Capturing the Unseen: The Life and Experiments of Dr ... DrJamesHarrisRoge… · James Harris Rogers was one of the great forgotten minds of the 19th and 20th centuries. His advances

Capturing the Unseen: The Life and Experiments of Dr. James Harris Rogers

By: Jonah Boggess

University of Tennessee at Martin

Hist. 499

Image retrieved from:

James, Carroll Staley. An Interview with Doctor James Harris Rogers / a Thesis by Carroll Staley James, 1929.

James Harris Rogers was one of the great forgotten minds of the 19th and 20th centuries.

His advances in communications should be lauded and heralded today, or at the very least

mentioned in some contemporary literature, but they are not. His inventions, the most remarkable

of which were made during wartime, serve to confirm that the majority of technological

advancements take place during, and are a result of these periods of conflict—great things are

accomplished through great struggle. Over the course of his life, there are three inventions in

particular that stick out as the most extraordinary: his system of telegraphy, his underground

radio, and his subsea radio. The latter two inventions probably saved many lives of the course of

the Great War, but Rogers was not credited with the last one. Because of a sense of benevolence

that he seems to have inherited from his father, Rogers was used by the government, cheated,

and then he died and was forgotten. His vow to secrecy meant that he was unable to claim what

was rightfully his. By an examination of his life followed by a closer look at his three great

inventions, it is easy to see why such a man should never be forgotten and what a massive impact

he had on the world today.

James Harris Rogers was born into a fairly wealthy family. His father, James Webb

Rogers, studied law at Princeton University but did not immediately pursue a career in law. He

instead became an Episcopal minister, an occupation that held him until a trip to Europe

converted him to Roman-Catholicism. In 1877, several years after returning to America, J.W.

Rogers practiced law quite successfully in Washington D.C. before moving once again to

Maryland. This house, named “Parthenon Heights,” in Bladensburg is the one that James Harris

Rogers lived and worked in for most of his life. Not only did James Harris Rogers get his house

from his father, he appears to have inherited his father’s moral compass. His father’s obituaries

record that, “He was charitable to a fault.”1 Multiple obituaries cite the Coxey’s Army incident

as an example of this quality, an incident in which the economic depression in the 1890’s

prompted Jacob Coxey, a “self-made millionaire”, to lead a group of protestors to Washington.

Coxey spoke on the capitol steps, verbally took aim at the legislature regarding programs that he

felt would alleviate some of the economic pressure, and in doing so he incited a riot.2 When this

group was driven out of Washington, “Dr. Rogers… took pity on it and allowed the wanderers to

pitch their tents in his grounds.”3 Whether this was truly charity with pure intent or a sort of

political activism cannot be determined by the evidence presented in these newspapers alone.

One thing that is clear is that J.H. Rogers’ father was a very prominent influence in his life, and

this can be easily seen by the fact that father and son worked very closely together for many

years. It’s quite conceivable that the son would pick up on many of the habits and mannerisms of

the father.

James Harris Rogers was born on July 13, 1850 in Franklin, Tennessee. He was educated

from a very young age and even from then is noted for displaying “exceptional inventive

ingenuity.”4 While his parents were living in France, young James had already created at least

one invention of note in his biographies. He had an idea for a ship that could be powered by the

waves of the ocean, an idea which his father had him bring to London. With his father present,

James proposed the idea to Commander Matthew F. Maury, an eminent expert in oceanography

who had used his skills during the American Civil War to devise a torpedo mine capable of

1 Unknown author(s), Obituaries of Dr. James Webb Rogers, Unknown newspapers. Accessed from Tennessee

State Library and Archives, Rogers and Clarke Family Papers XIV-C-5, Ac.# 90-353, Folder 14. 2Ben Procter, “Review,” The Pacific Northwest Quarterly 78, no. 1/2 (January 1, 1987): 60. 3 Unknown author(s), Obituaries of Dr. James Webb Rogers, Unknown newspapers. Accessed from Tennessee

State Library and Archives, Rogers and Clarke Family Papers XIV-C-5, Ac.# 90-353, Folder 14. 4 Unknown author, “Dr. Rogers Dead,” Hyattsville Independent (Hyattsville, MD), Dec. 20, 1929. Accessed from

Tennessee State Library and Archives, Rogers and Clarke Family Papers XIV-C-5, Ac.# 90-353, Folder 14.

crippling ironclads.5 The elder Rogers had probably known Maury for some time, as Maury was

apparently close to General Lee (who was kin to the Rogers family) and had been raised on a

small farm near Franklin, TN. Maury called the idea of a wave-powered ship “impractical.”

However, this event that took place sometime in his teenage years must have had quite an effect

on the young Rogers. It makes sense that meeting so great an inventor, regardless of the

criticisms to his invention, would encourage Rogers to continue down the path he had already

started.

