Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-11-01
AIR BoRE DOT AND DASH.
Marconrs system Proved success
by Neutrality-suspicious. Weak Points.
(New York Journal, October 5lst)

(New York Journal, October 3st)
over twenty-one miles of the Atlantic
Ocean, over housetops, church spires
towering office buildings, the Marconi
electrical ripples successfully carried and
dropped messages between two moving
warships yesterday.
The naval test at sea proved:
That within a radius Of twenty-one
miles messages can be transmitted by
wireless telegraphy with all the accuracy
and precision of an ordinary land line
1t proved that hills, nigh buildings.
wires. and wind currents do not break
the force of the electrical waves. aud d.
not interfere in the slightest degree with
the transmission of messages.
1t failed 10 prove that when two
points" are In communication they are
free from interference from third
point telegraphng wirelessiy az the
same time.
1t failed TO prove that a message sent
into the air is not the common property
of any person who happens TO have the
MarcOni receiver.
There was nothing shown, for example
that would prevent message sent from
one ship to another in the same fleet be-
ing taken and read equally well by an
enemy's vessels which happened % be
in the neighbOrhood.
BY a prearrangement operations on
board the New York were conducted by
MarcOni himself. one OF his assistants.
named Bradfeld, operated the instrument
OF the Massachusetts, while Telegrapher
Bowden, another Alarcon expert was
stationed i'm the lighthouse on the High
lands of Navesink
From the Marconi transmitter on the
lower floor Of the lighthouse annex the
wire was carried through the window, W.
the tall flagstaff, and up a sort Of jury
topmast making its total length from
the ground about $50 feet. Through the
hatchways of the two warships the wires
were extended to the same height
The message which the New York, as
she passed down the North river, sert 10
the Massachusetts, lying at her anchor
age al Thirty fifth street, was read plain
~ in dots and dashes at Navesink. nine
teen miles away. 1t was:
Follow us down at / T. NJ
This message was the overture 10 the
telegraph testing programme, which in
Guided about seventy-hve messages, ali
of which had been prepared by the Naval
Board and were especially difficult. Every
five minutes during her course down the
river the New York telegraphed over
the constantly increasing distance 10 the
Massachusetts,. and the battleship replied
to the flagship without break. All the
messages in the correspondence were
caught at Navesink, and a careful record
OF them was kept by Lieutenant-Com-
mander Blish, the naval representative
at the lighthouse
II was during the voyage down the
river that the official test for 'interfer-
ence" was made. without any warning
10 Marconi Mr. Bowden, at Naveslnk. a.
the direction Of Lieutenant Blish, seot
several messages in quick succession 10
the flagship. The result was message
from the Massachusetts, to the Ne"
York:
..Tavesink has successfulls interfered.
r K H." But few minUtes later t1e
liobf-house caught Marconfs explanati:n
mat one of the ground wires on the
New York had not been secured properly
which allowed the stray message 10 break
I'm on the conversation between the two
warshiDs.
4 point had been scored against Mar
conf. however. the only one OF the day.
And the report will read that the inter
ference test was failure meaning OIL
course. a failure from the standpoint OF
Marconi. whose claim IS that such III
reference is impossible.
~
ing began before either OF the warshlps
was visible from the lighthouse. Win
ont a wire. without any apparent connec-
ton. messages kept dropping out OF space
as ~ some supernatural power were huri-
inc them down from the clouds.
The New York came I'm sight about IL
o'clock and. although messages from the
Nrlssachusetts continued 10 Isin down az
,st as the receiving instrument could
ael them Off, II was fully two hours be
fo,e she could be made out through the
spv-glass, creeping slowly toward the hft-
ship. ,,..s,
Then the New York wired the Massa
cbusetts put out 10 sea i'm q straight
line. keeping careful account OF your as
tances." ...
The black smoke of the Massachusetts'
few minutes later, trailing back to-
ward the Highlands showed that she
was obeying
The telegraphng continued for more
than an hour with just as much accuracy
as that with which two telegraph ore
rators converse between Nonkers and
New York. Then. when about fourteen
miles Of gray ocean were between me
two ships syllabies began 10 drop oit
Of words. Sentences were rained dowa
I'm which articles and propositions were
missing Later longer words began 10
disappear. until finally the Massa-
chuseutss messages became uninte'hsi-
bic at the lighthouse, although she was
evidently in communication with the