Lancaster University Physicist Rediscovers Sea Captain And Inventor For Podcast
Lancaster University physicist Dr Maria Walach has researched a unique astronomical device invented by a local sea captain who knew Charles Dickens and died on the platform of Lancaster train station.
The research was a collaboration with Rachel Roberts, the collections registrar at Lancaster City Museums.
Dr Walach is sharing her findings in a podcast as part of a series of local history podcasts and exhibitions about a hundred objects to mark the centenary of Lancaster City Museums.
Her chosen object for the podcast is an intricate hand-crafted device in the collection of Lancaster Maritime Museum. With its four independently rotating discs, this complex device is for demonstrating lunar transits for navigation at sea.
Dated October 15th 1894, it was invented by a local sea captain and harbour master Captain W.N Greenwood.
Dr Walach said: “We think he had it made to predict the transits of the moon which would have been useful for predicting tides. It’s an incredibly beautiful device and I’d love for it to be better known because it is truly one of a kind! Rachel and I have spent hours studying this calculator and we are still not entirely sure what all the numbers on the dials refer to and I would love for this mystery to be explained.”
In 1868 early on his career, when he was 3rd Officer on the Cunard Liner the SS Russia, Greenwood befriended Charles Dickens, who was aboard the transatlantic voyage.
Dickens wrote in-depth about the journey, which he described in ‘Aboard Ship’, mentioning a “Mr Vigilant, 3rd officer” who was Greenwood. Greenwood must have made an impression on Dickens during the journey, as they struck up a corresponding acquaintance.
Greenwood worked for the Cunard Line and captained ships that carried immigrants to New Zealand seeking a better life. One ship was the Gareloch, which carried 365 immigrants, 12 cabin passengers and a crew of 42 men from London to Otago. Unfortunately, scarlet fever broke out among the passengers, which led to several deaths and the ship being placed in quarantine.
Eventually, Greenwood opted for a shore-based job as a harbourmaster at Lancaster, which gave more time to pursue his scientific interests.
He researched the effects of the sun and moon upon tide phases, and in 1888 he delivered a talk to the Lancaster Philosophical Society entitled ‘The Life of a Wave from its Cradle to its Grave’.
His career in the merchant navy gave him connections overseas, as he became a Corresponding Member of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, as well as a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.
Rachel Roberts, the collections registrar at Lancaster City Museums said: “We have received scanned copies of reports that mention him from the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada. We even managed to track down a copy of his Kludonometric Tide Timetable to add to our collection. They are super rare. We have also received a transcript of report by Greenwood whilst in quarantine with the ship full of passengers with scarlet fever off the coast of New Zealand, thanks to the Otago Settlers Association.”
Greenwood lived with his wife and two children on Springfield Terrace in Lancaster until he died suddenly in 1906, aged 67.
Rachel Roberts said: “He was at Lancaster station, waiting on the platform for a train. He was talking to a colleague and it is said that he had a severe seizure of some sort. There was nothing anyone could do to save him.”
Greenwood’s Kludonometric tide tables were an intricate and detailed book which is featured in episode 23 of the podcast series.
The celebration year will culminate in November 2023 enabling local people to vote for their favourite objects, which will result in a ‘100 favourite objects’ exhibition.