The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-11-13
POSSIBILITIES OF THE TELEPHONE.
The Problem of Seeing by Eiectricity-Com-
munication Between Ships.

New York Tribune.
Prof. Alexander Graham Bell, of Washington,
was in this city recently, a guest at the Gilsey
House. In answer to a Tribune reporters in
quiry as to his views on the Garland case, he
said:
II do not think it would look we'll for me to
say anything on the subject The Bell Tele-
phone Company, as you know, has triumphed in
ell its legal warfare, which has been long and ex-
cruciating."
perhaps you would prefer to discuss the flu
ture usage of the telephone for long distances"
Il certainly should. twenty-five new wires
are now being laid between New York and Phil
adephia and your city is soon destined to con-
verse freely with that city as within it's limits
Experiments between New York and Chicago
have already demonstrated the practicabiity of
such communication between those cities. We
nave yet to create, or at least perfect, new
species OF wire which will not be affected by its
environments. Ali of this will come in due
time. There are little systems of telephones all
over the country. These systems are gradually
branching out and connecting until before long
the country will have grand network of tele
phonic communication, the same as its tele-
graphic, with one centre, say at New York or
Chicago Have patience, and San Francisco
will be as near to US in this sense as one block
to another"
"Will it soon be possible to see long distances
sec friends to whom one talks, as well as hear
them2"
THAT is question which is now being asked
on all sides, one which / can answer affirmative
ly. / cannot tell how soon. | only know that
the problem is SO nearly solved as to encourage
Investigators to persevere a little longer. l
know of at least a half dozen men at work on
the subject The reason why know is anus
ing Several years ago L was experimenting
with the problem of photophone. AS you may
remember, a ray Of light from the sun was the
motive power and silenium the important feature
of its construction. When l had solved this
problem [ deposited a description Of my dis
covery in the Smithsonian Institution without
giving any information to the authorities as TO
what the scaled packet contained. Some per-
sons began to speculate as to the probable ma
ture OF the discovery hidden in the packet. Not
long atterward The London Nature stated in
paragraph that had solved the problem of see
ing long distances and that full particulars of
the discovery were contained in a sealed packet
deposited in the Smithsonian Institution. In
stantly six investigators rushed into print in their
respective Localities to say that they had already
solved the problem and protesting against my al
legged assumption Of priority. In your own city
claiming the invention. The sealed packet be-
came an object of tender solcitude, had at
that time never given any attention to the sub
ject Although the indignant six claimed the in
vention, no one has yet ever seen any one else at
long distances nor has any instrument been ex-
hibited which looks like solving the problem. l
think can say, however. that it will not be long
before you can seem to sit in the room and con-
verse with your friend far away, yet automatic
ally by your side"
IAN individual can then be in any number of
places at once, automatically speaking. How is
the problem of communication Of ships at sea
going forwardp
THAT problem is solved, but have observed
no disposition on the part of steamship compan-
les to make use of what has been done. Prof.
Trobridge, of Harvard College, and myself ar
rived at a solution at the same time We waited
for each other to publish his theory first, and
finally went at it together. l can tell my own
story best And then, too, 1 am constantly in
Ject, but do not know what
Professor Trobrdge has done recently. Most of
the passenger steamships have dynamo engines
and are electrically lighted. Suppose for in
long, or any length, which is connected with the
dynamo engine and electrically charged. The
wire would practically have ground connection
by trailing in the water; at least, the result
would be the same. Suppose you attach tele-
phone to the end on board of ship Then your
dynamo or telephone end would be positive, and
the other end of the wire trailing behind would
be negative. All of the water about the ship
will be positive within circle whose radius is
one-half of the length of the wire. All the
water about the trailing end of the wire will be
negative. within circle whose radius is
the other half Of the wire. If your
wire is one mile long, there is then large area
of water about the ship which is affected either
positively OF neVatlVeiy Oy the dynamo engine
and the electrically charged wire 1t will be inn
possible for any ship or object to approach with
in the water SO charged in relation to your ship
without the telephone telling the whole story to
the listening ear. Now, if ship coming in this
area also has similar apparatus, the two vessels
can communicate with each other by their tele-
phones. If they are enveloped in fog they can
keep out of each others way. the ship having
the telephone can detect other ships in its track
and keep out of the way in fog or storm. The
matteris so simple that hope our ocean steam
ships will experiment with it. The principle is
not new; it is old with new use, waiting for
commerce to utilize it. have experimental on
the Potomac and marveled at the simplicity of
the apparatus and the stupendous importance of
the results"
"You have also made other studies recently to
aid vessels in fog, have you nor2"
"My studies in this line have to deal with
echoes. A friend Of mine gave me ride on his
steam yacht. 4 want to show you something
he said. He began firing blank cartridges at
vessels at various distances from us. The vessel
men got angry and signalled him to fire in other
directions but from each one came back an echo
These echoes varied in intensity according to
the distance, and demonstrated conclusiyey to
me that by the means of blank cartridges fired
at random in fog, ships could detect each others
presence by the echoes returned. Icebergs could
be easily detected in this Manner