As James grew, he was educated by private tutors and continued on to study at St.

Charles College in London.6 Finally home from Europe, the Rogers family settled in New York

and then Washington, DC for a few years, and this is when he began inventing in earnest. In

1887, Rogers became the chief electrician at the Capitol building in Washington. During his time

there, he invented and installed a device of his own design called the “Thermotele Meter”.7 In

researching this ingenious device, it begins to appear as if it was a precursor to modern-day

thermostats. Formerly, messenger boys ran throughout the building taking temperature

measurements and then reported back to the boiler room. Thermotele meters made this

unnecessary: they were comprised of a circuit built into a mercury thermometer. The expansion

and contraction of the mercury would open and close the circuit to corresponding degrees, and

then the wiring throughout the building would carry the temperature information to a gauge in

5Frances Leigh Williams, Matthew Fontaine Maury—Scientist of the Sea (New Jersey: Rutgers University Press,

1963). 6 Unknown author, “Dr. J. Harris Rogers, World Famous for His Inventions, Lived Here Many Years; Was Beloved By

Fellow Citizens,” Hyattsville Independent (Hyattsville, MD), Oct. 10, 1936. Accessed from Tennessee State Library and Archives, Rogers and Clarke Family Papers XIV-C-5, Ac.# 90-353, Folder 14. 7Carroll Staley James. An Interview with Doctor James Harris Rogers / a Thesis by Carroll Staley James, 1929.

http://archive.org/details/AnInterviewWithDoctorJamesHarrisRogersAThesisByCarrollStaleyJames.

the boiler room.8 This invention to facilitate the regulation of temperature was surely appreciated

by those Congressmen who met there. It was also during this period that Rogers is recorded as

having patented an improved arc light—one that was displayed on top of the capitol building on

New Year’s Eve. These inventions, while not quite as innovative as those he made later,

certainly must have won him some attention from government officials-- attention that probably

had some effects on what was to come.

It was around this same time that James Harris Rogers became embroiled in the

Pan-Electric Telephone Company scandal. While more research would be necessary in order to

come to any definite conclusions revolving around this scandal, there are some basic facts that

can be discussed. While still working in Washington, DC, Rogers invented and applied for

patents on his own version of magnetic receiver and telephone repeater (See Appendix 1). His

father, who was practicing law at the time, tried to set up a corporation around his son’s

inventions. They sought out influential individuals and offered to let them buy stock in the

venture-- this would make their company appear extremely successful simply because of name

recognition with the investors. One of these individuals happened to be a congressman. A year or

two passed, and the company focused on expanding. Directly challenging the massive Bell

Telephone Company was avoided as they tried to figure out how to proceed. Instead of

immediately acquiring a national charter, they bought the right to a charter on telegraphs in New

York and worked out a deal where they would be able to hold a charter in Tennessee. The Bell

Telephone Company, practically a monopoly at the time, decided that the Pan-Electric had gone

too far. The story was ‘discovered’ and published by a newspaper in New York whose chief

8Edward Ellesmere McKeige, The Electrical Inventions of Dr. James Harris Rogers of Hyattsville / by Edward

Ellesmere McKeige, 1925. http://archive.org/details/TheElectricalInventionsOfDr.JamesHarrisRogersOfHyattsvilleByEdward.

editor was called in for the Congressional Hearing concerning the Pan-Electric scandal.9 It is

unclear whether the editor was paid to publish the story and it is unclear exactly what part the

Bell Co. played in the instigation of the proceedings. It is doubtless that they were pleased at the

protection of their interests. The Rogers’ company fell apart before it even really got off of the

ground. More research would be necessary to determine whether or not Rogers was doing

anything wrong to merit this government investigation, and if he was why it took so long to

come to light. If Rogers had friends on Capitol Hill then he almost certainly had enemies as well,

and this must be kept in mind moving forward.

At around the same time, Rogers began work on what is widely considered to be the first

great creations of his career: Rapid Printing Telegraphy. A series of patents throughout the late

1880’s and early 1890’s chronicle his successes. The idea of Rapid Printing Telegraphy is based

around a need to simplify the current system used at the time in the interests of the user.

Messages on this system can be typed “by the operator of the typewriter, and without attention,

telegraphic knowledge or unusual touch by the operator.”10 Rogers developed a system wherein

every letter of the Roman alphabet could be made by no more than 8 lines and this was

incorporated into the design of the machine. What follows is a very basic description of how the

machine works. 1) The operator would type the desired message on the typewriter keys, as stated

before. 2) The machine translates these keys into different series of holes corresponding to the

eight principal lines mentioned before. 3) These holes are punched on a long strand of paper

tape. 4) A metal backing means that these holes allow electrical impulses to travel through,

turning it all into a complex electrical signal which can then be transmitted via telegraph line. 5)

9 The Electrician, (Electrical Publishing Company, 1886). 10 Unknown author, Rapid Printing Telegraphy—The Necessity for It Its Solutions and Advantages: The Rogers

System, (Unknown publisher and date), 11. Accessed from Tennessee State Library and Archives, Rogers and Clarke Family Papers XIV-C-5, Ac.# 90-353, Folder 27.

