New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-03-06
SEEING AROUND A CORNER.
SERVING THE EYE AS THE TELEPHONE
DOES THE EAR.
a REMARKABLE INVENTION SAID TO HAVE BEEN

A REMARKABLE INVENTION SAID TO HAVE BEEN
MADE BY AN AUSTRIAN POLE.
a person standing or sitting before a simple
piece of apparatus that has been In common
use for about twenty years can easily hear
music articulate speech and recognize the
voice of friend hundreds Of miles away. The
mechanism employed is electrical. and the two
points between which the transmission occurs
are connected simply by wire. 1t Is now an
nounced that the sense Of vision can be served
In similarly complete and satisfactory manner
under like conditions.
Vienna dispatch to The London Chroni-
Gle" says. for instance: "A wonderful invention
has just been made in Austria, consisting OF an
apparatus called 'Fernseher' Gar-secr). The APP
paratus renders visible an object with all It's
colors situated around the corner, or at
great distance. by means Of the transformation
Of light waves into electric waves. In other
words. the machine conducts optic appear
ances along electric wires and renders them
visible in another place. 1t is said to be the
solution of problem which Edison has been
engaged for twenty four years. The owners OF
the patent which has been taken out are boast
ing that it will be the great attraction OF the
Paris Exhibition. The inventor is poor Polish
village schoolmaser named Szczepanik. The
apparatus Is In the shape of telephone box.
One will quickly perceive the difference be-
tween device OF this kind and a telescope.
The latter instrument permits one to see only In
a straight line and not around Il corner. The
curvature of the EARTH to say nothing of other
embarrassments interferes with long-distance
work in purely terrestrial observation. Be-
sides. the greater the distance the greater must
be the magnifyng power of the instrument.
1t may he inferred from the analogy afforded
by the telephone that the "Fernseher works
equally well at distance Of one mile or a hun
dred. and in spite of unlimited crookedness
along the route. The dust. haze, fog and other
impurities In the atmosphere are also a serious
obstacle to vision in horizontal direction. no
matter how excellent the optical means hitherto
employed. The medium through which cleo
tricity flows, on the other hand. transmits so
perfectly that the observation due to distance
is practically nil.
Oh course until the story resolves confrma-
ton 1t must be accepted with reserve. Details
are still lacking; and one Of the statements made
In regard to the Fernseher has already been
found to be inaccurate. Mr. Edison, while
busly occupied at his laboratory in West Or
ange. was consulted yesterday in regard to the
Vienna dispatch. He graciousy denied having
attempted to solve the problem with which
Herr SzcZepanik has been wrestling Not hav
ing studied the questions involved In this par
ticular enterprise. moreover, he was naturally
reluctant to express any opinion either as to the
possibility of a process such as has been here
described r the probability that the Vienna in
ventor had achieved practical success. In
time II may be discovered that the story Is in
correct in other particulars also.
While confederation refuta Is awaited II
is interesting to note one radical difference be-
tween the operation Of telephoning and that
which 1t is said Her Szczepanik has invented.
Hearing is consecutive proceeding. The
sound waves that go to make up tune or
a conversation come along in a rapid succession.
Tut at a time. long short. certain in
terval, Of seconds or minutes. Is required in or
der to transmit the message and ore wire VIII
do the business. But sight is instan taneous NO
matter how many are the Items In the landscape
image which one perceVes in a suitably TO-
cussed telescope they arc all there at time.
The whole Of the idea TO be conveyed Is pre-
scented simultaneously The observer may pro-
long his scrutiny for any one of many reasons.
But the natural processes essential TO his seeing
are such that, whether he fully perceiveS de-
tails or not. everything gets there at once. The
picture that he sees is made up of reflections
from an infinite number OF poBitsy simultaneous
~ transmitted. In some Of the systems already
Invented for telegraphing a picture the trans
hitting and receiving apparatus each includes
a sort of checkerboard. subdivided into minute
squares those of board being connected
with the correSpOndngly placed ones or the
other with separate wires large bunch,
ca BILE of several hundred or several thousand
strands Is necessary in these systems, In order
TO convey a lot of different messages (of light
and shade) at the same instant. The difficulty
of sending them all by one wire, OF sorting them
cut on arrival and distributing them TO their
proper squares on the checkerbOard has been
considered insurmountable II Herr Szczepanik
has done this and has also made 1t possible 90
reproduce colors we'll mere light and
shade he has wrought wonder that Will make
him famous for ages.