Friedrich Clemens Gerke

Friedrich Clemens Gerke ( born January 22, 1801 in Osnabrück, † May 21, 1888 in Hamburg ) was a German writer, journalist, musician and a pioneer of telegraphy through further development of the Morse code.

In his honor, was the 230 -meter high telecommunications tower in Cuxhaven the name Friedrich -Clemens Gerke - tower.

Youth and Apprenticeship

Gerke was born in humble circumstances. At age 16, he went to Hamburg in position. At first he was a servant and writer of the scholar Arnold Schuback. In 1818 he joined as a clerk for Senator Briinnemann and received a fixed salary for the first time. On July 10, 1820, he married the young, pretty, but just as penniless French émigré Sophie Marianne Ducalais. After attempting to become self with a Hutmachergeschäft, they were destitute because after a short time. They decided to emigrate and were recruited by the British Army. About Twielenfleth and Helgoland, they traveled to Canada. Gerke served from 1821 to 1823 in the British Army at the Rifle Battalion, 60th Regiment as a musician. Military service did not like Gerke, and succeeded, to provide a replacement man who ableistete the residual service time. After his return to Hamburg in 1823, he used the new language skills to translate books on telegraphy.

In the years prior to joining the optical electric telegraph and later he worked as a musician in places of amusement in the Danish Altona St. Pauli. During this time his incipient activity fell as a writer and journalist. After a few years he could finish his career as a musician and was only literary activities.

Overseer of the optical telegraph line Hamburg- Cuxhaven

From 1841 he worked for Johann Ludwig Schmidt, the vinegar makers from Altona, who ran the optical telegraph line Hamburg- Cuxhaven, and corrected the problems of this compound. This telegraph line was a ship reporting service on the Elbe. In 1842, the Great Fire of Hamburg, he requested via optical telegraph help from the Hamburg area. Since this telegraph to weather was very vulnerable, such as fog, thunderstorms, it often came to failures. 1846 succeeded the Velängerung the Cuxhaven line from Stade via Hechthausen and Bremerhaven, so that the two Hanseatic cities of Bremen and Hamburg were connected by telegraph. However, the now 32 telegrapher meant in 17 stations overspending, so that the profits they had earned since 1841 was gone.

At the request of Senator Carl Möring the American William and Charles Robinson in 1847 introduced the electric telegraph Morse in Hamburg. As Robinson in the great hall of the Exchange arcades presented his telegraphic apparatus for the very first time, the fundamental principles of the writing apparatus were well known, but not the relay. That's why he kept this hidden in a covered box. When it came to cooperation, Gehrke had to promise to keep the secret.

Director Schmidt made ​​the rural population against the propaganda of "dangerous" wiring. The advantages of the new technology recognizing Gerke joined the Electric Magnetic Telegraph Company. Together with Charles Robinson Gerke installed the telegraph, which had to cross on high masts also the same while getting to him a completely new technology. On October 15, 1848 connection from Hamburg to Cuxhaven was put into operation. Gerke in 1847 inspector of this company, which was the first in Europe used the Morse alphabet. The Directorate consisted of the Senator C. Möring, the merchant Adolph Godeffroy and AW Hüpeden.

In 1885 he described the " Fremdenblatt " very humorous his battle with rebellious and greedy farmers, whose fields the telegraph lines should be placed.

The American Morse code is adapted

Gerke recognized the Nachteiledes American Morse code by the American Alfred Vail. He was basically in the different signaling of ' shorter ' and ' longer ' characters long and different character breaks within the individual characters. In the system of Gerke, there are only short and long strings. A long sign has three times the length of a short character. He changed about half of the characters, by Ground surrounded 11 letters and German umlauts introduced ( 6 letters can not be placed later in its present form ), the coding of the numbers he kept initially at. A special position is occupied the digit zero, which is represented by an overly long line. Gerkes system (also called hamburger alphabet), in 1865 finally established by the German - Austrian Telegraph Union, by the first international telegraph telegraphy contract as a generally applicable standard. His decisive modified Morse Code is, except for small changes the valid International Telegraph Alphabet is still used today in the Morse code.

Gerke fell at the publishing house Hoffmann & Campe the book by Alfred Vail, which he had published in 1845, into the hands of Alfred Vail: The Electro Magnetic Telegraph, which he translated. With his acquired knowledge in the meantime drew up its own plant for telegraph service:

The practical telegraph or the electro - magnetic telegraphy after Morse'schen system first as a guide for prospective telegraphers from my own practical experience fully illustrated and comprehensively by Friedrich Clemens Gerke, Hamburg, Hoffmann und Campe, 1851 In this 144 page book describes all Gerke aspects of telegraphy from the power source, the forwarding, the devices and the signaling with the adjusted Morse code.

Meanwhile, the Morse telegraph was developed by Lieutenant Siemens dial telegraph, which was installed on the Prussian railway between Berlin and Hamburg, proven in a competition in Potsdam as superior. Gerke was one of the tireless advocates of the American system. The design of the U.S. Morse apparatus but did not like the Prussian telegraph administration. The first operation, which built Morse apparatus for them, was a company C. Lewert in Berlin, whose apparatus was 1851, the unit apparatus for the German - Austrian Telegraph club. 1853 occurred in Berlin nor the company Gurlt on the plan, which also built the unit Morseapparat. Gurlt constructed in 1856 for the first time a Morse apparatus with exchangeable spring housing, a long-cherished wish, as you previously had to dismantle the whole apparatus when the spring breaks.

In 1850, his wife Marianne died, the marriage remained childless. A short time later Gerke married a much younger woman, with her he had five children.

As from 1868, Gerke worked for the newly founded telegraph office in Hamburg and took over the management in 1869. He was later engaged in the service of the German Post and was transferred on November 1, 1876 in retirement.

On May 21, 1888 Gerke died and was buried in Hamburg Cemetery Ohlsdorf. The grave was abandoned in the 1930s by the members.

From his literary life's work a lot has been preserved.

Publications

• The Electro- magnetism as a motive power machine. Attempt to solve the problem. Published by Otto Meissner, Hamburg 1857
• The practical telegraph or the electro - magnetic telegraphy after Morse'schen system: initially represented also as a handbook for aspiring telegraph Full and comprehensive on their own practical experience. Publisher: Hoffmann und Campe, Hamburg 1851
• The naturopathic teaching of Johann Schroth or detailed instructions, without drug and kaltwasserheilkur to cure the disability of the human body. Publisher T. Greaves 1866
• Rabbi Yeshua Ben Yosef History Of Hanootzri Called Jesus Christ (1887 ) reprint Publisher Kessinger Publishing, 2010 ISBN 978-1-1609-6688-7