The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-04-25
NIAGARA, PER DEPEW,
Is Going to Send a Message Around
the World.
THE LATEST WONDER OF THE
ELECTRICAL WORLD.

Tesla Says 1t Can Be Done and the Men
Who Put Five Million Dolla RS in Hole
on His Recommendation Believe He
Tells the Truth-President Cleveland
VIII Later Telegraph the Queen.
("Hollsnd" in Philadelphia Prcss.)
On May a marvellous illustration of
the tremendous advances of the develop
mont Of electricity for commercial uses
will be furnished in this city by the CO.
operation of The Niagara Falls Power
Company, using Tesla two-phase sys-
tenn of long distance power transmission,
tho ocean cable system, the English sys-
tsms, and the connecting ones extending
to China thsnce to Australia, Africa,
South America and back to New York.
Upon that day Chauncey NJ. Dspew
will deliver to the operator, stationed a
key in the National Electrical Exhibi-
ton in this city, a message which will
be without any break in circuit and by
the use Of the electrical current, created
at Niagara Falls, transmitted aroun d
the world by the systems above described,
and thus back to New York. Of course,
accurately speaking, it is not possible TO
send message around the world, since
there is no cable at the bottom of the
Pacific, but the distance is practically
the same, and the only means by which
such circuit as that, about 25, goo miles
in length, can be established Is by the
use of these interoontinental systems.
Later in the month President CIeve-
land is, upon the Queens birthday, to
send her message by ocean cable, the
current conveying which is to be fur
nished by the Niagara Electric Power
Company. That of itself would be re-
garded as an achievement OF momentous
interest and Importance, but it will of
course be eclipsed by that marvellous
victory of science and invention which
will enable Mr.. Depew to send message
practically around the world, he receiving
it back probably within scarcely appre-
ciable time after he has sent it.
We're it not for the fact that the ar
rangements are being made by the most
prominent scientists in the world and the
ablest practieal electricians, it would be
suspected that such an achievement
would be more successful in its promise
than in its performance. But Tesla, the
Western Union and the Postal Telegraph
companies, Sir ". H. Preeoe, chief of
the English telegraph system; the scien-
fists and the experts in the employ of the
Niagara Electric Power and the Cataract
General Electric companies, Frank ".
Hawley, vice president of the Erie Canal
Traction Company, L. C. Martin, presi-
dent of the electrical national exposition,
and others have united with enthusiastic
confidence in the success of this marvel
Gus experiment.
A letter received today from the presi-
dent of the electrical exposition suggests
that Sir W. H. Preece will gladly make
all the arrangements for closing the Cir
cult at an agreed upon time, SO that the
message can be carried around the world.
When that letter was received it was
decided to ask Mr.. Depew to prepare an
appropriate message for that stupendous
experiment., and when this afternoon
Mr.. Hawley saw Mr.. Depew and exte nd
ed to him the invitation he found that
Depew's amazement at the proposed ex-
pertinent was perhaps equaled by his pleas
ure that he should have been chosen to
ldentify himself in this manner with the
undertaking.
He gladly consented, and will prepare
a message epigrammatic DIS possible, con-
veying perhaps in as impressive manner
the marvel of this thing as did that mes
sage first flashed over the electric wires
by Morse. "What hath God wrought"
This xperiment-although to call it
an experiment would be perhaps inaccu-
rately to suggest that there might be
some doubt about its success, although
the scientists, with Tesla at their head,
have none-is only one Of certain other
marvellous things which are expected to
be done at this exposition. Four or five
ysars ago, before the Niagara works were
completed, it was said that that colossal
undertaking would shrivel into p mere
power plant, suitable only for establish
ments placed along the banks of the Nj
a9ara River, unless Tesla were right in
his assertion, that if the managers would
deliver the power to him which they as
serted they could get, he would under
take to deliver it to commercial advant-
age, even as far as the city of New York.
{ The capitalists had such faith in Tesla
that they sunk about SIS, 100000 in that
vast cavern at Niagara before an expert
mental test could be made. When the
time came it WAS found that Tesla was
as much justified in his confidence as
w. RsEn m