The Goldfield news and weekly tribune. [volume] (Goldfield, Nev.) 1911-1947, 1915-07-03
SEA LORD
IS UP IN SCIENCE
NEW COMMANDER OF GREAT
NAVAL FORCES INTEREST
ING CHARACTER

oo
Sir Henry Jackson, who has just
succeeded Lord Fisher as first sea
lord of the British admiralty, has
long been known here as 1.-The clev-
crest man in the navy" He is the
only naval officer who has been
honored with election as a fellow of
the royal society, this high scientific
honor falling to him in 1901 for his
researches in electrical physics.
Admiral Jackson was n of the
earliest experimenters in wireless
telegraphy, and was associated for
many years with Mr.. Marconi. He is
a specialist also in naval t~orpedoes.
He has only once in his career COM
manded a group of ships at sea.
Just past sixty years of age, the
new sea lord is younger by four
teen years than his predecessor.
He entered the navy in 1868 and at
first specialized in navigation. But
the possibilities of the torpedo,
which had only been invented in a
very crude form in 1866, exercised a
fascination over him, and he soon
transferred to that branch of the
service.
The only vessel on which he ever
served as navigating officer was an
old battleship, to which was ap-
pointed on the same day a young
lieutenant, John Jellicoe, now COM
mander in chief Of the war staff.
Specializing in torpedoes, Admiral
Jackson attained a wide knowledge,
both practical and theoretical, of
electricity, for the torpedo officer of
a modern ship is responsible for the
efficiency of the whole of the cleo
trical equipment of the vessel. 1t
was in 1891 that the idea Of employ
ing Hertzian waves as a means of
communication first suggested itself
to him. At that time the navy vas
seeking for some method by which
a torpedo boat could it's
approach to a friendly ship.
For four a he continued his
experiments in wireless communica-
tlOu. luOuSu Iuc ucCcSolllcS VI Tic
service have prevented the full
story of his works being given to
the world, it is known that at the
end of that time he had succeeded
in sending messages from one end
of his ship to the other without
wires. About this time he met Mar
conf, and the two became close
friends, mutually assisting each
other in developing their ideas and
schemes.
Sir Henry remained responsible for
the progress of wireless telegraphy
in the navy until 1906, when he be-
came a e a admiral. During these
years his appointments were such
as to facilitate the experiments and
research work which he pursued and
which won him many scientific
hOnors.
He then served for some time as
controller of the navy. being thus
responsible for the material of the
navy during the laying of the epoch
making ~battleships Dreadnought and
Invincible. He was one of the four
captains on the committee of design
which recommended the construc-
ton of those ships.
In 1911 he was selected to COM
mand the new naval college at Ports
mouth, being transferred after two
years to the post of chief of the war
staff. At the beginning of the Euro
pean war he IA assigned to special
work at the admiralty, his particular
task being the direction of the naval
part of the operations against Ger
many's oversee colonies. He was
promoted to be a full admiral Just
a year ago.