A corresponding machine at the receiving end translates these electrical signals back into the

characters and prints them directly on a sheet of paper for the reader. This system was extremely

efficient and suitable for even those with very little experience involving telegraphs. There was

one part of this invention specifically that has had a lasting impact on electronics. The very first

patent taken out and the very last one revolved around the concept of “synchronism.”11 (See

Appendix 2.) It is necessary to ensure that the wheels on the machine that record the message,

read the message, and wind up the message are spinning at the same rate; otherwise, errors will

occur and the machine will either get backed up or tear the tape. Also, because so much of the

machine’s functionality depends on the timing and spacing of these holes in the tape, it is

important to be sure that all the wheels line up. In order to make this happen, Rogers devised a

system in which, as the wheels rotated, a spark would occur along a conductor on the rim

whenever it came in contact with the other wheel. If the spark routinely came at the same time

from both wheels, then the machine was working properly and both wheels were turning at the

same rate. If not, this made it easier to make adjustments to get the wheels back on track. This

solved what was at the time one of the biggest problems with telegraphy. “With Mr. Rogers’

devices we find a method of synchronizing apparatus which keeps us at all times informed as to

its operation; whether it has a gaining or losing rate, coupled with visual indications which allow

of a correction of discrepancies long before they become of sufficient amount to invalidate the

correct working of the attached apparatus.” This man went on to say that he believes that

“attempts” to synchronize telegraphy had “failed” in recent years because of “the fact that no

11 James Harris Rogers, “Means for effecting synchronism”, US539369 A, filed December 29, 1888, and issued May

14, 1895. http://www.google.com/patents/US539369.

visual or other indication of an approaching want of union in the apparatus has been had.”12

Thanks to Rogers’ developments, the system of telegraphy and synchronization continued to

progress-- it was in use even beyond the end of World War 2 for communications because of its

secure nature: only the proper receiving machine could decode the message. This invention also

had a lasting impact on the development of American media because the process of synchronism

is what made “pictures by radio”, better known as television, possible.13 The major long-term

effects of this on American media and communications certainly seem enough by themselves to

warrant at least a mention of Rogers in contemporary material, but this is not forthcoming.

Rogers’ next inventions of note all appear to have been for, or at least used by, the United

States military. It is unknown whether this connection is by accident or design, but it seems

much more likely to be by design. One article from the Hyattsville Independent in 1936 stated

that by the time he invented his own telephone repeater he had “attracted the attention and

admiration of prominent scientists and government officials.”14 Additional research would be

required to determine if he was given grants by the United States Government to fund his

inventions or if perhaps they contracted him for one or more of his inventions. It seems highly

probable that they did do one or both of these things.

At any rate, Rogers started on his next major invention around 1908 when he became

convinced of the ability of earth to propagate radio waves. This statement requires a bit of

background for those not versed in electronics and physics. (Note: I am not an expert either, so

12 Unknown author, Rapid Printing Telegraphy—The Necessity for It Its Solutions and Advantages: The Rogers

System, (Unknown publisher and date), 29. Accessed from Tennessee State Library and Archives, Rogers and Clarke Family Papers XIV-C-5, Ac.# 90-353, Folder 27. 13Edward Ellesmere McKeige, The Electrical Inventions of Dr. James Harris Rogers of Hyattsville / by Edward

Ellesmere McKeige, (1925). http://archive.org/details/TheElectricalInventionsOfDr.JamesHarrisRogersOfHyattsvilleByEdward. 14 Unknown author, “Dr. J. Harris Rogers, World Famous for His Inventions, Lived Here Many Years; Was Beloved

By Fellow Citizens,” Hyattsville Independent (Hyattsville, MD), Oct. 10, 1936. Accessed from Tennessee State Library and Archives, Rogers and Clarke Family Papers XIV-C-5, Ac.# 90-353, Folder 14.

these explanations will be very basic and based on my understanding of the literature.) There was

a consensus among scientists of the time that there was a special layer in the atmosphere which

directly interacted with electronics, called the ether. This layer was responsible for the

propagation of radio waves, which were believed to spread in a straight line. This is the reason

that towers for radios are built so high, because if the signals spread straight out then eventually,

a) the signal will run out of power, and b) the curvature of the earth would block radio

transmissions from reaching their destination. Another prominent theory of the time suggested

that a layer in the atmosphere called the “Heaviside” layer (named after another scientist),

reflected the radio waves back towards the earth in such a way that they could get around the

earth’s curvature. Rogers disagreed with the basic premise that the air was the most effective

means for transmitting radio waves, arguing instead that the ground was just as, if not more

effective. He proposed that the electromagnetic nature of radio waves would be propagated much

more effectively through the ground than through the air, although it does propagate through

both.15 This proposition was scoffed at by the scientists of the day, but Rogers, no stranger to

adversity, continued to quietly work from his lab in Hyattsville, Maryland.

