OK, stupid question time.......

[Republican Blues]

But internet searches have proven fruitless....and I apologize if this may be out of period..

But does anyone know when the engine order telegraph was developed? I doubt they had em on ships in our period, but it's kinda been bugging me when they were invented.

 

[Mark F. Jenkins]

I found this... looks to be just after ACW.

http://www.chadburntelegraphs.com/history.html

 

[AndyHall]

Expired Image Removed
Illustration by C. J. Taylor, 1907.

A distinctive system of bells and gongs was in place on the Western Rivers for some time before the war; Twain mentions them several places in Life on the Mississippi. That's not a telegraph per se, but it's functionally the same thing. I'm sure similar systems developed independently wherever the physical layout of the vessel made direct, verbal communication difficult, and voice tubes were maybe not clear enough. Bell or gong signals were also used aboard monitors during the war.

 

[Republican Blues]

Thank you gentlemen.. answers a whole bunch of questions!.. Andy. Thats some awesome info on the pre Chadburne systems.... now to figur out how it worked! Again my hats off to you fellers

 

[Drew]

Yea, the crew is batting 1.000 this afternoon. The Chadburne link Mark posted indicates "prototypes" were tested at Liverpool in the 1860's and that the Chadburne Brothers "applied for patents" in 1870. Combine that with Andy's riverboat background and I suspect the answer to the question is that the EOT was not "invented" in a eureka moment but developed over a period of time and improved.