64. An experiment using poles and string appeared to show a ship travelling horizontally which could not happen if the Earth was a sphere

“Quoting “Earth Not a Globe!” by Samuel Rowbotham, “It is known that the horizon at sea, whatever distance it may extend to the right and left of the observer on land, always appears as a straight line. The following experiment has been tried in various parts of the country. At Brighton, on a rising ground near the race course, two poles were fixed in the earth six yards apart, and directly opposite the sea. Between these poles a line was tightly stretched parallel to the horizon. From the center of the line the view embraced not less than 20 miles on each side making a distance of 40 miles. A vessel was observed sailing directly westwards; the line cut the rigging a little above the bulwarks, which it did for several hours or until the vessel had sailed the whole distance of 40 miles. The ship coming into view from the east would have to ascend an inclined plane for 20 miles until it arrived at the center of the arc, whence it would have to descend for the same distance. The square of 20 miles multiplied by 8 inches gives 266 feet as the amount the vessel would be below the line at the beginning and at the end of the 40 miles.””

This is yet another worthless historic quote (1881)

Rowbotham could not have known the exact course of the ship or its distance. We also do not know if Rowbotham was making these observations by eye or with some more accurate tool, or how far away from the string Rowbotham was standing.  Given all that it is pointless trying to comment on how much of a deviation from the line of the string Rowbotham should expect to observe or be able to observe.

But in any case, Mr Dubay.  Please come up with some experiments made in the last 50 years with some credibly modern equipment please!


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