Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-08-04
TELEGRAPH WITHOUT WIRE.

MnrcOni Announces the Perfection of
His New Electrical Device.
A special to the Philadelphia Press from
London says:
Marconi, who reached London yesterday
to prepare for the great experiment with
this latest wonder. said:
THE greatest distance to which we have
been able to transmit messages by tele-
graph without wires is twelve miles. But
that by no means Is the limit of the instru-
ment; 1t simply signifies that existing ap-
planes are not perfect. At Spezia sent
messages without wires from the San Bar
tolomeo arsenal to the warship San Mar
tino, twelve miles out in the harbor with
out difficulty and with absolute accuracy.
1t was done before the royal commiss iC a.
Official experiments will be renewed when
I return to Italy In September. 1 have euc-
cessfully experimental also at the Italian
ministry of marine and at the Quirinal be-
fore the king and queen.
Il made the discovery almost by accident
I had been studying electrical phenom .na
three years, when two years ago ] found
that by putting Hers radiator to the
earth, connecting ii with a wire extended
vertically in the air and repeating the pro-
cess with a modified Bramley receiver, a.
current could be transmitted about 100
yards without connecting the wires. Then
I found that, without increasing the bat
terry power. but by simply increasing the
height of the vertical wire, the influence
Of the instrument extended over a distance
increasing In geometrical ratio to the in
creased height of the wire.
THE wire must extend into the air. A
coiled wire helps only as the coil is high
not according to the length of wire in the
COIL A wire inclined instead Of vertical
has power equal only to that developed nv
a vertical wire as much shorter as the
distance taken up by the inclination
"A wire carried to the top of the high
mast Of a ship ought to enable the captain
to telegraph q considerable distance fgur-
ing that 100 feet in height of the wire
means twelve miles In distance of COM
munication. By the same process maya
zines could be exploded in time OF war
from a great distance, and signals could be
sent SO that the enemy could not possibly
interrupt communication.
'It has been said that this would work
both ways. that a current radiates in all
directions from the sending Instrument
and. therefore. that a message would go to
the enemy's camp as well as to q friends
But this can be easily prevented, as nave
proved, by means Of electrical refiectors,
which would arrest the progress of a mes
sage In all directions but one.
II am not certain that shall ever be
able to send messages across the Atlantic
but can see no reason why / should not
do 80 II ! can increase the height of a
vertical wire enough. ] am just as much
In doubt as you are az to the reason for
this strange influence Of a vertical wire
over the strength Of a current In this new
development OF that most mysterious OF all
agents, electricity. 1t will not cost more
than half as much to install telegraph
system on my plan as 1t would on the old
system. The instruments are slightly more
expensive, but imagine Q decrease In cost
would be brought about by the absence Of
miIes OF wire and poles"
That the invention IL a practical fact is
shown by the formation Of q company
here Saturday controlling all the rights ex-
cept those OF Italy. which company paid
Marconi 10000 spot cash and gave him
$soo.Oo0 worth OF shares.