Chapter 8: The Grasshopper Goes to Sea Summary and Analysis

John Harrison arrives in London but the Board of Longitude cannot be located. Harrison goes to see Edmund Halley who now worked around the Royal Observatory. Halley knew that the Board wanted an astronomical solution but he heard Harrison anyway. Halley sent Harrison to George Graham, a well-known watchmaker. Graham, twenty years Harrison's senior, was so impressed by Harrison that he became Harrison's patron after one day. He gave Harrison a loan to built his first sea clock, the H-1. Harrison spends five years building it. The H-1 still exists today and weights seventy pounds, enclosed in a 4 x 4 x 4 foot cabinet. It worked spectacularly and passed tests on numerous occasions. Halley was converted, among others.

The chapter introduces all the characters of the board: Dr. Halley, Sir Charles of the...