Apparatus for fetching up water from any depth of the sea
Date
30 September 1663
Creator
Robert Hooke (1635 - 1703, British) , Natural philosopher
Object type
Archive reference number
Manuscript page number
p3
Material
Dimensions
height (page): 296mm
width (page): 188mm
width (page): 188mm
Subject
Content object
Description
A diagram illustrating apparatus designed to fetch samples of water from any depth of the sea using a wooden bucket with a lid that remains open while the bucket descends, but closes when it begins to be drawn back up to the surface. The red chalk part of the diagram shows the first state of the apparatus as it is in operation and the grey wash part shows the second state.
The design was discussed at the meeting of the Royal Society on 30 September 1663, and was also entered into the Society's Register Book. The paper and the figure were printed in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, vol. 1, no. 9 (February 1666), and again in vol. 2, no. 24 (April 1667).
The original drawing for this apparatus by Hooke is in Cl.P/20/23/001. Copies can be found in RBO/2i/302, RBO/2ii/203r, RBC/2/093 and MS/776/483.
The design was discussed at the meeting of the Royal Society on 30 September 1663, and was also entered into the Society's Register Book. The paper and the figure were printed in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, vol. 1, no. 9 (February 1666), and again in vol. 2, no. 24 (April 1667).
The original drawing for this apparatus by Hooke is in Cl.P/20/23/001. Copies can be found in RBO/2i/302, RBO/2ii/203r, RBC/2/093 and MS/776/483.
Transcription
"The way for fetching up water from any depth of the Sea, is with a square wooden bucket C, whose bottoms EE are so contrived, that as the weight A sinks the iron B (to which the Bucket C is fastned by two handles DD, on the ends of which are the movable bottoms or valves EE) and so draws down the bucket, the resistance of the water to its descending, keep up the bucket in the posture C, whereby the water has all the while it is descending a cleer passage through, whereas, as soon as the bucket is pull upwards by the line F, the resistance of the water to that motion beats the bucket downwards, and keeps it in the posture G, whereby the included water is preserved from getting out, and the ambient from getting in.
Transcribed by the Making Visible project
Transcribed by the Making Visible project
Object history
At the meeting of the Royal Society on 30 September 1663, ‘Mr. Hooke brought in the description of the new ways contrived by him for sounding the depth of the sea without a line, and fetching water from any depth; which were ordered to be registered’ (Birch 1:307). Text and figure printed in Birch 1:307-08.
Printed in R. Hooke, 'Directions for observations and experiments to be made by masters of ships, pilots and other fit persons in their sea voyages', Phil. Trans. vol. 2, no. 24 (April 1667), pp. 433-48.
Printed in R. Hooke, 'Directions for observations and experiments to be made by masters of ships, pilots and other fit persons in their sea voyages', Phil. Trans. vol. 2, no. 24 (April 1667), pp. 433-48.
Related fellows
Robert Hooke (1635 - 1703, British) , Natural philosopher
Henry Oldenburg (1612 - 1677, German) , Scientific correspondent
Henry Oldenburg (1612 - 1677, German) , Scientific correspondent
Associated place