The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-12-22

demonstrated And when the tneOret-
ical soundness of any proposed method
has been demonstrated its practice bility
is pretty certain to follow. Experience
with the more familiar forces has &C
customed Us to look for tangible In
strumentalities as necessity in the
transmission of any power. We see
that water cannot be carried except In
something to hold it, as in pipes, and
the same way .Se think it must be nee
essary to have wires connecting elee-
tricity. But the field in which cleo
tricity operates belongs to an entirely
different realm from that where other
mechanical forces work. Water power
proceeds from the operation of liquid
upon solids, and steam and wind pow
ers from gaseous substance upon solids
But the field of electricity is in the
mysterious element of the ether--an
elemeat that is as material as the 9TH
ers in a manner. pervading as well as
enfolding all other substances, but In
itself absolutel intangible to our
senses, and known only by the effects
which it produces. or for the produc-
ton of which it forms the medium.
While sound is transmitted In the
air, light and heat, as well as electric
ity, are transmitted in the ether. and
the laws governing them have been
discovered to be identical. So for the
transmission of electrical energy only
the medium of the ether is essential,
and how 20 utilize this medium direct
", without the Intervention of wires
or other conducting agencies will be
the great task of the future for cleo
tricianl
Electrical impulses impaired to the
ether may be conveyed to an indefinite
distance. The capacity to receive and
transmit them depends upon the deli
cacy of the instrument used. With ,
mechanism sufficiently responsive it Is
conceivable that such impulses might
be received between distances as far
apart as the ends of the earth. The
flashes Of the aurora borealis, sweeping
instantly from horizon to zenith, give
us an idea of the vastness of space
which such impulses may be made to
cover. The telephone has been used
for a considerable distance without
wire, and in the same way Geographic
over a distance of several miles. 1t is
only necessary to systematic these
methods to apply them in regular prac-
'tice.
1t seems probable that the transmits
sion of intelligence without wires will
be the first result in this direction, and
that the transmission of light, heat
and power will follow. The saving
will be something immense. The oper-
alton of the mechanism employed for
these purposes will probably be anal
agous to that of tuning forks, where
one responds to the vibrations set up
in another. With dynamoes running
at certain pitch, electric lights, heat
ing apparatus and motors at distance,
attuned to that pitch, will be set in OPP
Grafton.
The economy Of such system would
naturally be immense. The supply OF
electricity from a central station is at
present a wasteful method, on account
of the cost of the copper wire necessary
to conduct it. The interest on the cost
of this portion of the plant forms one
of the greatest items of expense in the
Transmission of electricity from CEN
trail station. 1t is, therefore, much
more economical, in cases where many
lights are used, to depend upon an iso-
lated plant in the building itself than
upon a supply from q central station.
But with the use of wires dispensed
with, the generation of electricity at a
central station, where fuel could be
concentrated and converted into en-
ergy on a large scale, would naturally
be most economical for the entire com.
munity. The increase in the standard
of living, and in the worlds wealth
consequent upon the decreased cost OF
such a system. would be inestima bic.