Tom, what if FE was wrong and everything for RE is right? What if Rowbotham or anyone you use as evidence was wrong? Would you still believe FE, or would you finally accept RE?
Why would Rowbotham be wrong when I've verified the results of his experiments myself?
Tom,
Your messiah, the venerable Dr Rowbothom, did not appear to conduct these experiments a way which could be described as "scientific".
For example, on "over water" experiments, he tries to eliminate refraction when he describes:
Temperature, density, and moisture of the air did not differ at the two stations at the time the experiment with the telescope and flag-staff was made. Hence it was concluded that refraction had not played any part in the observation.This indicates he did not know what type of temperature gradient would cause downwards refraction. It is the
vertical temperature gradient from the water upwards, not the horizontal gradient between the stations, which would cause a downward refraction of the light rays. In the correction conditions, it would cause light to curve in the direction of the earth's curvature.
Whether Dr Rowbothom stated this inaccuracy deliberately or through ignorance, is not clear.