Robert Foulis

Robert Foulis (Known as "Robert Foulis")

Civil Engineer, Artist, Inventor of the World's First Steam Foghorn (1853)

Born 5 May 1796

Glasgow, Great Britain

Passed Away 28 January 1866 Saint John, Canada

Lifespan 69 years old

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Notice / Correction

"The deep whistle blast cuts through the thickest Fundy fog, guiding the mariner home when compass and eyes fail."

Archival Overview

Scottish-Canadian polymath in New Brunswick who conceived the world's first automated steam foghorn after hearing his daughter's piano notes through dense harbour fog.

Biographical Record

Robert Foulis was a multi-talented engineer, chemist, and artist who studied medicine in Glasgow before immigrating to Saint John, New Brunswick, in 1822. Foulis surveyed the Saint John River, founded the province's first foundry, and set up New Brunswick's first coal gas plant.

Walking home one evening through thick Bay of Fundy fog, Foulis noticed that low piano notes played by his daughter penetrated the fog while high notes faded. This led him to design and build the world's first steam-powered foghorn in 1853, installed on Partridge Island in 1859, saving thousands of ships and sailors from shipwreck worldwide.

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Rest in Peace Forever remembered and cherished Your legacy lives on in all of us With deep gratitude for your life and light

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Final Resting Place

Perpetual Memorial

Fernhill Cemetery
Saint John, Canada

                         GPS: 45.2861, -66.0272                    

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