The evening times., 1899-03-28
WIRELESS TELEGRAPHY.
Successful Experiments Of VI. Eucre
tet, a French inventor

tet, a French Inventor.
NJ Ducretet can now send wireless tsle-
graph messages a distance of thirteen
miles. He is the inventor whose research
es in aerial telegraphy have received the
encouragement of the French government
ever since the remarkable success CT Mar
conf in England
dispatch from Paris states that United
States Consul General Gowdy had received
instructions from Washington to keep the
Government informed of French progress
in this important branch of invention, and
he applied to NJ. Ducretet for summary
Of his discoveries. In reply, the electrician
communicated the above fact, adding that
his messages are dispatched and received
at the submits of masts 80 feet high. He
says that he has accomplished, in the face
of great difficulties. the automatic regis
tratiCn of messages.
Wireless telegraphy made enormous
strides last year in Europe. Although il
has been experimental with in this coun-
try with more or less success it is doubt
full if any Americans realize that sys-
tenn covering a distance of twelve mi es
has been in practical operation off the En-
glish coast all the winter.
This Is between the South Foreland
lighthouse and the East Goodwin lightship
BY the use of Marconi's system messages
are flashed continually from ship to short
and vice versa without the aid of wire
In this way many lives and much valuable
property have been saved since it has been
possible for the men tossed in the light
ship to communicate to those on shore the
plight OF vessels that have ventured too
close to that graveyard of good ships, the
Goodwin Sands. This was notably the case
several months ago when the large ship
Elbe went aground.
Prof. Marconi, the most successful OF
the many experimenters who have worked
on this problem along Identical principles
is only twenty-five years old, and his re-
searches have already won him fortune
He began the work in Italy, his native
country. and the Italian government has
tened to pay him a handsome price for his
invention for use on warships. Then the
young professor went to England, where he
was received with open arms. The light
house lightship equipment is one OF the
results of his sojourn in England.
Confident that he could transmit mes
sages much greater distance than twelve
miles, Marconi proposed to establish COM
munication Of this kind between the Eng
lish and French coasts, but the French
government for long time withheld its
consent from any such enterprise.
Viewing the progress of wireless teleg-
the fact that the German Emperor was
dabbling in 1t for the benefit of his army
and navy, the French Government ar
length withdrew its opposition to the
trans Channel system, which Marconi is
now working at. and at the same time
gave its assistance and support to a native
inventor, NJ Ducretet who had been work
ing along the same lines without much en-
couragement
On top OF the tall building in Paris
where NJ. Ducretet has his laboratory is
reared mast, through the top of which
passes a wire which is connected in the
laboratory below with an electric conduct
or, Ruhmkorff coil and an accumulating
battery made after special plan
The greater the distance between sta
tions the higher must the receiving and
transmitting instruments be installed
above the surface of the earth That is
because the earth's horizon must not in
tervene between them. Strangely enough,
though, il has been found in short dis
tance experiments that even stone walls
do not interfere with the current or di-
minish the precision of messages.
without entering into technicaIities
about discovery which presents many
points OF mystery even 10 scientists. it may
be explained for the benefit of laymen that
the principle OF wireless telegraphy is re-
ally tho principle by which one tuning
fork viii give out a note in response TO
the vibrations produced by the striking
OF another tuning fork near by.