In 1909 he was sidetracked from his research for a short while as he “devised an airplane

along lines designed to impart greater stability than the machines in use possessed.”16 More

research is needed to determine exactly what took place in Rogers’ life between the years of

1909 and 1916. There is a consensus in the newspapers that he was preoccupied with other

15 Carroll Staley James. An Interview with Doctor James Harris Rogers / a Thesis by Carroll Staley James, 1929.

http://archive.org/details/AnInterviewWithDoctorJamesHarrisRogersAThesisByCarrollStaleyJames. 16 Unknown author, “Dr. J. Harris Rogers, World Famous for His Inventions, Lived Here Many Years; Was Beloved


scientific work.17 It seems that it 1916, it occurred to him that his research could be instrumental

in the war effort and so he resumed it with gusto. In order to prove that ground waves were

responsible for the majority of radio transmissions, Rogers dug a pit on his property which he

lined with brick. He placed a thick metal shield over the top of the pit and around the brick down

the sides for a few feet in order to prevent any transmissions from getting in aerially. He then

suspended an antenna of his own design in the pit and was still able to receive transmissions.18

As he improved the antenna design, he was able to hear radio stations from across the country.

The usefulness of this was quickly recognized by the United States Government. As a matter of

fact, many scientists had been working to solve the problem of interference in long-distance

radio communications, but none of these scientists had been successful.19 It was commonly held

that an equal part of the energy input went into the ground and the ether when a transmission was

made; the ether waves propagated and traveled while the ground waves were dissipated as heat.

In 1917, after several years of improvement, Rogers applied for patents on these devices. They

were not immediately awarded, instead a group of government and military officials traveled the

seven miles from Washington, D.C. to Rogers’ laboratory in Hyattsville, Maryland to see the

experiments for themselves.

Rogers did not disappoint. His improved ground antenna was even more powerful than

the previous iterations. It consisted of a metal wire for reception which was insulated by a terra

cotta pipe. (See Appendix 3.) The antenna was buried within a couple feet of the surface. The

17 Unknown author, “Dr. Rogers Dead,” Hyattsville Independent (Hyattsville, MD), Dec. 20, 1929. Accessed from

Tennessee State Library and Archives, Rogers and Clarke Family Papers XIV-C-5, Ac.# 90-353, Folder 14. 18 Edward Ellesmere McKeige, The Electrical Inventions of Dr. James Harris Rogers of Hyattsville / by Edward

Ellesmere McKeige (1925), 7. 19 “‘The Tesla Collection’ - ‘America’s Greatest War Invention - The Roger’s Underground Wireless’. ELECTRICAL

EXPERIMENTER, March 1, 1919.” Accessed October 13, 2015. http://www.teslacollection.com/tesla_articles/1919/electrical_experimenter/h_winfield_secor/america_s_greatest_war_invention_the_roger_s_underground_wireless

http://www.teslacollection.com/tesla_articles/1919/electrical_experimenter/h_winfield_secor/america_s_greatest_war_invention_the_roger_s_underground_wirelesshttp://www.teslacollection.com/tesla_articles/1919/electrical_experimenter/h_winfield_secor/america_s_greatest_war_invention_the_roger_s_underground_wireless

reception relied on a principle of electrical potential. As waves emanate out from a transmitter,

they for all intents and purposes become straight lines as they travel. When the waves come into

contact with a receiver, they are undetectable if they strike the line head-on. If they strike some

part of the antenna first, it changes the electric potential of that part of the antenna before the rest

and generates a current.20 Because of this, Rogers found that if he placed two lines of antenna

perpendicular to each other, he could always receive radio transmissions, because transmissions

from any direction would always strike the antenna in such a way as to generate current. By the

time the machine was fully developed, Rogers had accounted for almost everything. He placed

antennae out so that they resembled “the spokes of a wheel, being of varying lengths and varied

at different depths.”21 With this formation, he was able to take into account a much larger

spectrum of radio signals, as the varied properties of each antenna took into account different

wavelengths and frequencies. The military officials were extremely impressed. With them

listening, he began to tune-in to various radio stations from around the country. As they grew

more and more impressed, he tuned-in to radio stations in France and Great Britain. Finally, to

their great amazement, he tuned-in to German communications. According to sources, these all

came in much more clearly than any other transmissions up to this point. “He heard with perfect

distinctness German official reports on battles and on submarine operations.”22 Naturally, the

United States Government was impressed with the application that this invention could have.

