The record-union., 1898-02-21
Marconi's Te1egraphy.

The great stir in scientific, and more
especially in electrical, circles made by
Signor Guglielmo Marconi's invention
of wireless telegraphy makes of partic-
ular interest his statement of the ma
ture of his invention, its uses, and other
points concerning it,
In a late interview at his home in
London he was asked how far wireless
ltelegraphy was an invention and how
far a development
1T is something of both" answered
the inventor, who is only 23 years old.
Perhaps the words of the Chief En-
gineer of the Postal Telegraph here, w.
H. Preece, c. B., will show most clear
ly what 1 mean: Mr.. Marconi has in
vented a new relay, which, for sensi-
tiveness and delicacy, exceeds all known
| electrical apparatus. He has not in
vented any new rays, his transmitter
is comparatively old, his receiver is
based on Branley's coheser. Columbus
did not invent the egg, but he showed
how to make it stand on it's end, and
Marconi has produced from known
means a new electrical eye more deli
cate than any known electrical instru-
ment, and new system of telegraphy
ble.' 1t is we'll to state that Mr.. Preece
had transmitted messages and signals
without wires to considerable distance
previous to my experiments, but en-
ploying other means His system is,
however, not applicable on board ship.
To Hertz belongs, of course. the dis
tinction of having discovered the cleo
tric waves, and by his experiments he
oil
through space follows the laws of op-
tics. Many others have made expert
ments in the same direction as I have,
but SO far no one has obtained such re-
suits at anything approaching the dis
tance that l have with these Hertzian
waves"
On being questioned upon the pOssi-
bility of this mode of signaling through
space without wires superseding the or
dinary system, he said that for awhile
at least, he thought it would not Its
main value will lie in it's use in places
which have not before been practicable
for telegraphic communication, where,
in fact, wires We're an impossibility,
he said. with the new system of
telegraphy there will not be any diff
Guilty in establishing communication,
ItOl OIly DtlWetI Tie SHIPS Iii uiSlIeSS
and an island, but also between the
latter and the mainland. What will be
necessary will be for each to have
transmitter and a receiver, and then
the means of communication will BE-
thoroughly established. I have done
some excellent signals at twelve miles,
and fog has no effect upon thems or
even the most solid substance. The
without being materially affected"
rs it possible" he was asked, "to
send many messages in different direc-
tions at the same timer
1T is, but care must be taken to time
the transmitters and receivers to the
same frequency or note / mean they
must be in sympathy, and this tuning
is effected by varying the capacity and
self-induction of certain conductors
which are joined to the Transmitting
and receiving instruments. so that the
message intended for a particular re-
ceiver is thus rendered quite undeci
pherable on another"
Signor Marconi is enthusiastic over
the uses of his invention in case of
war Let us imagine" he said, "a
small detachment of Europeans say,
duilIiS OIle VI THESE ITOHllGT wars, Sld-
toned in a rather lonely spot. They
of course set up telegraphic communi-
cation with wires The enemy is not
likely to allow this state of things to
continue, and one night the little band
is surrounded and the wires are cut
down. Frequently this results in ia
talities Now with the new system
there would be nothing TO give notice
to the enemy that these small outlying
parties We're in communication with the
main body. and all the time the electric
waves are in use, and perhaps ten miles
off they are anxiously reading, by the
ticking of the receiver, messages OF
paramount Importance. 1t will be pos
sible TO communicate with besieged
fortresses. and indeed to use it in many
ways in field operations where it is i'm
possible to lay telegraph wires. Wire
less telegraphy is a possibility any
where, and it will, l think, soon be
reality in many places" New York
Times