Varley four-wire lightning protector : no nasty shocks

Electric current surges caused by lightning were (and are) a major problem for telecommunications operators, posing a serious potential danger to users.

There were many attempts to resolve the issue in the middle of the 19th century, with varying degrees of success. This is one of the more interesting ones. Looking like something out of Dr Frankenstein's laboratory, the device was connected between incoming lines and the apparatus.

If lightning struck near a telegraph line, a spike or surge of electricity could run along the line. When this reached the lightning protector, the device diverted the pulse directly to earth, which neutralised the danger, leaving the apparatus and operator safe in one piece.