The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-05-09
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NEW WAY TO FIRE MINES.
Exhibition of Electrical Transmits.
sion Without Wire In Ne,v Nnrr.

hNhlbition of Electrical Transmits
SION without Wire In New York.
From the New York Times.
". J. Clarke, general manager of the
United States Electrical Supply COMPANY
recently invented system Of vire,oes -
legraphy at Madison Square Garden YES
terday afternoon. BY touching an in
strument placed in the southern, gallery
miniature Spanish cruiser anchored IN
the fountain lake on the lower floor nine
ty feet away, was blown into the air "a
gether with a considerable quantity Of wa
ter which fell on those who were rot
quick enough in getting out of the wav
me iirst movement of the machine ana
the explosion We're simultaneous There
was no connection between the transmit
Ter ana the vessel in the lake. But a CO.
herer was placed at the edge of the lol,s
connected with a short wire which INNS
upward. \ bell stationed across The gar
deh 10 tne northern gallery, 1870 feet from
the Tahsmitter, was made to ring ia the
same way that the explosion was caused
me transmitter cannot be briefly de-
scfibed so as to be understood bv one
unacquainted with electrical contrivances
WAT 1t does is TO create electric sharks
when pass between metallic balls and pro
duee violent electrical oscillations which
IN turn generate electric waves which 90
out lnto space in the form Of ever-incraas-
ing spheres. These spheres have the pow
er Of passing through any material fho
waits OF a building or crowd OF peoole
presenting no appreciable impediment to
! the passage of the waves
The most essential part Of the receiver
IN the northern gallery where the hell is
paced, IS the eoherer which is thus ex-
planned by Prof. Clark
This htrle coherer is a most interesting
piece of apparatus. and consists of a glass
tube. n which are fitted two sliding plugs
of metal, 50 arranged that the distance
| between tlem in the center Of the tune
! is adjusta Die the space between The plues
being filled in with prepared metallic
powder. This powder when lying in its
normal condition, presents very high
resistance, 70 the passage Of the electrical
current oitel amOunCing to 290G) ohins
an ohm being the unit of electrical resist
anco When the electric waves from The
ransmitter strike this little coherer its
resistance Instantly decreases, often reach
ing as low a point as six or seven oalns.
Fhis enormous decrease in resistance al
lows the current from the single cell Of
Che dry battery 10 pass through The mag
net coils OF a telegraph relay, which is
Z
relay magnets by their magnetism, Blen
pun up their immature, and this armature
10 its turn makes an electric contact which
closes the local circuit Of the apparatus
aud clicks an ordinary telegraph sound
or, rings a large vibrating bell. fires can
ron or mine, starts or stops a steam en-
! glne, or In fact, can be made to accom-
plish anything chat we wish in this di-
recti0n
Mr. Clarke's exhibit is SO perfectly ad-
iusted chat a large siN-lnch vibrating ben
is placed 10 the case containing the re-
ceivcr is continually ringing out the Morse
signals IN. "" IN "" IN. "" and
attracting universal attention by its won
derful performance. There is no connec-
ion whatevcr between the transmttor ana
the receiver, ia fact the electrical waves
dc rot seem to be interrupted ia the least
10y the iron pipes which are used for the
fountains in the center Of the garden or
oy the large crowds of people which con-
tinually surround the apparatus
These exhibitions are given four times
each day az che electrical show. One cav
next week an exhinition win he given bv
which a lransrnitter placed on the roof of
Madison Square Garden is TO blow 90
vessel i've mixes away in New Jersey.