[Letter to George F. Fitzgerald from Oliver Heaviside],
Title
[Letter to George F. Fitzgerald from Oliver Heaviside],
Creator
Date
Identifier
GFF 14/13
Description
Handwritten letter from Oliver Heaviside, Paignton, Devon, to George F. Fitzgerald, dated May 30th 1894. Heaviside discusses two unnamed 'eminent electricians'. 1p.
Transcription:
"My dear Fitzgerald,
I didn't know you were thinking of one of the eminent electricians' funny remarks. It was a shot on his past, on spec. But I do not mind the eminent now that he is no longer able to sit upon me and suppress me as he used to though it is quite possible that my temporary assumption may have him at the bottom of it, that is if he meant to keep up his character of the genial sir- the eminent electrician. Now there is another eminent electrician at Oxford St. There is a remarkable likeness between them, and I always couple them. Both are clever men of the world and managers of other people, and money makers, and both are quacks, and smart, and impudent. Just after Lord K. had given evidence against the eminent electrician's belt, the eminent electrician prominently advertised in the papers and magazines what had the appearance of being a recommendation of his belt from Lord K. Now the other eminent electrician is just the same!
The em. eln. has somewhat come down in the sci. world. of late years, of which he was such an ornament. But I find that they are all still very much afraid of him. I don't mean sci. men exactly but those who are in the electrical business. They call him all sorts of names behind his back; but he is too influential, pulls too many strings, and can do too much harm to people in secret ways, for them to quarrel with him. A fellow might lose a contract worth hundreds of pounds, or thousands, through not keeping on the right side of the eminent. How he manages with the Papers, I don't know exactly, but it is [e?] that some form of them are, or have been, his apologists and boot cleaners; though things are not so bad as they used to be, when it was strictly forbidden to make any reference to him whatever (presumably unfavourable, of course!)
Yours sincerely,
Oliver Heaviside"
Transcription:
"My dear Fitzgerald,
I didn't know you were thinking of one of the eminent electricians' funny remarks. It was a shot on his past, on spec. But I do not mind the eminent now that he is no longer able to sit upon me and suppress me as he used to though it is quite possible that my temporary assumption may have him at the bottom of it, that is if he meant to keep up his character of the genial sir- the eminent electrician. Now there is another eminent electrician at Oxford St. There is a remarkable likeness between them, and I always couple them. Both are clever men of the world and managers of other people, and money makers, and both are quacks, and smart, and impudent. Just after Lord K. had given evidence against the eminent electrician's belt, the eminent electrician prominently advertised in the papers and magazines what had the appearance of being a recommendation of his belt from Lord K. Now the other eminent electrician is just the same!
The em. eln. has somewhat come down in the sci. world. of late years, of which he was such an ornament. But I find that they are all still very much afraid of him. I don't mean sci. men exactly but those who are in the electrical business. They call him all sorts of names behind his back; but he is too influential, pulls too many strings, and can do too much harm to people in secret ways, for them to quarrel with him. A fellow might lose a contract worth hundreds of pounds, or thousands, through not keeping on the right side of the eminent. How he manages with the Papers, I don't know exactly, but it is [e?] that some form of them are, or have been, his apologists and boot cleaners; though things are not so bad as they used to be, when it was strictly forbidden to make any reference to him whatever (presumably unfavourable, of course!)
Yours sincerely,
Oliver Heaviside"
Rights
Copyright RDS Library & Archives. Publication, transmission or display is prohibited without formal written approval of the RDS Library & Archives.
Relation
RDS Science Archive
Format
Manuscript
Language
English
Type
Coverage
1870-1901
Collection
Citation
Heaviside, Oliver, 1850-1925, “[Letter to George F. Fitzgerald from Oliver Heaviside],,” RDS Digital Archive, accessed July 16, 2025, https://digitalarchive.rds.ie/items/show/854.