Edward Samuel Ritchie
Encyclopedia
Edward Samuel Ritchie an American inventor and physicist, is considered to be the most innovative instrument maker in nineteenth-century America, making important contributions to both science and navigation.
on August 18, 1814, the son of John and Eliza Ritchie. As a young child Ritchie displayed a great aptitude for both the arts and mechanical sciences. After working as an amateur sculptor, he founded a business in 1850 with N.B. Chamberlain to manufacture mechanical and electrical instruments. Chamberlain eventually left, and Ritchie continued the business alone.
made by German instrument maker Heinrich Daniel Ruhmkorff
, which produced a small two-inch (50 mm) electric spark
when energized, Ritchie perceived that it could be made more efficient and produce a longer spark by redesigning and improving its secondary insulation. His own design divided the coil into sections, each properly insulated from each other. Ritchie's first induction coil produced a spark 10 inches (25 cm) in length; a later perfected model produced a bolt two feet (60 cm) or longer in length.
In 1857, one of Ritchie's induction coils was exhibited in Dublin, Ireland at a conference of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, and later at the University of Edinburgh
in Scotland. Intrigued, Ruhmkorff himself procured a sample of the Ritchie induction coil and used it as a basis for revising his own design. The German inventor was later awarded a scientific prize by Napoleon III. Disappointed in not receiving recognition for his improvements, Ritchie turned his attention to navigational instruments.
Ritchie began making marine bearing compass
es for the U.S. Navy before the American Civil War
. At the time, British Admiralty dry-mount nautical compasses were considered by all navies and merchant shipping companies as the technological standard of the day. Ritchie thought they could be improved upon, and by 1860 had received a U.S. patent for the first successful and practicable liquid-filled marine compass suitable for general use, a development that has been described as the first major advance in compass technology in several hundred years. With the damping provided by the liquid, together with a gimbal
mounting, the floating indicator or card of the Ritchie compass remained relatively stable even when a ship's deck pitched and rolled during periods of severe weather. In Ritchie's third patent application (#38,126) dated April 7, 1863, several features that contributed to the success of his compass are revealed, including a floating card of nearly the same specific gravity as the liquid, an air-tight metallic case, and an elastic chamber that served as a diaphragm, compensating for temperature changes and resultant unequal expansion of the liquid and the bowl.
Ritchie liquid-filled nautical compasses soon became a U.S. Navy standard, and were also widely used by American merchant mariners. He also invented an improved theodolite
which was immediately adopted by the U.S. Navy for measuring harbors and port entrances.
The business he began in 1850 became E. S. Ritchie & Son in 1866 and E. S. Ritchie & Sons in 1867, and moved from Boston to Brookline in 1886. The company specialized in manufacturing compasses, astro-navigation devices, and other nautical equipment for all types of ships, including small hand-bearing compasses for recreational and amateur sailing vessels.
in London
, England, the only foreign product so honored.
Early life and career
Ritchie was born in Dorchester, MassachusettsDorchester, Massachusetts
Dorchester is a dissolved municipality and current neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It is named after the town of Dorchester in the English county of Dorset, from which Puritans emigrated and is today endearingly nicknamed "Dot" by its residents. Dorchester, including a large...
on August 18, 1814, the son of John and Eliza Ritchie. As a young child Ritchie displayed a great aptitude for both the arts and mechanical sciences. After working as an amateur sculptor, he founded a business in 1850 with N.B. Chamberlain to manufacture mechanical and electrical instruments. Chamberlain eventually left, and Ritchie continued the business alone.
Inventions and Innovations
In the early 1850s, after examining an example of an electric induction coilInduction coil
An induction coil or "spark coil" is a type of disruptive discharge coil. It is a type of electrical transformer used to produce high-voltage pulses from a low-voltage direct current supply...
made by German instrument maker Heinrich Daniel Ruhmkorff
Heinrich Daniel Ruhmkorff
250px|right|thumb|Ruhmkorff inductor250px|right|thumb|Tombstone of Heinrich Daniel Ruhmkorff on the [[Montparnasse Cemetery]] in [[Paris]]Heinrich Daniel Ruhmkorff was a German instrument maker who commercialised the induction coil Ruhmkorff was born in Hanover...
