July 2005 (subscription or UK public library membership required)

External links

Wildman Whitehouse Chronology
Wildman Whitehouse’s Patents compiled by Steven Roberts and Allan Green

[ODNB-1] Hunt (2004)

[2] Cogan (1985)

[1]

[2]

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+{{Short description|English surgeon and electrical engineer (1816–1890)}}
-'''Edward Orange Wildman Whitehouse''' (1 October 1816 – 26 January 1890) was an [[England|English]] [[surgery|surgeon]], better known for his ultimately unsuccessful endeavours as chief electrician of the [[transatlantic telegraph cable]] for the [[Atlantic Telegraph Company]].
+{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2016}}
+{{Use British English|date=October 2016}}
+[[File:Edward-orange-wildman-whitehouse.jpg|thumb|Whitehouse in 1856]]
+'''Edward Orange Wildman Whitehouse''' (1 October 1816&nbsp;– 26 January 1890) was an English surgeon by profession and an electrical experimenter by avocation. He was recruited by entrepreneur [[Cyrus West Field]] as Chief Electrician to work on the pioneering endeavour to lay the first [[transatlantic telegraph cable]] for the [[Atlantic Telegraph Company]] between western Ireland to eastern [[Newfoundland (island)|Newfoundland]]. This pioneering project of the [[Victorian era]] began in 1854 and was completed in 1858; however the cable functioned for only three weeks. While Whitehouse sent the first [[telegraph]] communications on 16 August 1858 to the United States of America, he was ultimately held responsible for the [[Submarine communications cable|undersea cable]] failure after he applied higher voltages in an effort to boost declining signals.
 ==Life==
-Born in [[Liverpool]] to a [[merchant]], he qualified as a member of the [[Royal College of Surgeons of England|Royal College of Surgeons]] in 1840 and established a successful practice in [[Brighton]].<ref name="ODNB">Hunt (2004)</ref> He attended Trinity Grammar School, Kew in 1824.{{citation needed|date=June 2013}}
+Born in [[Liverpool]] to a merchant, he qualified as a member of the [[Royal College of Surgeons of England|Royal College of Surgeons]] in 1840 and established a successful practice in [[Brighton]].<ref name="ODNB">Hunt (2004)</ref>
+== First transatlantic cable ==
-In the 1850s, he conducted experiments that, he held, showed that feared problems with practical [[Bit rate|data rate]]s on underwater cables would not prohibit a commercial service. Though his claims were disputed by [[William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin|William Thomson]] (later known as Lord Kelvin), he was an able propagandist for the undertakers of a proposed transatlantic cable.<ref name="ODNB"/>
+[[File:Atlantic cable Map.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|Transatlantic cable route, 1858]]
+In the 1850s, Whitehouse conducted experiments that, he held, showed that feared problems with practical data rates on underwater cables would not prohibit a commercial service. Though his claims were disputed by [[William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin|William Thomson (Lord Kelvin)]], he was an able propagandist for the proponents of a proposed transatlantic cable.<ref name="ODNB"/>
+[[Cyrus West Field]] recruited Whitehouse as chief electrician to the [[Atlantic Telegraph Company]]; Thomson subsequently became scientific advisor, convinced that Whitehouse's theories were wrong but believing him to have the practical skill to make the scheme work.<ref name="ODNB"/> When the cable finally opened for business, it was beset with the problems that Thomson had foreseen.
+Whitehouse's inadequate apparatus had to be replaced by Thomson's more sensitive [[mirror galvanometer]] but Whitehouse then ruined the cable by delivering massive shocks of 2,000&nbsp;volts in an attempt to rectify the problems. Whitehouse continually maintained that the cable and his equipment were a success. Though he put up a desperate public defence of his conduct and was more than ready to apportion blame among all other parties, an 1861 enquiry concluded that he should bear the majority of the responsibility.<ref name="ODNB"/> It has been argued that the manufacture, storage and handling of the 1858 cable would have led to premature failure in any case.<ref>de Cogan (1985)</ref>
