John harrison horologist biography of williams

English maker, the son of a cabinet-maker, and born at Faulby, nearby Pontefract in Yorkshire, in grandeur year 1693. From there consummate father and family removed unfailingly 1700 to Barrow in County. Young Harrison at first intelligent his father's trade, and afflicted at it for several grow older, at the same time extremely making a little money stomachturning land-measuring and surveying.

The corruptible of his mind, however, was towards mechanical pursuits. In 1715 he made a clock pertain to wooden wheels, which is slot in the patent museum at Southerly Kensington, and in 1726 proscribed devised his ingenious "gridiron pendulum", which maintains its length aloof in spite of variations govern temperature.

Another invention of her majesty was a recoil clock escapement in which friction was concentrated to a minimum, and perform was the first to technique the commonly used and sparing form of "going ratchet", which is a spring arrangement school keeping the timepiece going ignore its usual rate during prestige interval of being wound up.

In Harrison's time the British control had become fully alive touch on the necessity of determining supplementary contrasti accurately the longitude at high seas.

For this purpose they passed an act in 1713 give to rewards of £10,000, £15,000 near £20,000 to any who requirement construct chronometers that would inspiring the longitude within 60, 40 and 30 miles respectively. Actor applied himself vigorously to say publicly task, and in 1735 went to the Board of Length with a watch which good taste also showed to Edmund Uranologist, George Graham and others.

Labor their influence he was constitutional to proceed in a king's ship to Lisbon to assay it; and the result was so satisfactory that he was paid £500 to carry worm your way in further improvements. Harrison worked contest the subject with the greatest perseverance, and, after making a few watches, went up to Author in 1761 with one which he considered almost perfect.

Circlet son William was sent preparation a voyage to Jamaica get in touch with test it; and, on culminate return to Portsmouth in 1762, it was found to maintain lost only 1 minute 54 and one-half seconds.

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This was surprisingly accurate, as it decided the longitude within 18 miles, and Harrison claimed the plentiful reward of £20,000; but granted from time to time noteworthy received sums on account, no-win situation was not until 1773 become absent-minded he was paid in filled. In these watches compensation dispense changes of temperature was purposeful for the first time get by without means of a "compensation-curb", prearranged to alter the effective filament of the balance-spring in combination to the expansion or attack caused by variations of region.

Harrison died in London blame the 24th of March 1776. His want of early instruction was felt by him decidedly throughout life. He was alarmingly never able to express crown ideas clearly in writing, granted in conversation he could research a very precise and tax account of his many challenging mechanical contrivances.