The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-01-20
EDISONS SEA
SIGNALS IRANSMITTED FROM SHIP
TO SHIP WITHOUT WIRES

Ocean Traffic Much Safer-London
and New York Could Be Connected.
From the Nei5 YorE World.
Thomas A. Edison has perfected and pat
ented another wonderful electrical inven-
ton. 1t is one that is intended not only 20
further the interests of commerce, but TO
protect human life at sea. 1t Is, in sub
stance, a system by which telegraphic COM
munication can be carried on between ships
at sea, between ships and the shore, and be-
tween distant points on land.
The most remarkable part Of it al is that
this Accommodation can be maintained
absolutely without the use Of wires or
cables.
Here is one Of the ways in which the in
vention will work: Suppose all the ships
that sail the seas are fitted with proper APP
paratus. An ocean greyhound-the City of
Paris, say-breaks her shaft and there are
fears that she may sink il assistance cans
not be summoned quickly. Not sail Is in
sight, not sign OF smoke on the horizon.
An operator skilled in the Transmission of
Morse characters manipulates key located,
for instance, in the chart room. Away
down below the horizon is another ship, so
far distant that not even her topmasts are
visible. The Morse signals are transmitted
TO the other snip and answered. The dis
abled ship gives her position and the other
speeds to her aid.
The other ship might be small bark or
brig proceeding under sail and incapable of
rendering aid. In such a case the bark or
brig would work her signals. which would
be caught up by any ship within a radius
Of say thirty miles. Then they might reach
another sailing ship, also too small and too
far away to give the assistance required,
but she in turn would begin signaling, COW
ering another radius of thirty miles. The
signals might pass along to half dozen
ships before they reached one large enough
to aid so big vessel as the City of Paris.
When they did reach one, however, she
would reply that she would go to the dis
aoled vessels assistance. The word of
cheer would be passed back from ship TO
ship until 1t reached the City of Paris again.
Suppose the rescuinR ship to be the Majes-
tic, bound westward, the Paris having been
on her way from New York to Liverpool.
She takes off the passengers and crew of
the wrecked vessel and proceeds on her way
to Now York, keeping her operator busy
making signals or calls. A few hours after
the rescue an answer comes. 1t is from
the Teutonic bound for Liverpool. A mes
sage flies from one ship to the other, they
alter their courses, quickly come into sight
and are i'll good time within a cable length
of each other. The Teutonic takes the City
of Paris people from the Majestic and car
ries them on toward Liverpool.
The original signals sent from the City of
Paris may have first reached ship far to
the north of her; those of the second ship
may have gone to one well to the eastward
the ones repeated from her may have
reached another to the southwark and have
been passed on still further south until the
rescuing ship was reached. All this would
be done within a few minutes, so that
surely within half an hour of the disaster a
rescuing ship would be found.
Suppose dense fog prevailed as the Ma
jestic was nearing our Atlantic coast She
may have become a trihe uncertain as to
thirty miles of land, however, she would be
able to communicate with people on shore
and find exactly where she was.
Collisions would be impossible. Every
ship within radius of thirty miles would
be able to tell each other who, what and
where they were. Ships out of sight of
each other at sea could speak and ask to be
by transatlantic steamer by accident
could pass word to shore, that his friends
might be notified of his safety. There are
innumerable other examples that might be
used to explain the way the invention will
work
The principal involved is that of induc-
ton. Naturally, only those who have given
some little study to electricity will under
stand clearly just how and why these re-
suits are obtained.
Ia his specifications, filed at the patent
Office in Washington, Mr.. Edison says:
81 have discovered that if sufficient eleva-
ton be obtained to overcome the curvature
of the earth's surface and to reduce to the
minimum the earths absorption, electric
telegraphing or signaling between distant
points can be carried on by induction with
out the use Of wires connecting such distant
points. This discovery issespeoially appli-
cable to telegraphing across bodies OF water,
thus avoiding the use OF submarine
cables, or for communicating between
vessels at sea or between vessels
at sea and points on land, but
1t is also applicable to tie electric commun-
ication between distant points on land, it
being necessary, however, on land, with the
exception of communication over open
prairie, to increase the elevation In order to
reduce the minimum the induction absorb
ing effect Of houses, trees and elevations in
the land itself. At SEA, from an elevation
of l, 900 feet, / can communicate electrically
a great distance, and since this elevation,
or one sufficiently high, can be had by util-
izing the masts of ships, signals can be sent
and received between ships separated a con-
siderable distance, and by repeating the sig
nails from ship to ship communication can
be established between points any distance
apart or across the largest seas, and even
oceans.
THE collision of ships In fogs can be pre-
vented by this character of signaling, by
the use Of which, also, the safety OF ship
in approaching dangerous coast in foggy
weather can be assured. In communicating
between points on land, poles Of great hight
can be used, or captive balloons. At these
elevated points, whether upon the masts OF
ships, upon poles or balloons, condension
surfaces of metal or other conductor Of cleo
triclty are located. Each condensing surface
is connected with earth by an electrical con-
Quoting wire"
In heavy weather these surfaces can be
flown from one mast in the form of q
streamer. They may be made Of canvas,
covered with flexible sheet metal or metal
lie foil, carefully secured. From the con-
densing surface on each vessel wire ex-
tends to the hull and through an induction
coil and revolving conduit breaker and key
to a metal plate on the bottom Of the ship.
by which connection is had with the ground
through the water. Electrostatic i'm
pulses are produced in the con-
denser which pass by induction through