, which produced a small two-inch (50 mm) electric spark
Electric spark
An electric spark is a type of electrostatic discharge that occurs when an electric field creates an ionized electrically conductive channel in air producing a brief emission of light and sound. A spark is formed when the electric field strength exceeds the dielectric field strength of air...
when energized, Ritchie perceived that it could be made more efficient and produce a longer spark by redesigning and improving its secondary insulation. His own design divided the coil into sections, each properly insulated from each other. Ritchie's first induction coil produced a spark 10 inches (25 cm) in length; a later perfected model produced a bolt two feet (60 cm) or longer in length.
In 1857, one of Ritchie's induction coils was exhibited in Dublin, Ireland at a conference of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, and later at the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
in Scotland. Intrigued, Ruhmkorff himself procured a sample of the Ritchie induction coil and used it as a basis for revising his own design. The German inventor was later awarded a scientific prize by Napoleon III. Disappointed in not receiving recognition for his improvements, Ritchie turned his attention to navigational instruments.
Ritchie began making marine bearing compass
Compass
A compass is a navigational instrument that shows directions in a frame of reference that is stationary relative to the surface of the earth. The frame of reference defines the four cardinal directions – north, south, east, and west. Intermediate directions are also defined...
es for the U.S. Navy before the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. At the time, British Admiralty dry-mount nautical compasses were considered by all navies and merchant shipping companies as the technological standard of the day. Ritchie thought they could be improved upon, and by 1860 had received a U.S. patent for the first successful and practicable liquid-filled marine compass suitable for general use, a development that has been described as the first major advance in compass technology in several hundred years. With the damping provided by the liquid, together with a gimbal
Gimbal
A gimbal is a pivoted support that allows the rotation of an object about a single axis. A set of two gimbals, one mounted on the other with pivot axes orthogonal, may be used to allow an object mounted on the innermost gimbal to remain immobile regardless of the motion of its support...
mounting, the floating indicator or card of the Ritchie compass remained relatively stable even when a ship's deck pitched and rolled during periods of severe weather. In Ritchie's third patent application (#38,126) dated April 7, 1863, several features that contributed to the success of his compass are revealed, including a floating card of nearly the same specific gravity as the liquid, an air-tight metallic case, and an elastic chamber that served as a diaphragm, compensating for temperature changes and resultant unequal expansion of the liquid and the bowl.
Ritchie liquid-filled nautical compasses soon became a U.S. Navy standard, and were also widely used by American merchant mariners. He also invented an improved theodolite
Theodolite
A theodolite is a precision instrument for measuring angles in the horizontal and vertical planes. Theodolites are mainly used for surveying applications, and have been adapted for specialized purposes in fields like metrology and rocket launch technology...
which was immediately adopted by the U.S. Navy for measuring harbors and port entrances.
The business he began in 1850 became E. S. Ritchie & Son in 1866 and E. S. Ritchie & Sons in 1867, and moved from Boston to Brookline in 1886. The company specialized in manufacturing compasses, astro-navigation devices, and other nautical equipment for all types of ships, including small hand-bearing compasses for recreational and amateur sailing vessels.
Epilogue
Following Ritchie’s death in 1895, his sons transferred the scientific instruments to the L. E. Knott Apparatus Co., while retaining the nautical instrument line, which was renamed E.S. Ritchie & Sons. The firm was incorporated as E.S. Ritchie & Sons, Inc. in 1939, and continues operations to the present day. It is now located in Pembroke, Massachusetts, and known as Ritchie Navigation.Museum Displays
A model of Ritchie's first liquid-filled compass is on display at the Museum of ScienceScience Museum (London)
The Science Museum is one of the three major museums on Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is part of the National Museum of Science and Industry. The museum is a major London tourist attraction....
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England, the only foreign product so honored.