The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1899-04-06
WIRES UNNECESSARY
Marconi's Experiments in
Wireless Telegraphy.
80 TROUBLE WITH APPARATUS
Messages Have Been Sent Across the
English Channel In All Kinda
II Weather.

London, March S0.-Guglielmo Mar
eoni, the inventor, who recently. after
long delay. obtained permission from
the French government to establish a
station on the French coast for the
purpose of experimenting with WIRE
less telegraphy between England and
France, announces that he has con-
1ucted successful experiments betw cen
the South Foreland. county of Kent,
and BOulogne, at the mouth of the
Lianne.
The Times this NOR ming prints 100
word dispatch. the first press message
by the Marconi system Of wireless tele
graphy, describing the experiments be-
tween the South Foreland and Bou-
logne. The experiments were conduct
ed with the Morse code, which was
read as distinctly as if the termini had
been connected with wirss. The South
Foreland consists of a chalky cliff
about 200 feet in height. projecting
into the North sea, and having two
lighthouses, with an elevation of 312
feet.
Signor Marconi's system of wireless
telegraphy has been in practical opera
tion of the English coast for several
months between the South Foreland
lighthouse and the East Goodwin
lightship, distance of IL miles. The
distance from South Foreland light
house to Boulogne-Sur-Mer is 80 miles,
the greatest previous distance covered
having been Is miles, between Poole
and Bournemoutl,, in England. An
experience of IA months had shown
him that no kind Of weather would
stop the working of his apparatus.
The vertical conductor he used
the main feature of his system, and
has found that the distance to viii,
signals may be sent varies according l.
the square of the length Of this con-
ductor. For signaling I8 miles he used
conductor 80 feet high, and in his
application to M. Lockroy. he contend
ed that with a conductor ia feet high
he could establish communication be-
tween points on opposite sides of the
Strait of Dover and even 60 that dis
lance 10 miles better. His experiments
have already proved that when such a
vertical wire or conductor is employed,
no hindrance to signalling is caused by
hills or other obstacles, or by the curv.
ature of the earth.
One of his most interesting and val
liable experiments was the installation
fitted up last autumn between Osborne
house, Isle of Wight, and the royal
yacht on which the Prince of Wales
was recuperating after his accident.
This gave an opportunity to study the
effect of intervening hills, and as the
yacht moved about to various positions,
doubts were set at rest as to the posi-
bility of telegraphing across long
stretches of land. Communication be-
tween lightships and shore is matter
of great Importance, and the wireless
system between South Foreland light
house and East Goodwin lightshi p
worked through the fiercest storms OF
the latter part of February without in.
terruption, the messages being flashed
continually from ship to shore. and
vice versa. Signor Marconi is much
the most successful experimenter
among the many who have worked
along the same lines. He is now in his
26th year. He is an Italian. and it
was in Italy that he began his special
work. The Italian government paid
him large sum of money for his in
vention to be used on warships. From
Italy he went to England, and his sue
cess has already interested Emperor
William, who has instructed German
experts to experiment with the wireless
system for the benefit Of the German
army and navy. He recently, in the
course of q lecture on the system. illus
trated it's principle by likening it to
that upon which tuning-fork will re-
spond to vibrations caused BY striking
another tuning fork near it.