Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-05-03
TIE LATEST DISCOVERY IN ELECTRICAL
SCIENCE.

GS4EnO6s
This may well be termed the age of the
discovery of electrical appliances. So far
as primal discovery in electrical science is
concerned, it is less noteworthy than in
the development of applications OF
electricity to the needs of man. Thus we
have had in this age the economic utiliza.
ton of electricity in varied forms as a
means of lighting streets; its appli.
cation for the illumination of houses
its use in medicine and surgery, by
which several cavities of the body nay be
examined by the electrical light; its use as
beacon at sea, as signal light on ships,
and for other valuable purposes. Then
the application of electricity as a
practical motor for certain kinds of rail-
ways, and for light machinery. Contem-
poraneously came the application of the
telephone the discovery of the storage of
electrical energy new applications of the
force in telegraphy; itsusesin photography ;
the many discoveries of methods of insula-
ton; the application of electricity to the
operation of alarm devices OF various kinds,
and to hundred other forms of machinery.
So the applications of electricity have
made great progress no other agent con-
trolled by man has, indeed, so rapidly ad-
vanced into the realm of usefulness or has
answered more largely to the demands of
the day. The latest discovery, however,
and one that promises to rival in its mar
velous character, though not in usefulness,
al that have preceded it in the annals of
electrical science, is reported from Aus
tralasia. DR.. Guidrah, of Victoria, claims
TO have completed the details of an inven.
lion for the conveyance by electrical action
of vibrations of light. It will enable us
not only to speak with our distant friends,
but actually to see them, though hundreds
of miles away. The instrument, which
the doctor terms an electroscope, was tried
recently at Melbourne, in the presence OF
some forty scientists and practical cleo
tricians, and with what is asserted to have
BEEN complete success Sitting in dark
room they saw projected upon large disc
of white FURNISHED metal the race course
at Pennington, with its thousands of PEG.
pie moving about, the horses in motion,
and all the details of the place, fixed and
active. These stood out with all the
fdal,fx, Ala Ok ro,kar;1as Az ,,botoo..rb
and as the spectators looked at the wonder.
full picture through binocular glasses
they found it difficult to realize that
they were not near the race course
and not actually looking down from
convenient hight upon all its activ.
tiles. The accounts we have Of the alleged
discovery are meager, but assuming them
to be true they are sufficient to excite the
keenest curiosity. 1t is true that efforts
to transmit waves of light by electrical
action have frequently been made, but we
believe no satisfactory successes have be.
fore resulted. But if the Guidrah inven.
tion has solved the problem we can readily
see how important an auxiliary to the
worlds doings his discovery viii become.
Coupled with the telephone it will enable
us to look upon the faces of distant friends
and at the same time to hear the tones of
their voices. It will enable the detective
TO test the identity of suspected GRIM
inAls at distances or without
their personal presence It will fl.
cilitate the identification of pur.
ported agents or the detection of fraudu.
lent representatives. It viii be of use to
bankers in establishing identity in doubt
full cases. It is barely possible that the
invention may develop into such perfection
that by the aid of photography and optical
instruments entire documents or pages of
papers may be transmitted and reproduced
in brief space of time, and the delays of
the mail be avoided, thus working revo.
luton in the transmission Of news in detail.