The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-09-18

SOLVED BY A NEW YORKER.
The Problem of Transmitting Pie
lures by Electricity.

lures by Electricity.
From the New York Herald
The great problem of transmitting inn
ages by electricity has been solved, ac-
cording to the story told by Charles B.
Davis, chemist, of No. 220 West one
Hundred and Thirty-fourth street
ITO transmit pictures by electricity and
to convey light so that objects at any
distance can be seen, are problems that
scientific men have been working on for
some time" said Mr.. Davis. 1.-THE high
est scientific authority has declared the
possibility Of such things. Now l can
say that the transmission of images by
the means Of electricity has been accom-
plished. This is not statement Of a
theory, but fact. ! have duplicated
pictures over a hundred feet of wire. A
hundred feet establishes the fact as well
as 10000 miles would, and IL 1t is possible
10 transmit images over a foot of wire
they can be carried around the world just
as well as Geographic messages can be
conveyed that distance.
Success has rewarded my efforts and
that IS my compensation. / have no desire
to patent right my discovery or invention,
but | ann willing the world should have
Il; therefore l am ready to give full de-
tails and reserve nothing as a secret. Any
curiosity seeker or scientific investigators
can repeat my experiments and prove to
his satisfaction that TIE results are what
/ claim"
Mr. Davis gave detailed description OF
the apparatus and process, which is easily
understood. At one end is the object whose
image Is to be transmitted, standing in
front Of an ordinary Photographic camera
At the back of the camera, instead of the
usual sensitive Mate. is a bunch of 200
wires close together, but not ouching, with
their ends held in the meshes of a seive
and the other ends coming together and
extended by a single wire the desired dis
lance to the receiver. At the receiving end
is similar bunch of wires, radiating from
the end OF the single connecting wire, with
their ends held by a sieve the same as the
other end.
Above the wires at the receiving end IL
a hinged copper plate that can be made
TO rest over the ends of the wires. All OF
these wires and the copper plate are in an
electric current formed by six Lenchance
cells.
''It was two years ago that started on
my experiments" said Mr.. Davis. II knew
that must find some substance sensitive
to light and which would remain quies-
cent in the dark; a substance that would
when in an electric circuit transmit a
current proportionate in strength TO the
amount of light that fell on 1t.
4
almost discouragng failures. tried all
sorts Of chemicals, metals and COM
pounds. tried platinum, silver, lead, and
so on through the list, but the desired re-
suit failed TO manifest itself. Fnallys
about three months ago, found the very
thing and cried EurekaP II Is crystaliz-
ed selenium. Selenium is non-metallic
element which has a remarkable action
under the influence of light and electricl-
ty II is very sensitive to light. and
conductor Of electricity when crystalized
and used in the light, but is not cons
ductor, in the dark.
Now for the use OF the selenum-
simply coated tho ends of my punched
wires with 1t. Then my camera presents
cd to the object to be transmitted the
selenium- coated ends Of 200 wires, sensi-
tive to every varying degree Of light. That
did the work for the renting end Now
for the receiving end. There were the
selenium tipped wires, identical in num-
Der with those at the other end, but I had
to find a substance on which they would
act so as to reproduce the picture.
Il found It. and learned that all had
to do was 20 lay on the wires at the re-
ceiving end sheet OF paper that had
been saturated with phenolphtalein gly-
cerine and alcohol, and place II on a cop
per plate, allow a current of electricity to
pass. and my picture was reproduced.
"IIow is it that when your 200 wires in
tut camera unite tHeH separate impress
sions In single wire they can be again
separated at the receiving end and dis
tributed to the 200 wires there?' asked.
II don't know" answered Mr.. Davis. II
only know the fact that they do. Electr.c-
ity Is like all natural phenomena-we
know only the results. without compre-
bending how nature reaches them. Your
question involves one Of the many myste-
ries Of electricity. But the fact that my
apparatus takes up these separate i'm
pressons, and that one wire carries them
and separates them at the other end is
no more strange than the every day oc-
currence of transmitting. simultaneously.
several telegraphic messages over the
same wire and in opposite directions.
know the fact, for have had the result"