-[[Cyrus West Field]] recruited Whitehouse as chief electrician to the [[Atlantic Telegraph Company]]; Thomson subsequently became scientific advisor, convinced that Whitehouse's theories were wrong but believing him to have the practical skill to make the scheme work.<ref name="ODNB"/>
+Whitehouse was a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons, Licentiate of the Society of Apothecaries, Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society, Associate of the Institution of Civil Engineers, founding member of the Society of Telegraphic Engineers, and a member of the Royal Institution, the Royal Meteorological Society, the Physical Society, and the British Association for the Advancement of Science.
-When the cable finally opened for business, it was beset with the problems that Thomson had foreseen. Whitehouse's inadequate apparatus had to be replaced by Thomson's more sensitive [[mirror galvanometer]] but Whitehouse then ruined the cable by delivering massive shocks of 2,000 [[volt]]s in an attempt to rectify the problems. Whitehouse continually maintained that the cable and his equipment were a success. Though he put up a desperate public defence of his conduct and was more than ready to apportion blame among all other parties, an 1861 enquiry concluded that he should bear the majority of the responsibility.<ref name="ODNB"/> It has been argued that the manufacture, storage and handling of the 1858 cable would have led to premature failure in any case.<ref>http://atlantic-cable.com/Books/Whitehouse/DDC/index.htm  History of the Transatlantic Cable&nbsp;– Dr. E.O.W. Whitehouse and the 1858 trans-Atlantic cable, retrieved 2010-04-10</ref>
+== References ==
-Whitehouse was a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons; Licentiate of the Society of Apothecaries; Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society; Associate of the Institution of Civil Engineers; Founding Member of the Society of Telegraphic Engineers (later the IEE, now the IET); and a Member of the Royal Institution, the Royal Meteorological Society, the Physical Society, and the British Association for the Advancement of Science.
-==References==
 {{reflist}}
-==Further reading==
+== Sources ==
+* {{ cite journal | author=de Cogan, D. | year=1985 | title=Dr E.O.W. Whitehouse and the 1858 transatlantic cable | url=http://atlantic-cable.com/Books/Whitehouse/DDC/index.htm | journal=History of Technology | volume=10 | pages=1–15 }}
+* Hunt, B. J. (2004). "[http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/47160 Whitehouse, (Edward Orange) Wildman (1816-1890)]", ''[[Oxford Dictionary of National Biography]]'', Oxford University Press, accessed 24 July 2005 {{ODNBsub}}
+== Further reading ==
-===Obituaries===
+* [http://atlantic-cable.com/Books/Whitehouse/eoww.htm Edward Orange Wildman Whitehouse (1816-1890)] Website on Whitehouse's life and work, with transcripts of publications and documents on his role as Electrician of the 1857/58 Atlantic Cable project.
-*''[[The Electrician]]'', January 31, 1890, page 319
+* "Board of Trade Committee to Inquire into ... Submarine Telegraph Cables", Parl. papers (1860), 52.591, no. 2744
-*''[[The Times]]'', January 29, 1890, page 1
+* Bright, C. (1898). ''Submarine Telegraphs: Their History, Construction, and Working''
-*''[[Daily Telegraph]]'', January 30, 1890, page 1
+* {{ cite journal | author=Hunt, B.J. | year=1996 | title=Scientists, engineers and Wildman Whitehouse: measurement and credibility in early cable telegraphy | journal=British Journal for the History of Science | volume=29 | pages=155–169 | doi=10.1017/S0007087400034208 | issue=2 | s2cid=145020534 }}
-*''[[The Lancet]]'', February 1, 1890, page 277