They secretly issued him honorary patents on the design, and he, for the sake of his country,

turned over the machines to the government for wartime use. He kept quiet about his inventions

20 Edward Ellesmere McKeige, The Electrical Inventions of Dr. James Harris Rogers of Hyattsville / by Edward

Ellesmere McKeige, (1925). 21 Unknown author, “Dr. Rogers Dead,” Hyattsville Independent (Hyattsville, MD), Dec. 20, 1929. Accessed from

Tennessee State Library and Archives, Rogers and Clarke Family Papers XIV-C-5, Ac.# 90-353, Folder 14. 22 Ibid.

for the time-being, and he did not falter in his secrecy until it was no longer necessary after the

end of the Great War.

The underground wireless system was immediately implemented by the Americans, who

had only recently entered the war. At a listening station in Belmar, New Jersey, the machine was

installed. They had six operators listening to six different stations from that time until the end of

the war.23 The Rogers system was ideal for use by the military on American soil because there

was a great deal of concern about spies infiltrating our government. With the Rogers system’s

lack of a conspicuous above-ground antenna, it was the perfect choice for a secret listening post

and proved invaluable in monitoring German communications. It proved no less valuable in

Europe. The Great War was the first major war to employ trench warfare as its main method of

attack and defense. Communications among the trenches was not easy, nor was it secure. The

antenna used would have to be raised a significant distance above ground in order for the

message to actually get anywhere. This would betray the position of one’s troops as well as put

their lives in direct danger in the event that they had to expose themselves to make the

transmission. Messages transmitted in this way were also extremely vulnerable to interception by

the enemy, a failure which is bad for obvious reasons. Rogers’ system changed that. Even the

enemy jamming a transmission could not prevent underground wireless from getting through,

and these transmissions were also difficult to overhear. Enemy communications could be heard

more clearly than ever before, regardless of any interference on the battlefield. The one flaw with

the Rogers system was that it was difficult to send transmissions for any great distance without a

massive amount of power, but this was easily worked around. Its value as a listening tool is

evidenced by its continuous use and installation in other facilities by the United States during the

23 Unknown author, “Dr. J. Harris Rogers, World Famous for His Inventions, Lived Here Many Years; Was Beloved


war. In fact, according to an article on radio broadcast, “So absolutely perfect was the scheme

that all communications from the Allies to the United States were received through the

underground antenna, and messages came in with great distinctness and with regularity even on

days when the overhead towers would have been useless because of storms and when the lives of

operators might have been in danger.”24 The life-saving effects of Rogers’ invention in this area

cannot be understated. By doing the impossible, he captured the unseen.

Rogers’ next great scientific development did not follow far behind, and it was even more

‘groundbreaking’ than the first. (Pun intended.) It was something that the general scientific

community held to be completely impossible. Rogers claimed that he could transmit and receive

transmissions from submarines without them having to surface. Marconi, a man famous for

having refined the design of the radio in such a way that radios would later become household

items, said that in order for a submarine to receive or transmit wirelessly, “it was necessary for

the submarine to come to the top in order to catch the ether waves.”25 This is because water is an

insulator, and therefore, aerial signals did not penetrate beyond the surface. Rogers quickly

discovered that his ground antenna could. The Navy offered to help fund his research if he would

swear an oath of secrecy: that is, he could not apply for any patents on the devices that he created

while under this oath. Due to his failing health, he sent an assistant to New Orleans to continue

his work, but called him back when the Navy began withholding the results of certain tests on the

equipment. This was but a harbinger of the trouble that was to come to Rogers as he worked on

this project.

24Lewis Wood, “Will Antennas be Buried in the Backyard?”, Radio Broadcast (Page & Company, 1922) 303-7. 25 “‘The Tesla Collection’ - ‘America’s Greatest War Invention - The Roger’s Underground Wireless’. ELECTRICAL

EXPERIMENTER, March 1, 1919.” Accessed October 13, 2015. http://www.teslacollection.com/tesla_articles/1919/electrical_experimenter/h_winfield_secor/america_s_greatest_war_invention_the_roger_s_underground_wireless.


