Aerial ropeways or Cableways are a means of transport or carriage in which a great rope or cable, elevated above the ground on fixed supports, is made use of in conveying from place to place materials or articles of various kinds. Such a cable may be said to serve the purpose of a rail, from which are suspended the carriages, buckets, or carriers of whatever sort are employed to convey the materials dealt with, the cable being actuated by means of an engine and winding-gear of suitable construction. During the 19th century and early 20th century such cables were much used in carrying materials over a comparatively short space, as in quarries, excavations for canals, docks, etc; in the construction of bridges, in shipbuilding, etc, and in the coaling of battleships at sea from a coal transport standing by. Research Aerial Ropeways
A flying-bridge is a bridge made of pontoons, light boats, hollow beams, casks, or the like. They are made as occasion requires, chiefly for the passage of troops. The term is also applied to a kind of ferry in which the force of the current of a river is applied to propel a boat guided by a cable fastened from the one side to the other. Research Flying Bridge
Charles Ellet was an American civil engineer who designed the first wire- cable suspension bridge in the USA, in 1842. He was born in 1810 at Pennsylvania and died in 1862. He also designed the world's first long-span wire-cable suspension bridge, crossing the Ohio River at Wheeling, West Virginia. He began his career as a surveyor and assistant engineer on the Chesapeake and OhioCanal in 1828. In 1831 and 1832 he was in Europe, enrolled at the Ecole Polytechnique in Paris and studied the various engineering works taking place in France, Germany, and Britain. For his first wire-cable suspension bridge, over the Schuylkill River at Fairmount, Pennsylvania, Ellet introduced a technique he had learned in France of binding small wires together to make the cables. The central span of the suspension bridge over the Ohio River was at 308 meters the longest ever built when it was completed in 1849. The bridge failed under wind forces in 1854; however, Ellet's towers remained standing and the bridge was rebuilt.
Following the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861, Ellet produced a steam-powered ship for the Union forces to ram the Confederates on the Mississippi River and in June 1862, led a fleet of nine of these rams in the Battle of Memphis. The Union side was victorious, but in the course of the fighting Ellet was fatally wounded. Research Charles Ellet
Cyrus West Field was an American paper merchant. He was born in 1819 at Massachusetts and died in 1892. Having made a fortune in paper in New York he conceived the idea of a trans-Atlantic telegraph cable linking the USA with Britain, and formed the New York, Newfoundland and London Telegraph Company, consisting of Peter Cooper, Moses Taylor, Marshall Roberts and Chandler White. The necessary rights for fifty years were obtained, and communication was secured in 1858, but the cable proved worthless after a few weeks. The Atlantic Telegraph Company was formed and attempts were made with the Great Eastern in 1865 and 1866, the last of which was completely successful. For this great achievement he was honoured both at home and abroad. After this success he was active in improving the rapid transit system of New York. Research Cyrus West Field
George Washington Cable was an American writer. He was born in 1844 at New Orleans and died in 1925. He served in the Confederate army during the American Civil War, then took a commercial situation, but about 1879 devoted himself entirely to literature. His first important book was Old Creole Days published in 1879. Among others written since are the Grandissimes; Madame Delphine; The Creoles of Louisiana (a history); Dr. Sevier; The Silent South (a plea for the negro); The Negro Question;
Strange True Stories of Louisiana; John March; Strong Hearts; The Cavalier. For most readers the chief interest of his novels lies in their excellent descriptions of French Creole life in the southern states; and his pictures of negro life are no less effective. Research George Cable
James Burn Russell was a Scottish doctor. He was born in 1837 at Glasgow and died in 1904. He assisted LordKelvin in his preparations for the Atlantic Cable expedition. He was next medical officer of health in Glasgow for twenty-six years, and brought prominently forward the question of the housing of the poor. among his works are 'Lectures on the Theory and Prevention of Infectious Diseases', published in 1879, and 'On the Prevention of Tuberculosis' published in 1896. Research James Russell
Sabine Baring-Gould was an English author or numerous hymns and novels. He was born in 1834 at Exeter and died in 1924. Educated at Cambridge, he held several livings in the English Church, being one time rector of Lew Trenchard, Devon. He wrote with success on theological and miscellaneous subjects, and latterly distinguished himself as a novelist. Among his works are: Iceland, its Scenes and Sagas; Curious Myths of the Middle Ages; the Origin and Development of Religious Belief; Lives of the Saints (in 15 volumes); Village Sermons; The Vicar of Morwenstowe (an account of the Reverend Robert Hawker); The Mystery of Suffering, etc; besides the novels Mehalah, John Herring, Richard Cable, The Gave-rocks, Court Royal, etc; and short stories or novelettes. Research Sabine Baring-Gould
The Battle of Falkland Islands was a naval battle of the Great War. It occurred on December 8th 1914 between the English and German squadrons. The Germans were lured to the Falkland Islands by a bogus cable sent to Berlin by a British spy, and there were ambushed and almost completely wiped out, only the light cruiserDresden escaping. Research Battle of Falkland Islands
A boom is a strong chain cable, or line of spars bound together, extended across a river or the mouth of a harbour, to obstruct navigation or passage. Research Boom
Detecting set L4A1 was the British Army designation for the Plessey P6/2 Metal detector range.
The P6/2 equipment consisted of a waterproof electronic unit and a set of operator-interchangeable waterproof probes. The operating mode was pulsed induction. Target detection was indicated audibly by a loudspeaker or plug-in earphone(s). Switched sensitivity and response times were provided. Power was supplied from internal batteries or an external source via an adaptor. An in-built battery check was provided. The function switch, loudspeaker, probe and earphone sockets wee located on a control panel at-the top of the electronic unit. The electronic unit was carried in a slung webbing haversack for manpack operation.
Four types of probe were provided as standard, each for a specific purpose. A connection cable terminated in a quick release plug is integral with each probe.
P6A/2 was a tubular ferrite probe suitable for searches in bushes, streams and rugged urban and rural environments.
P6E/2 Open Loop Probe was a lightweight probe, for ground search applications.
P6F/2 was a short robust probe for general searches in restricted environments.
P6G/2 was a light easy-to-use probe designed for the searching of persons.
Plessey could also supply special probes that could be designed for particular applications e.g. the P6C/2 sledge probe.
The P6/2 equipment was designed to perform over the frequency range 50 to 500MHz. When fitted with a P6A/2 or P6F/2 probe and an MDA7/2 earpiece the P6/2 was capable of operating within four metres of a 1W, handheld radio transmitter or within six metres of a vehicle-mounted 10W radio transmitter without malfunctioning, blocking, or causing interference to the receiver in the radio station.
Typical detection range for the P6E/2 Probe was approximately 220mm with a 2p coin or 250mm2 copper, 18 G and approximately 400mm with a pistol Research Detecting Set L4A1
The Probert Encyclopaedia was designed, edited and programed by
Matt and Leela Probert
Abbreviations
Research Aerial Ropeways
