Jack the Ripper Tech

[Ginger]

Were there any electric lights, either arc or incandescent, anywhere in London in 1888?

I love old light bulbs! http://bulbcollector.com/gateway/Inc...ment/1881-1900 will show you some of the incandescent bulbs that were in use around the Ripper's time, both in England and America.

-Ginger

[sdreid]

Were there any electric lights, either arc or incandescent, anywhere in London in 1888?

There was also a third type of electric light in existence during Jack's time. It was a primitive sort of fluorescent light known as a Geissler Tube.

[sdreid]

The semi-automatic pistol was still about 5 years off in Jack's time but there was the Mershon & Hollingsworth clockwork self-cocking revolver that took it one step beyond double-action.

[sdreid]

Yes, I need to subscribe to that as well - not only for research but also to correct some errors about my family.

[Robert]

Hi Bridewell

Yes, but their search engine can be maddening.

[Bridewell]

Ancestry

Bridewell, yes, you do need to subscribe. It's a business.

I do subscribe - can't really afford to, but there's a lot of stuff on there.

[Robert]

Bridewell, yes, you do need to subscribe. It's a business.

[Bridewell]

Worthwhile

Luke, Ancestry have British phone books going back to 1880.

Of course, the first man in the phone book had a problem, since there was no one for him to ring and nobody to ring him.

Ancestry is a good source but you need to subscribe to get any worthwhile information. If seeking copies of certificates, though, it's much cheaper (& quicker) to go through GRO. It's quite surprising how many subscribers there were to the embryonic 'phone system.

[The Grave Maurice]

...there was no one for him to ring and nobody to ring him.

...which was the origin of the well-known phrase "ring around the caller".

[Robert]

Luke, Ancestry have British phone books going back to 1880.

Of course, the first man in the phone book had a problem, since there was no one for him to ring and nobody to ring him.

[Simon Wood]

Hi Luke,

The sound quality of Victorian telephones was probably better than my Verizon cellphone.

And I'm also willing to bet the operators were more polite and helpful.

Regards,

Simon

[Bridewell]

Binoculars

Porro Prism Binoculars had been around since 1854. Were any observers posted in high vantage points by the police? I've never read of it, but it seems too obvious a possibility not to have been considered.

[Bridewell]

Periscope

In 1854, E.H. Marie-Davy (Edme Hippolyte) invented the first naval periscope, so the technology was in existence. It could have been usefully deployed by the police perhaps, had they thought of it. To be fair, though, I suspect that an effective hand-held example wasn't around until the trench warfare of WWI.
Regards, Bridewell.

[Luke111]

Does anyone know where said phone "book" can be found?
Thanks in advance.
Also i was wondering how the sound quality of those early telephones was?

[sdreid]

Thanks Maurice and Simon. Happy New Year!