To Claude Chappé (1763-1805) must be accorded the honour of having devised and implemented the first practical system of semaphore telegraphy. It was capable of sending messages over long distances and when it was finally superseded by electric telegraphy in 1850, France was covered by a network of 556 semaphore stations stretching over a total distance of 2,983 miles (4,800 km). Communications could be received in Paris from Lille in 2 minutes, from Calais in 4 minutes 55 seconds, from Toulon in 13 minutes 50 seconds, from Strasbourg in 5 minutes 52 seconds and from Brest in 6 minutes 50 seconds.

Inspec keywords: telegraphy

Other keywords: electric telegraphy; semaphore signalling; semaphore telegraphy

Subjects: Telegraphy