Evening star., 1897-01-23
Written for The Evening Star.

the problem of transmitting human speech
across any required distance by means of
some device of his own but when these
inventions are put to test it IS always found
that some essential point has been over
looked
Where the next really great improvement
i'm telephoning is to be looked for is here
briefly outlined by one .. the foremost
American engineers engaged in this lire
of work:
I'm theory it is perfectly possible to lay
a telephone cable across the Atlantic pro-
vided copper wire Of sufficient size pre-
tected by covering Of sufficient thickness
Is used. But this would mean a cable
larger perhaps than an ordinary telegraph
or electric light pole. and aside from the
practical impossibility of laying such q
cable it's great cost would bar It from
commercial success.
The problem of land communica ton Is
somewhat simpler In fact the problem is
so thoroughly worked out under existing
conditions that 1t - possible for the engi-
neer to go ahead and extend his lines to
any distance with the certainty al success.
At present the greatest distance over
which regular commercial intercourse is
carried on is between Boston and Mem
phiS. By the route CT the lines that Is
close to 1.60O miles. But that Is ly 10
ton and il business requirements would
Justify it the company would undoubtedly
extend their lines at ono" to Kansas City
or Denver or even furthe" west.
I'm a nutshell. If you want to extend
your line from Boston TO Chicago. another
thousand miles west, yon can dc ii by sim
ply increasing the size OF your wire. Fer
example. in talking from Boston to New
York wire about the size of ordinary tele-
graph wire is used. in talking from New
York 10 Chicago the wire used is some
three times as large. and to talk from
New York to Denver it would have TO be
considerably increased again.
Here difficulty that may be described
as commercial rather than scientific arises.
This is simply the fact that as you increase
the size of the copper wire It's price In
oreases in almos- geometrical ratio. A
telephone line could be built across the
continent today, but it would be mighty
poor investment
The problem before telephone engineers
at present Is. therefore. how TO extend
communication without increasing the size
of the wire and thereby multiplying the
cost. The solution 20 the difficulty which
has suggested itself to several persons is
telephone repeater similar In It's opera
tions to the telegraph repeater or relay.
A successful telephone repeater would take
long distance message, say every 800
miles, and start it afresh on its Journey,
so that the smaller size of wire could be
used all the way across the continent
General Use of Electricity.
fhe most modern cities in the world are
Great Falls, Mont, and Spokane Falls,
Wash They are entitled to the distinction
because within their limits nearly every
thing is done by electricity. Not only are
the street railways and all the manufac-
turing establishments operated by the cur
rent but ever the houses are lighted and
the cooking done with the same agent
Elevators. sewing machines, dumb walters,
church organs, pianos, house heaters, bur-
glar alarms, door bells. cha6ng dishes,
water heaters, hair curriers', sadirors,
washing machines, printing presses the
telegraph. the telephone, and, in fact, every
piece of mechanism that requires external
force to propel it is dependent on electric
much as though the spirit of modern pro-
gress had arbitrarily taken up her abode
in Spokane and Great Falls. but this is not
strictly the case. The modern greatness
of the two cities has in measure been
thrust upon them. They could not employ
any other motive power if they wanted
to. They are so situated that all other
sources are unavailable. Coal for instance
Is hardly to be obtained at any price. The
waters Of Spokane Falls and of Great Falls
have been pressed into service and made
to operate turbines which, in their turn,
operate electric generators. From these
sufficient electricity is obtained to run
every piece of mechanism and light every
lamp in the two cities.
How sport and Fashion Are Devas-
tatinx the Animal Kingdom.
How extensive and rapid are the changes
occurring in the fauna of the world NAV
not, perhaps. be generally realized. Race
after race of animals has disappeared from
the globe through the operation of natural
causes, but the chief responsibility for the
destruction must be placed at the door of
rIn owfi nft th..
penguin. and the rytina arctic sea-cow
is of comparatively recent date; the bison
Is nearly on his last legs-eAcept those the
curators of the museums will supply him
with-and the walrus has become very
scarce. Ten years ago peccaries We're
abundant in Texas. but hogskin goods came
Into vogue. fifty cents apiece We're offered
for peccary hides and in five years time
the peccary had practically become extinct.
The famous halibut is becoming more diff
fCult to find with each recurring season.
and no longer Is Chesapeake bay the mex
haustible source OF supply OF the succulent
oyster.
Fer years the danger of the elephant be-
coming extinct has been pointed out by
scientists on account of the immense an
nual slaughter Of these exceedingly useful,
If ponderous, animals, and the British gov
errment in India has been repeatedly
warned 20 exercise authority in the mat
ter. This beast plays such an important
part in the military, as we'll as In the
ment in India that the authorities have at
last taken alarm at the decreasing num-
beIs OF the animal and have 1t length de-
cidef. on institu;iEg repressive regulations
regarding their slaughter.
These are to be very stringent and to be
rigidly enforced. Elephant hunting will no
longer be permitted mere pastime, and
due supervision will be exercised over the
trs de in ivory. TO supply the world with
ivory necessitates the DEATH every year, of
10000 elephants: and II these were placed
in sirgle file they would make a procession
1s0 miles long. So rapidly. of late years,
has the elephant been done to death that
the rext generation OF museum visitors
will be gazing at his remains with the
same interest that We do, now, at the re-
mains of the mastodon.
Fashion-that inexoreble dame whose
dictates must be executed if the heavens
falt-is responsible for much of the de-
struction of both beasts and birds. 1t was
the demand for it's feathers that brought
about the eXtinction of the great auk-the
only tird in the northern hemisphere that
enjoyed the proud distinction of being in
capable OF light-being ruthlessly killed by
Thousands, both in Europe and In the
north of America, until about 1910, 1t was
no longer to be found. Seals despite the
restrictions placed around their killing;
fUr-bearing animals of all kinds birds of
gay plumage: allgators. crocodiles and
reptiles of every variety, are being deci-
mated to satisfy the Unsuitable demands