He decided to pursue the development of this technology on his own, and began

experimenting with different types of antennae in order to create one that could transmit without

the submarine being forced to emerge from the water. He encountered two main problems in his

experiments. The first was that, in the first several iterations of the submarine antenna, he

intended to have a long wire that trailed behind the submarine to pick up transmissions. This was

impractical largely because the wire kept getting tangled in the ship’s propeller. The other major

problem that he encountered was one of interference from the magnetically charged hull of the

submarine and engine that made transmissions very difficult, if not impossible to hear. In

saltwater this problem was compounded because saline carries its own electrical charge. Rogers

solved this problem effectively by, basically, making the submarine part of the antenna. A loop

antenna was designed which extended from both sides of the conning tower down the length of

the submarine and was connected directly to the hull.26 (See Appendix 4.) For freshwater

transmissions, this solved the problem. Later tests showed that submarines could receive wireless

underground transmissions from any depth while submerged in freshwater. For saltwater, Rogers

improved upon the design by heavily insulating the cable. For the saltwater operations, Rogers

had moved his experiments to Chesapeake Bay, where the Navy department cooperated with him

much more fully. When he was finally successful, Rogers quickly handed the designs over to the

United States Navy for use in the war effort, and due to an oath of secrecy and his own

patriotism, he did not at that time seek to get patents for his creations. Putting the needs of the

country first, an admirable act, was to be Rogers’ undoing.

Scientists like Marconi were forced to reevaluate their stance on the viability of receiving

and sending transmissions underwater. Initial tests were fabulously successful. A United States

26 Carroll Staley James. An Interview with Doctor James Harris Rogers / a Thesis by Carroll Staley James, 1929.

http://archive.org/details/AnInterviewWithDoctorJamesHarrisRogersAThesisByCarrollStaleyJames.

submarine submerged itself in only eight feet of water off of the American coastline, and it was

able to pick up the German station in Nauen. Transmissions had to be broadcast on longer waves

the lower the submarine was submerged, but the transmitter and receiver themselves were

reliable and successful. The design was immediately implemented by the Allies to great effect

and played an important part in the war until its conclusion.

In this age of scientific enthusiasm, Rogers’ inventions were accepted with eagerness.

Many articles from the time speak of how the Rogers’ system was going to revolutionize the way

radio transmissions were sent and received. Several of these articles claim that his improvements

mean that aerial radio communications will no longer be relevant. In an article in Radio

Broadcast, the author states that, “short wave messages and radiophone communications of all

kinds will have no limits eventually, and so in time it may be possible to abandon all the

expensive, unsightly, and undesirable towers and overhead aerials.” He goes on to state that in

regards to these “towers” which “have always been a nuisance,” “Dr. Rogers believes they will

be done away with.”27 Further developments in the system allowed for submarines “while

submerged to communicate with other underwater craft, battleships, airplanes and shore

stations.”28 Over a period of about two years, this scenario, which before was considered

impossible, had become standard thanks to the work of Rogers.

Rogers was praised for his inventions. He was congratulated personally by several high-

ranking members of the Navy, and thanked personally by General Pershing-- apparently Rogers

and Pershing became good friends.29 (See Appendix 5.) The University of Maryland and the

27 Lewis Wood, “Will Antennas be Buried in the Backyard?”, Radio Broadcast (Page & Company, 1922) 303-7. 28 Unknown author, “Dr. Rogers Dead,” Hyattsville Independent (Hyattsville, MD), Dec. 20, 1929. Accessed from

Tennessee State Library and Archives, Rogers and Clarke Family Papers XIV-C-5, Ac.# 90-353, Folder 14. 29 Unknown author, “Dr. J. Harris Rogers, World Famous for His Inventions, Lived Here Many Years; Was Beloved


University of Georgetown both conferred honorary Doctor of Science degrees on him. He was

thanked in a piece of legislations that came out of the Maryland assembly and even

recommended for a Nobel Prize!30 However, it was not long before Dr. Rogers was robbed of

his accolades and his credit.

Dr. James Harris Rogers was reportedly “Defrauded of his worldly gains by devils in his

own beloved government.”31 How did this happen? Dr. Rogers’ oath of secrecy applied until the

end of wartime, when he applied for patents on his inventions that he had “patriotically offered…

to his country.”32 Rogers did not apply for patents on these inventions until 1918, after the war

ended. The patents were granted him in early 1919. In October of the same year, John A.

Willoughby and Percival D. Lowell, both of whom were employed by the Navy Department

during the war filed a claim “on behalf of the United States, asserting that they had jointly

invented the device in question and had reduced it to practice under the direction of the Navy

Department.”33 This turned into a legal battle that stretched over the next decade of Dr. Rogers’

life, at great monetary expense. Ultimately, he lost. After three different trials all ended with the

declaration that the Navy rightfully held the patent rights, Dr. Rogers was upheld as the rightful

inventor by the Court of Appeals sometime before 1925. This decision was later reversed again

in favor of the Navy. Rogers had neither the health nor the money to fight such a decision again.

