Credit: ©The Royal Society
    Image number: RS.17401

    Sounding the depth of the sea without a line

    Date
    30 September 1663
    Creator
    Unknown, Artist
    After
    Robert Hooke (1635 - 1703, British) , Natural philosopher
    Object type
    Archive reference number
    Manuscript page number
    p482
    Material
    Dimensions
    height (page): 320mm
    width (page): 200mm
    Subject
    Description
    Diagram illustrating Robert Hooke's invention for sounding the sea without a long line, using instead a ball sunk to the bottom of the sea by a weight which is released as soon as it touches the sea-floor and returns to the surface.

    It was discussed at the meeting of the Royal Society on 30 September 1663, and printed in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, vol. 1, no. 9 (February 1666), and again in vol. 2, no. 24 (April 1667).

    This is copied from RBO/2i/301 or RBO/2ii/203v. The original drawing of this apparatus by Hooke is at Cl.P/20/23/001. Other version can be found at Cl.P/20/35/002 and RBC/2/094.

    This volume is another copy of entries of the first two volumes of the Register Book. It was given to Sir Joseph Banks by G. S. Heales Esquire of Doctor's Common on 31 May 1814.
    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.
    Related fellows
    Robert Hooke (1635 - 1703, British) , Natural philosopher
    Associated place
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