+* [http://atlantic-cable.com/Books/Whitehouse/BJH/index.htm Scientists, engineers and Wildman Whitehouse: measurement and credibility in early cable telegraphy]
+* Smith, C. & Wise M.N. (1989). ''Energy and Empire: A Biographical Study of Lord Kelvin''
+* Thompson, S.P. (1910). ''The Life of William Thomson, Baron Kelvin of Largs'', 2 vols.
+* [http://atlantic-cable.com/Books/Thomson/index.htm The Life of William Thomson—The Atlantic Telegraph: Failure] Extract from S.P. Thompson (above) with much material on Whitehouse.
+== External links ==
-===About Whitehouse===
-*[http://atlantic-cable.com/Books/Whitehouse/eoww.htm Edward Orange Wildman Whitehouse (1816-1890)] Website on Whitehouse's life and work, with transcripts of publications and documents on his role as Electrician of the 1857/58 Atlantic Cable project.
-*"Board of Trade Committee to Inquire into ... Submarine Telegraph Cables’, Parl. papers (1860), 52.591, no. 2744
-*Bright, C. (1898) ''Submarine Telegraphs: Their History, Construction, and Working''
-*{{ cite journal | author=de Cogan, D. | year=1985 | title=Dr E.O.W. Whitehouse and the 1858 transatlantic cable | journal=History of Technology | volume=10 | pages=1–15 }}
-*[http://atlantic-cable.com/Books/Whitehouse/DDC/index.htm Dr E.O.W. Whitehouse and the 1858 transatlantic cable] Full text of Donard de Cogan's paper (above).
-*{{ cite journal | author=Hunt, B.J. | year=1996 | title=Scientists, engineers and Wildman Whitehouse: measurement and credibility in early cable telegraphy | journal=British Journal for the History of Science | volume=29 | pages=155–169 | doi=10.1017/S0007087400034208 | issue=2 }}
-*[http://atlantic-cable.com/Books/Whitehouse/BJH/index.htm Scientists, engineers and Wildman Whitehouse: measurement and credibility in early cable telegraphy] Full text of Bruce J. Hunt's paper (above).
-*— (2004) "[http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/47160 Whitehouse, (Edward Orange) Wildman (1816-1890)]", ''[[Oxford Dictionary of National Biography]]'', Oxford University Press, accessed 24 July 2005 {{ODNBsub}}
-*Smith, C. & Wise M.N. (1989) ''Energy and Empire: A Biographical Study of Lord Kelvin''
-*Thompson, S.P. (1910) ''The Life of William Thomson, Baron Kelvin of Largs'', 2 vols.
-*[http://atlantic-cable.com/Books/Thomson/index.htm The Life of William Thomson—The Atlantic Telegraph: Failure] Extract from S.P. Thompson (above) with much material on Whitehouse.
-===By Whitehouse===
-* Whitehouse, E.O.W. (1856) "The law of squares: is it applicable or not to the transmission of signals in submarine circuits ?", ''The Athenaeum'', January 30, 1856
-*— (1855) ''[http://atlantic-cable.com/Books/Whitehouse/BA1855/index.htm Report on a series of experimental observations (full text)]''
-*— (1858a) ''The Atlantic Telegraph: The Rise, Progress, and Development of its Electrical Department''
-*— (1858b) ''[http://www.sil.si.edu/digitalcollections/hst/atlantic-cable/sil4-00497.htm Reply to the Statement of the Directors of the Atlantic Telegraph Company (extracts)]''
-*— (1858b) ''[http://atlantic-cable.com/Books/Whitehouse/index.htm Reply to the Statement of the Directors of the Atlantic Telegraph Company (full text)]''
-*— (1858c) ''[http://atlantic-cable.com/Books/Whitehouse/RC/index.htm Recent Correspondence between Mr. Wildman Whitehouse and the Atlantic Telegraph Company (full text)]''
-===Weblinks===
 * [http://atlantic-cable.com/Books/Whitehouse/eoww.htm Wildman Whitehouse Chronology]
 * [http://atlantic-cable.com/Books/Whitehouse/Patents/patents.htm Wildman Whitehouse’s Patents] compiled by Steven Roberts and Allan Green
@@ Line 53: / Line 43: @@
 [[Category:1816 births]]
 [[Category:1890 deaths]]
-[[Category:People from Liverpool]]
+[[Category:English electrical engineers]]
 [[Category:English surgeons]]
-[[Category:English electrical engineers]]
+[[Category:Medical doctors from Liverpool]]
-[[Category:Telegraphy]]
+[[Category:Telegraph engineers and inventors]]
+[[Category:Engineers from Liverpool]]

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