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Dr Frank A J L James' paper, "The civil-engineer's talent: Michael Faraday, science, engineering the English lighthouse service, 1836-1865", is published in Transactions of the Newcomen Society, 1998-99 Vol 70.
The popular image of Michael Faraday, which took hold after his death, was of 'a lone scientist working in his basement laboratory (at the Royal Institution) laying the foundations of electrical engineering'. In fact he was heavily involved with the appliance of science.
In 1836 he was appointed Scientific Adviser to Trinity House, the body responsible for the English lighthouse service. He investigated propositions for improving the 'security and constancy' of the light, the optical adjustment of lighthouse lenses, and the power source. (Naturally he had a predilection for electric lights, but the problem was - and remained - that of cost.) However, he also applied himself to other aspects to the lighthouse service, as the following extract illustrates:
During the 1840s most of Faraday's efforts for Trinity House were directed towards the problem of ventilation. He commenced investigating this in February 1841 following a visit to St Catherine's lighthouse in the Isle of Wight. The problem facing Faraday was how to remove from the lighthouse lanthorn the products of combustion that condensed on the inside surface of the outer glass which thus reduced the amount of light emitted.Faraday worked on developing a chimney which would carry away these products without at the same time interfering with the light produced by the flame. In this chimney the products of combustion passed up the inner glass cylinder and then down between the inner and outer glass cylinders and away to an outside flue. This had no measurable effect on the quantity of light produced and a great effect on the quality of the atmosphere in the lighthouse lanthorn. Faraday had such a chimney installed in St Catherine's Lighthouse which, judging by the graphic description provided by the keeper two years later, proved very successful:
St Catherines Light, Feby 19th 1843
Sir,
In answer to your Letter respecting the general effect of the Copper pipe fixed by your direction I feel great Pleasure to say it has realised the ful[l] anticipation you formed of its merits that is to say no damp condensing on windows no dirt shading the Lantern in every respect keeping 20 times cleaner. The weather to day forms a comparison of Feby 1841 but pleasing to say no damp[.] Sir your Plan has driven the enemy out[.] I entertain no not the slightest fears of him ever coming again to cause such labour as you wittnesed on the 4th of Feby 1841[.]
Sir I am Your Obedient Servant, George Neale
M. Faraday Esq.Faraday made over his chimney to his brother Robert Faraday (1788-1846), a brass founder and gas engineer, who patented it; the only invention of Faraday's ever to be patented. This chimney was quite successful and it was installed in buildings other than lighthouses including the Athenaeum and Buckingham Palace where, as the Times noted in 1846, Faraday's lamp illuminated the christening of Princess Helena (1846-1923).
Drawing of Faraday's chimney
from Robert Faraday's patent, No. 9679
Biographical Note: Dr Frank James is Reader in the History of Science at the Royal Institution, London. He is a past President of the Newcomen Society.
The complete text of this paper can be purchased on line from our archive.
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