After experiments in a cave in 1917 resulted in him being “overcome with monoxide gas”, he

30 Maryland. Laws of the State of Maryland. Department of Legislative Reference, 1920. 31H. Anglin, “Our Respects,” Laurel Democrat (Laurel, MD), July 17, 1936. Accessed from Tennessee State Library

and Archives, Rogers and Clarke Family Papers XIV-C-5, Ac.# 90-353, Folder 14. 32 Unknown author, “Dr. J. Harris Rogers, World Famous for His Inventions, Lived Here Many Years; Was Beloved

By Fellow Citizens,” Hyattsville Independent (Hyattsville, MD), Oct. 10, 1936. Accessed from Tennessee State Library and Archives, Rogers and Clarke Family Papers XIV-C-5, Ac.# 90-353, Folder 14. 33 Unknown author, “Dr. Rogers’ Radio Patents Upheld,” Evening Star (Washington, DC), date unknown. Accessed

from Tennessee State Library and Archives, Rogers and Clarke Family Papers XIV-C-5, Ac.# 90-353, Folder 15.

was much weakened. He died of an overnight heart attack in December of 1929. 34 He never

really received the official credit or the money that was due him for his acts of patriotism, but

that does not seem to have made him bitter. He had visited with his family earlier on the night

that he died, and many of his obituaries record him to be a well-loved and kind man up until the

very end.

An article in The Electrical Experimenter from 1919 clearly shows Rogers being credited

with the invention of the subsea wireless. Obituaries from 1929 also record Dr. Rogers as being

credited with his inventions. Even a 1936 article from his town of Hyattsville, MD records that

Rogers is credited with inventing the subsea wireless system. This may be an exception rather

than the rule, especially because it is his hometown. Modern-day writings that mention Rogers

are virtually non-existent, despite the massive effect that his inventions had on the way America

conducted itself in the Great War. This raises a myriad of questions for historians. Was he as

important as he appears to be? He was congratulated personally by General Pershing and

recommended for a Nobel Prize, so he must have done something important. Why is he so

unknown today? More research into his involvement with the government during the Great War

may be necessary in order to answer that question. Based on the evidence available, it is clear

that he was an important figure of the times. His inventions changed the world. His system of

rapid printing telegraphy, while it did go out of use with the rise of the telephone, brought forth a

method for synchronism that was important in the successfulness of television. Rogers’ system

of underground and subsea wireless had massive consequences on the effectiveness of the

American military in the Great War, and also permanently altered what scientists at the time held

34 Unknown author, “Dr. J. Harris Rogers, World Famous for His Inventions, Lived Here Many Years; Was Beloved


as factual about electromagnetism. Rogers changed a great many things about this world before

he died in obscurity, an event that only happened because he was patriotic enough to offer his

inventions for the greater good, not thinking that he would need to guard himself against the

United States government. A certainty: Rogers should not be forgotten.

References

Anglin, H. “Our Respects.” Laurel Democrat (Laurel, MD), July 17, 1936. Accessed from

Tennessee State Library and Archives, Rogers and Clarke Family Papers XIV-C-5, Ac.#

90-353, Folder 15.

“Clarksville Weekly Chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, February 13, 1886, Image 1,”

February 13, 1886. http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn88061082/1886-02-13/ed-

1/seq-

1/#date1=1836&index=2&rows=20&words=ELECTRIC+Electric+Pan+PAN&searchTy

pe=basic&sequence=0&state=&date2=1922&proxtext=Pan+Electric&y=0&x=0&dateFil

terType=yearRange&page=1.

Congressional Edition. U.S. Government Printing Office, 1886.

Damron, Andra. Hyattsville. Arcadia Publishing, 2008.

Rogers, James Harris. rogers. US269326 A, filed August 23, 1882, and issued December 19,

1882. http://www.google.com/patents/US269326.

James, Carroll Staley. An Interview with Doctor James Harris Rogers / a Thesis by Carroll

Staley James, 1929.

http://archive.org/details/AnInterviewWithDoctorJamesHarrisRogersAThesisByCarrollSt

aleyJames.

James, Harris Rogers. Radiosignaling system. US1349103 A, filed May 2, 1917, and issued

August 10, 1920. http://www.google.com/patents/US1349103.

———. Radiosignaling system. US1387736 A, filed March 8, 1920, and issued August 16,


“James H. Rogers: Underground & Underwater Radio Antenna.” Accessed September 27, 2015.

http://rexresearch.com/rogers/1rogers.htm.

Maryland. Laws of the State of Maryland. Department of Legislative Reference, 1920.

McKeige, Edward Ellesmere. The Electrical Inventions of Dr. James Harris Rogers of

Hyattsville / by Edward Ellesmere McKeige, 1925.

http://archive.org/details/TheElectricalInventionsOfDr.JamesHarrisRogersOfHyattsvilleB

yEdward.

Ohio Practical Farmer. Lawrence Publishing Company, 1894.

Procter, Ben. “Review.” The Pacific Northwest Quarterly 78, no. 1/2 (January 1, 1987): 60.

