The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-05-12
Wireless Telegraph Will Not Sup
plant Ordinary Method.
TESTS BY SIGNAL CORPS
GENERAL GREELY TELLS OF
THE PROGRESS MADE.
hesults So Far Obtained Have Been
acknowledgements Used In
Experiments-There Is, However,
a Field of Usefulness For lob
structions In Large Cities.

Washington, May 11.-General Greedy
today made the first authoritative
statement as 10 the progress made in
wireless biography under the auspices
of the United States signal corps. The
important conclusion is reached by
General Greedy that the wireless sys-
tenn is not likely to supplant the ordi-
nary method OF Geographic communi-
cation. The results so far obtained
have been uncertain. General Greedy $
statement is as follows:
Since the announcement of the tests
in space telegraphy by Senior Marconi
two years ago, the subject has been
under consideration by the signal corps
of the army, and recently experiments
have been begun with the object Of
thoroughly testing the value of their
means of communication for military
and other government purposes.
Special apparatus has been designed
and constructed for these tests which
have already shown sufficient promise
to warrant further and systematic
trials. In view of the great public in
terest, and in order to facilitate exper-
iments by other scientists in the United
States, it is deemed proper to put forth
this statement of operations to the
present time.
The Apparatus Used.
''TranSmitter-In the experiments
thus far, several forms of transmitters
for the generation of Hertsian waves
have been used, and much promise has
been realized from the use of large
alternating current coil in oil as a
generator, instead of the ordinary
Rhumkorff coil, employed by Marconi.
This coil is energized by three-horse
power rotary transformer, furnishing
125 volts, alternating potential, and this
arrangement makes a very powerful
ana efficient source of Hertsian radia-
ton.
'Receiver-The former receiver Used
has been substantially the Brankey
'coherer,' discovered in 1891. and the sig
nails transmitted are recorded upon
receiving tape.
The transmitter has been mounted
upon the west elevation of the state,
war and navy building, utilizing the
present wooden fiagpole as the vertical
wire for the transmitter. The receiver
was first placed at the old naval ob-
servatory grounds, about three-quar-
tiers of q mile distant. and later moved
to the signal corps station at Fort
Meyer, Va.
System AS Yet Unreliable.
Dul lHC tO.ialdAil
communication by heliograph AMI flag
between the transmitting and receiv--
ing stations has been kept up by the
trained men of the regular signal corps,
and this has greatly facilitated the
work of experimenting. Signal letters
and words have been transmitted and
received between those stations, out
the great delicacy and constant ad-
iustmcnt required in the present re-
ceiver hare made the transmission of
regular messages as yet unreliable and
uncertain.
The presence of large buildings and
arge masses of iron and metal neces
sarily present in cities, makes such
places undesirable for carrying on eX-
Deriments of this character. The dis
lance over which signals may be trans
nitted by a given apparatus is a func-
ion of the height of the vertical wire
Used in either end, and this has ma ur-
ally suggested the use of small gas
such as have already been
Used for signal and other purposes by
he signal corps. a supply of these
balloons has been obtained. and will be
lsed for this purpose in the near Gu