Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-09-14

from our own good ship to any one which
came within hailing distance, and also to
receive any message sent from another ship
by similar contrivance to our own. 1t is
not perfected as yet, but it does manage to
communicate with very little trouble at any
distance within five miles.
The young woman said that Mr.. Edison
could talk, while on his boat in the lake, at
Menlo Park, with people on the shore, by
means of this contrivance, and his assistants
are now able to do the same thing while in
mid ocean. She claimed that it might be
possible, with this invention, to tap the great
cables, which to-day tie the two continents
together, but of this can say little. All
know is that she did telegraph to other ships
in mid sea that were provided with similar
contrivances and receive from them messages
like unto those sent out. If it keeps on,
transatlantic travellers will be able to have
news from both Europe and America every
day from the many steamers which have con-
verted the North Atlantic into parade
ground, whose paraders are crafts OF all sorts
and conditions.
ON MOVING TRAINS.
Yet this is not more marvellous than what
has been done on land where kilograms are
sent from and received by moving trains
through that mysterious quality of elec-
tricity known as Induction. AS the young
woman explained it to me, this, in the case
of the railroad, is done by having, in the
first place, coil wound under the bottom Of
the car. Then, there is a third rail which
runs between the tracks which is insulated.
That third rail is connected with an appa-
ratus at each station.
When a signal is sent from the apparatus
on the car it induces current in this third
rail which affects the instrument at the dis
tantStation. For instance, the operator Will
call Boston. Boston will answer, ana send
current through this third rail which Will
act inductively on the instrument on the
car By the Edison system, however, the
operator on the car can send a signal in the
same wav without this third rail and by the
ordinary telegraph wire above the road.
Instead of having a coil at the bottom of
the car the wire is attached to metallic
plate which runs along the tops OF the varl-
Gus cars. Through this the current acts in
ductively on the wire which runs alongside
the road.
NATURE OF INDUCTION.
Said to the young woman: "What do
you mean by an inductive current?"
Said she: Suppose that 1 have here a
wire nalI mile long, GROUNDED at each euui
on which is placed telephone receiver and
upon which there is no battery. Some dis
tance away, say mile, running parallel, l
have a wire on which there is battery and
on which there is telephone transmitter.
There is no disturbing influence between. I
talk through the last wire and you can hear
my speech on the first wire on which there
is no battery, because there has been an in
ductive current between the two wires.
"The reason is this: There are magnetic
whirls around the wire connected with The
battery which induce a current of electricity
in wires which run parallel to it. By that
mean induction. There Is no known limit
to that process of communication. The
power to record those electric waves de-
pends upon the delicacy OF the receiving in-
strument. To accomplish the feat Of tele-
graphing or telephoning, which is easier,
from steamship to steamship, no change in
the construction OF the vessels is necessary.
1t is not even necessary that they should be
pursuing parallel courses, because this de-
vice could be so arranged that it could be
placed at any angle and be so movable that
you could talk with vessels approaching or
sailing in an opposite direction"
FRANK A. BURR.