Rogers, James Harris. James Harris Rogers. US257075 A, issued April 25, 1882.

http://www.google.com/patents/US257075.

———. Machine for perforating paper. US412001 A, filed July 27, 1888, and issued October 1,


———. Means for effecting synchronism. US539369 A, filed December 29, 1888, and issued

May 14, 1895. http://www.google.com/patents/US539369.

———. Printing instrument or apparatus for telegraphic or other uses. US420358 A, filed June

9, 1887, and issued January 28, 1890. http://www.google.com/patents/US420358.

Selvin, David F. “Review.” California History 65, no. 3 (September 1, 1986): 217–18.

doi:10.2307/25158396.

“Southern Cross July 14, 1928 Page 7.” Accessed November 5, 2015.

http://scr.stparchive.com/Archive/SCR/SCR07141928p07.php.

Rogers, J.H.. Synchronizing the movements of motors. US358753 A, issued March 1, 1887.


The Electrician. Electrical Publishing Company, 1886.

“‘The Tesla Collection’ - ‘America’s Greatest War Invention - The Roger’s Underground

Wireless’. ELECTRICAL EXPERIMENTER, March 1, 1919.” Accessed October 13,

2015.

http://www.teslacollection.com/tesla_articles/1919/electrical_experimenter/h_winfield_se

cor/america_s_greatest_war_invention_the_roger_s_underground_wireless.

Unknown author. “Dr. Rogers Dead.” Hyattsville Independent (Hyattsville, MD), Dec. 20, 1929.

Accessed from Tennessee State Library and Archives, Rogers and Clarke Family Papers

XIV-C-5, Ac.# 90-353, Folder 14.

Unknown author. “Dr. J. Harris Rogers, World Famous for His Inventions, Lived Here Many

Years; Was Beloved By Fellow Citizens.” Hyattsville Independent (Hyattsville, MD),

Oct. 10, 1936. Accessed from Tennessee State Library and Archives, Rogers and Clarke

Family Papers XIV-C-5, Ac.# 90-353, Folder 14.

Unknown author. “Dr. Rogers’ Radio Patents Upheld.” Evening Star (Washington, DC),

unknown date. Accessed from Tennessee State Library and Archives, Rogers and Clarke

Family Papers XIV-C-5, Ac.# 90-353, Folder 14.

Unknown author(s). Obituaries of Dr. James Webb Rogers. Unknown newspapers. Accessed

from Tennessee State Library and Archives, Rogers and Clarke Family Papers XIV-C-5,

Ac.# 90-353, Folder 14.


Unknown author. Rapid Printing Telegraphy—The Necessity for It Its Solutions and Advantages:

The Rogers System. Unknown publisher and date. Accessed from Tennessee State

Library and Archives, Rogers and Clarke Family Papers XIV-C-5, Ac.# 90-353, Folder

27.

Williams, Frances Leigh. Matthew Fontaine Maury—Scientist of the Sea. New Jersey: Rutgers

University Press, 1963.

Wood, Lewis. “Will Antennas be Buried in the Backyard?” Radio Broadcasting, vol. 1. Page and

Company, 1922. 303-7.

Appendix 1:


Rogers, James Harris. James Harris Rogers. US257075 A, issued April 25, 1882.


http://www.google.com/patents/US257075

Appendix 2:


Rogers, James Harris. Means for effecting synchronism. US539369 A, filed December 29, 1888, and issued May 14,



Rogers, J.H.. Synchronizing the movements of motors. US358753 A, issued March 1, 1887.


http://www.google.com/patents/US358753

Appendix 3:


McKeige, Edward Ellesmere. The Electrical

Inventions of Dr. James Harris Rogers of Hyattsville /

by Edward Ellesmere McKeige, 1925.


Tennessee State Library Archives:

Rogers and Clarke Family Papers

XIV-C-5, Ac.# 90-353, Folder 15.

Appendix 4:


McKeige, Edward Ellesmere. The Electrical Inventions of Dr. James Harris Rogers of Hyattsville / by

Edward Ellesmere McKeige, 1925.

http://archive.org/details/TheElectricalInventionsOfDr.JamesHarrisRogersOfHyattsvilleByEdward.

Appendix 5:

Image accessed from:

Unknown author. “Dr. J. Harris Rogers, World Famous for His Inventions, Lived Here Many Years; Was Beloved

By Fellow Citizens.” Hyattsville Independent (Hyattsville, MD), Oct. 10, 1936. Accessed from Tennessee State

Library and Archives, Rogers and Clarke Family Papers XIV-C-5, Ac.# 90-353, Folder 14.

Documents

Capturing the Unseen: The Life and Experiments of Dr ... DrJamesHarrisRoge… · James Harris Rogers was one of the great forgotten minds of the 19th and 20th centuries. His advances