The Telectroscope from NY to London

It’s the stuff movies are made of: a young man stumbles upon his great-grandfather’s old papers and discovers a plan for the wildest and most ingenious invention of Victorian-era engineering.

It’s the Telectroscope, and it’s a “tunnel” that runs from London, England to New York City, New York. But is it for real? Could a tunnel possibly exist beneath the Atlantic Ocean? The story certainly runs like a science-fiction film.

By 1894, Alexander’s diaries had become more and more erratic and it was clear that he was suffering great mental torment. Eventually, the workforce, fearing for their lives, mutinied and forced Alexander to abandon the project and arrange passage back to England. The tunnel and shaft were hastily covered up.

Alexander never recovered from his deep disappointment and the shame of failure. His mental health continued to deteriorate until in 1917 he died, insane, in an asylum in Bethnal Green. His papers remained with his family who spent the next century denying their existence…

…until Paul St George, who clearly shares his great-grandfather’s drive and determination, discovered the plans and set out to complete both the tunnel and the Telectroscope and open this astonishing “device for the suppression of absence” to the general public.

I first heard about it when blogger Lady Banana said she saw New Yorkers in a tunnel, from her London street. I was quite intrigued and did a little researching. My husband was convinced that the Telectroscope is not a tunnel– not a true tunnel– but merely a fiber optic cable at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. Mirrors are set in key areas and therefore New Yorkers can view the streets of Londoners, and vice versa. Hmmm. The BBC Online has a brief story filled with skepticism and a short video. Is it real?