The generator from Souter Lighthouse at Science Museum in London, built by Frederick Hale Holmes.

Frederick Hale Holmes (1812 – 1875[1]) was a professor of chemistry at the Royal Panopticon of Science and Art[2] and pioneer of electric lighting.[3]

Career

In 1853 he demonstrated the ability of electro-magnetic generators to provide continuous current to power arc lighting and in 1856 patented a magneto to power an arc light for lighthouses which he demonstrated to Michael Faraday at Blackwall in 1857.[4][5]

His experiments with alternating current arc lighting at South Foreland Lighthouse in 1857-60[6] were the subject of a lecture by Michael Faraday at the Royal Institution.[7] One of Holmes' generators built in 1867 and used at Souter Lighthouse is displayed at the Science Museum, London.[8]

He obtained "letters patent" for the invention of "improvements in machines known under the name of magneto-electric machines"[9] and "provisional [patent] protection" for "improvements in apparatus for the production of electric light",[10] and "improvements in fog signals, suitable for lighthouses and lightships."[11]

References

  1. ↑ "Professor Frederick Hale Holmes". United States Lighthouse Society.
  2. ↑ "Royal Panopticon of Science and Art, Leicester Square". Exeter and Plymouth Gazette. 3 September 1853. p. 2.
  3. ↑ Literary Gazette. 23 July 1853. p. 733. {{cite magazine}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  4. ↑ "Lighthouse Illumination by Magneto-Electricity". The Dublin Builder. 15 August 1864. p. 14.
  5. ↑ Cutler J. Cleveland; Christopher G. Morris (15 November 2013). Handbook of Energy: Chronologies, Top Ten Lists, and Word Clouds. Vol. 2. Elsevier. p. 175.
  6. ↑ "Lighthouse Illumination by Magneto-Electricity". The Dublin Builder. August 15, 1864. p. 14.
  7. ↑ "Magneto-Electric Light For Lighthouses". Newcastle Courant. March 30, 1860. p. 3.
  8. ↑ "Holmes' lighthouse generator, 1867". Science Museum. Archived from the original on 2014-01-05. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  9. ↑ "No. 22253". The London Gazette. 22 April 1859. p. 1689.
  10. ↑ "No. 23292". The London Gazette. 16 August 1867. p. 4566.
  11. ↑ "No. 24019". The London Gazette. 23 September 1873. p. 4305.
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