The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-04-16
NAN'SGRASP ON THE ETHER.
,,,cTJClL VALUE or MARCONI'S
WIRELESS TELEGRAPHE.

sending Messages Across the Ocean
w,,,,, Wircs-Enormous Profits of
,.,,. Cnrlo-A Blow to Irrational
,,..s"-..N study of French Beggnrs.
,ox,oy. April s.-Although there is much
,,h, about the practical value Of Marconl's
..ooriments in wireless telegraphy. there is no
,.,,,pr that his success in transmitting COM
z,rications rapidly and accurately between
,.,,.rd and France through the sole me-
.na,, n mir or ether has appealed to the pop
u,,r imagination Of Europe as no 9th er scien-
,so achievement of recent years has done.
HE accom- plishmcnt. as everybody knows. is
-, novel except in degree. He has merely
-,,od , few miles to the distance bridget by
..rier exuerimenters. Twelve or fifteen miles.
,,rhans. marked the limit that intelligent Gig
,oIs by induction had previously b cen carried.
u,rcopi has something more than doubled
.,is for the ether span between FolSstone and
poplogne measures some thlrty-two miles.
=, I, not i'm prubable. however. that the more
,ubitious and practical test OF telegraphing he.
,r,sn Paris and the English coast. which is
.hou, 10 l.. undertaken. will have a successful
issus before this letter appears in print.
sienor Marconi's statements have heen
..rad with much suspicion during the past
,eor or more by many scientific and practical
mon. Premature pts to exploit his dis
,ovsriss. II they are discoveries. and sweeping
.ssertions about tho conduering Of difficulties
xbich were not satisfactc rily demonstrated.
have been tho principal reasons for this in
.rsdulity, But the assured fact OF complete.
uninterrupted communication without wires
across the:Engllsh Channel has now brought
ths recognition and unprejudiced attention OF
the best authorities to Slgnor Marconi's work.
Thu most authoritative report yet mado upon
Il by a scientific man is one Just written by DR..
] A. Fleming Of University College. London.
Altar his examination Of the instruments ana
tests made at Folkstone this week. DR..
Fleming SAYS:
81 cannot. help thinking. that the time has
arrived for a little more generous apprecin-
,ion By his scientific contem ~poraries of the
fact that Signor Marconi has by minute atten-
tion To detail. and by the important addition
OF the long vertical air wire. translated one
method OF space telegranhv out OF the region
Of uncertain delicate laboratory experiments
and placed IL on the same footing as regards
certainty OF action and ease of manipulation.
40 far as present results show. as any of the
other methods Of electric communication en-
blowing a continuous wire between the two
places. This is no small achievement. Tho
apparatus. moreover. Is ridiculously simple
anil not costly. With the exception OF the
flagstaff and $50 feet of vertical wire at each
end. he can place on.a small kitchen table The
appliances. costing not more than f1GO in all,
for communicating across thirty or even 100
II l--. N,Nl Tho a.~AA st.NK =.
means he has placed Il lichtship on the Good
wins in instant communication dav and night,
with the South Fore!aud lighthouse. A touch
on a key on board the iightship suffices 70 ring
an electric bell in the room at South Foreland.
twelve miles away. with the same ease and
certainty with which one can summon the
servant to ones bedroom at a hotel. Al at
tendant now sleeps hard by the instruments
q: South Foreland. II at any.moment he is
awakened 10y tine bell rung from the lightship
he is able to rinG M IN return the Ramsgate
lifeboat, and. il need be. direct il TO the spot
where its.services are required. within a few
seconds OF the arrival Of the call for help. In
the presence OF the enormous practical i'm
portance Of this fea. alone. and OF the certain
Is with which communication can now he
established between shin and shore without
costly cable or wire, the scientific criticisms
which have been launched by other inventors
against Signor Marconi's methods have failed
altogether in their appreciation OF the practi.
cal significance of the results he has brought
about.
The public. however. are not in the least
Interested In learning the exact need Of merit tc
be apportioned to various investigators In the
upbullding OF this result. They do. however,
want to know whether the new method o.
eOmmunipati0n aNrOaa tho Channel aGta btiRha1
by:the expenditure OF a few hundred pounds
will take the place to any considerable extent
Of submarine cables. which have cost man,
thousands of.pounds to lay and equip. They dc
a,so desire to learn what'reasons. II any. will
prevent every lighthouse aud lightship rounC
our coast.from being forthwith furnished witt
the necessary apparatus for placing it in in
Simultaneous and secure'connection with the
mainland. They also hope to hear that tn,
methods can be applied to enable ships to b'
able In addition to communicate instantly.ir
case OF need with shore stations.
To understand how far these things can b.
done. and TO appreciate the necessary or pres
ent limitations Of the method. 1t is requisite L
explain that each.vertical wire or rod connecte,
10 a Marconi receiving or sending apparatus
has a certain 'shpere OF influence Signo
Marconi has proved by experiment up to Ger
saNni Imits tldt the distance 70 wnlcn eHoctlSi
signalling extends varies as the square OF tn
height OF the rod. A wire twenty feet.hiGh car
fles the effective signal one mile. forty fee
nigh four miles. eighty feet sixteen miles. ant
20 on. Up to the present time he has not We
discovered any method of shielding any par
ucular rod 80 as to render it responsive only t
signals coming from one station and not from
al others within its sphere OF influence. II
spite, however. Of what has been said. there |
no inherent impossibility In attaining thiJ de
sired result. At present all signals sent from
'e South Foreland to France affect the re
eelVer on board the Cool win lightshir. Blu
inns oilers no dificultv. In an ordinary:clectri
pelsystem in a hotel the servant recogni2es.th
room from which the signal comes by means {
simple annaratus called an Indicator. and
'eryslmilar arrangement can he applied to dis
anguish the origin OF an ether wave signi
"heh several instruments are ut work in
common region. Subsequent Inventions, ms a
% perhaps. the PRONUNCIATION of some neces
haty Board OF Trade regulations for the use Z
oe e'heT. will prevent official ether wave re
sewers from being disturbed by vaSrant elec
vic waves sent out by unauthorized persons i