 Loomis's patent is actually similar to , issued to William Henry Ward three months earlier.Ward, who apparently was acquainted with Loomis and his ideas, applied for his patent, "Improvement in Collecting Electricity for Telegraphing, &c.", on June 29, 1871, and it was granted on April 30, 1872.Ward's description envisioned intercontinental signalling, but does not include a detailed schematic diagram.