William Snow Harris facts for kids

Sir William Snow Harris (born April 1, 1791 – died January 22, 1867) was a British physician and scientist who studied electricity. People sometimes called him "Thunder-and-Lightning Harris." He became famous for inventing a great system of lightning conductors that protected ships.

It took many years of hard work, research, and successful tests before the British Royal Navy started using Harris's conductors. Before this, their old system was not very good. One of the ships that successfully tested his invention was HMS Beagle. This ship survived lightning strikes without any damage during its famous journey with Charles Darwin.

HMS Beagle was one of the first ships protected from lightning by Harris's conductors.

William Harris's Early Life and Work

William Harris was born in Plymouth, England, on April 1, 1791. His family worked as solicitors, which are legal professionals, in the town. He went to Plymouth grammar school. Growing up in a seaport with a naval dockyard, which was later called Devonport, made him very interested in ships.

He went to the University of Edinburgh to study medicine and became a physician. After finishing his studies, he returned to Plymouth and started his own medical practice. But he was also very interested in the new science of electricity. This interest led him to invent his improved lightning conductor for ships in 1820.

In 1824, he got married and decided to stop working as a doctor. He wanted to spend all his time studying electricity. In 1826, he wrote a paper called "On the Relative Powers of various Metallic Substances as Conductors of Electricity." He presented this paper to the Royal Society, a famous scientific group. Because of his work, he became a member of the Royal Society in 1831. He also shared his experiments and discoveries with the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

In 1835, Harris received the Copley Medal from the Royal Society. This is a very important award given for scientific achievements. He got it for his "Experimental Investigations of the Forces of Electricity of high Intensity."

Harris also worked at The Plymouth Institution (now The Plymouth Athenaeum). He helped manage the equipment in their museum and was even the President twice.

Protecting Ships from Lightning

Before Harris, Benjamin Franklin invented the lightning rod in 1752. This invention offered a way to protect wooden sailing ships from lightning damage. In Britain, the Royal Navy used a system where a chain was dropped from the top of the mast into the sea. This chain was supposed to act as a lightning conductor.

However, this system had problems. Sailors only raised the chain when they expected lightning, but lightning often struck without warning. Raising the chain was also difficult and annoying for sailors working high up in the rigging of the ship. Even when the chain was up, lightning could still damage it or the ship. Some people also worried that conductors might actually attract lightning to the ship.

Harris created a new system in 1820. His idea was to fix metal plates along the ship's spars and down the mast. These plates went all the way through the ship's hull and connected to the copper sheathing on the bottom of the ship. This copper sheathing protected the hull from damage. Harris made sure that all the main metal parts of the ship were connected to his conductor. This prevented dangerous side flashes of electricity.

He presented his new system to the British Admiralty (the government department in charge of the Navy) in 1821. But they were not interested at first. Harris worked hard to convince the Navy to test his system and to show how much lightning was damaging their ships. Finally, they agreed to test his system on eleven vessels starting in 1830.

HMS Beagle Tests Harris's Conductors

One of the first ships to get Harris's lightning conductors was HMS Beagle. This ship had just returned from its first survey trip to South America. It was being rebuilt and prepared for its second famous journey. As part of this work, "lightning-conductors, invented by Mr. Harris, were fixed in all the masts, the bowsprit, and even in the flying jib-boom."

Before commanding the Beagle, Captain FitzRoy had been on another ship, HMS Thetis, in Rio harbour. Its foremast was hit by lightning and completely destroyed. This delayed the ship for almost two months while they replaced the mast.

In late 1831, while the Beagle was still being prepared, Charles Darwin arrived in Plymouth. He was a young naturalist who would join the ship's journey. Darwin met Harris and liked him very much. He even called him "Mr. Thunder & Lightning Harris." Darwin attended a lecture where Harris showed how his conductors worked using a toy ship. He explained that his plan protected the ship completely because the electricity was spread out over a large copper surface. Darwin noted that the Beagle was fitted with this new plan.

The Beagle's voyage lasted almost five years. During this time, the ship was often exposed to lightning. It was thought to have been struck at least twice. Each time, sailors heard a hissing sound on the masts and felt a slight tremor in the ship. But there was never "the slightest damage." Darwin himself said that without the conductor, the results would have been very serious. Captain FitzRoy also reported that the copper plates stayed firmly in place and even made the masts stronger.

The Royal Navy Adopts Harris's System

Harris continued his efforts to show how serious lightning damage was. He presented a report listing all the damage to British naval ships between 1793 and 1838. This report showed that lightning caused 62 deaths and 114 injuries. Two study groups recommended his system. However, the head of the Navy, the First Sea Lord, kept blocking the full use of Harris's system.

Finally, in late 1841, a change in government led to a new First Sea Lord. In June 1842, the Royal Navy officially adopted Harris's lightning conductors. By this time, the Imperial Russian Navy had already started using his invention. In 1845, the Tsar of Russia gave Harris a valuable ring and vase to thank him for his work.

Harris kept recording the effects of lightning on Royal Navy ships. In 1853, a report in The Nautical Magazine proudly stated that no ships protected by Harris's conductors had been harmed by lightning between 1830 and 1846. In contrast, at least 45 unprotected ships had been badly damaged by lightning during the same time. The report praised Harris's bold idea and how it had overcome old beliefs. It concluded by celebrating the "complete success which has crowned his exertions."

Selected Books

• Rudimentary Electricity, being a Concise Exposition of the General Principles of Electrical Science. Published by John Weale, 59 High Holborn, London in 1848.

Second edition (1851)