The Washington bee., 1899-04-22
LONG DISTANCE Talking.
The Latest Development OF
Telegraphy Sending Mes
sages Through the Air.
WIRES NOT NECESSARY.
M Ducretet, the French Expert, De
spatches and Receives Communi-
cations Distance of f3 Miles.


Wireless TsIsgraphy Makes Enormous
strides in Europe p orfsssor MarcOni,
the Most Successful of Many Experiment
ers, Only 25 Years OId-Bsgan Work In
Italy and Is Now wsrItny.
NJ Ducretet can now send wireless
telegraph messages distance of thir-
teen miles. He is the inventor whose
researches in aerial telegraphy have
received the encouragement of the
French Government ever since the re-
markable success of MarcOni in Eng
land.
{; :. kS.a;ul General GOwdy had re-
ceived SIFructiOnS from Washington
to ecp 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 99
feet high. He says that he has ac-
cOmplished, in the face of great diff
culties. the automatic registration of
messengers.
Wireless telegraphy made enormous
strides last year in Europe. Al
though it has been experimental with
in this country with more or less sue
cess. ii is doubtful if many Americans
realize that Il system covering Il dis
tance of twelve miles has been in
practical operation off the English
coast all Winter
This is between the South FOreland
lighthouse and the East Goodwin
lghtShip. BY the use of MarcOniS
system messages are flashed cOntin-
ually from ship to shore and vice YER
Sa 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 lightShip to communicate to those
on shore the plight of vessels that
have vPntured to close to that grave
yard of good ships. the Goodwin
Sands This was notably the case
several months ago when the large
ship Elbe went aground.
Professor Marconi. the most success
full of the many pXperimenterS who
have worked on this problem along
identical principles. is only twenty
five years old. and his researches have
already won him a fortune. He be-
gan the work in Italy. his native
country and the italian Government
hastened to- pay him handsome
price for his invention for use on war
ships Then the young professor
went to England, where he was re-
ceived with open arms. The light
house lightship equipment is one of
the results of his sojourn in England.
Confident that he could transmit
messages a much greater distance
than twelve miles. MarcOni proposed
to establish communication of this
kind between the English and French
coasts. hut the French Government
for long time withheld its consent
from any such enterprise. Viewing
the progress of wireless telegraphy in
England and Italy. however. and the
fact that the German Emperor was
dabbling i'm il for the benefit Of his
army and navy. the French Govern
ment at length withdrew its OppOSi-
tion to the trans Channel system.
which MarcOni is row working at. and
mt the same time gave its assistance
and support to native inventor NJ.
Ducretet. who had been working
along the same lines without much en-
cOuragement.
On top of the tall building i'm Paris
where NJ. Ducretet had his laboratory
is reared mast. through the top OF
which passes wire which is connect
ed i'm the laboratory below with an
electric conductor. a RuhmkOrff coil
and an accommodating battery made
after a special plan.
The greater the distance between
stations the higher must the receiving
and transmitting Instruments be in
stalled above the surface of the earth
That is because the earth's horizon
must not intervene between them
Strangely enough. though. il has been
found i'm short distance experiments
that even stone walls do not interfere
with the current of diminish the pre-
cisiOn of messages.
Without entering into technical
flies shout n discovery which presents
many pOinS of mystery even to scien-
fists. it may be explained for the benP-
fit Of laympn that the principle Of
wireless telegraphy is really the prin-
ciple by which one tuning fork will
give ont note in response to the vi
brationS produced by the striking of
another tuning fork near by.