The San Francisco call., 1899-10-10
WONDERFUL MARCONl.

ID FNTANIN FRANKLIN died one hundred ana
y nine years ago. FRACTIONAL electricity was known
- before his day but he was the first to identity
il as an element common with the lightning. Lightning
and thunder were great natural wonders that early at
tracted the attention and the awe OF self-conscious
man Two thousand nine hundred and seventeen
wears ago David in his psalm Of thanksgiving for de-
livery from his enemies and from the hands OF Saul
said. And He sent arrows and scattered them;
lightning and discounted them" The Book OF Job
presents that anthropomorphic view OF Deity which
was adopted by Milton in Paradise Lost and by
Everest Parry in his "Guerre Celeste" In address
ing lob he is asked "Canst thou send ightnings that
they may 20. and say unto thee, Here we are?
In 1z72 Franklin drew upon himself the charge of
irreverence when he sent his kite up to a thunder
cloud and took upon his knucde the spark OF elec-
tricity brought down the string. In the one hun
dred and iorty-seven years gone since that day the
world has been continually awakened 10 the impor-
tance OF his discovery which the greatest sclen
thc fact discovered in the eighteenth century. 1t
proved the existence OF pervading influence in the
universe as general as ether and air as tenuous as
either and yet the storehouse OF a power nothing
can resist In that spark that struck the philosopher
knuce was the seed OF the telegraph, telephone, the
cables under the the cars moved rapidly on land
OF the lights that brighten myriad OF cities, the heat
that reduces 1000 lOr human use, the CyIu6I tIldl
records the human voice and the process that pictures
things in action and reproduces them upon screen.
But the most wonderful OF all the marvels captured
from that thundercoud has been left to crown the
nineteenth century as the wonder of all the ages in
Marconis wireless telegraphy 1t has demonstrated
that as the discharges of electricity between cloud and
earth between the positive and the negative, need no
directing medium. wire no kite string, so the use
OF electricity as medium for conveying language and
transferring thought requires no wire There is in
the air itself with the same enuity as electricity, the
capacity to transmit the controlled current with the
same facility ior opening and closing the circuit and
arculating the words and signs OF message as has
been supposed possible only by the of wire.
The great international yacht race off Sandy Hook
at New York has transferred Marconi's discovery
from the stage OF interesting laboratory experiment
to the field OF assured practicality Indeed this had
been done when The Call received by wireless teeg-
raphy the news across the water that the Sherman
was sighted bearing the returning California Volun-
eers But that demonstration did have the bene-
fit OF the worlds attention, though it was the means
of securing the inventor to use the yacht race as an
international occasion for conquesng the worlds ad-
mission OF the practical character of his discovery.
Standing on the deck of a steamer in close company
with the racing boats much of the time fifteen or more
miles from shore, he noted every tack, position,
change in speed and incident every boats length
OF the course and transmitted it all through the air TO
shore whence it came by special wire three thousand
FIVE hundred miles to The Call office, where it was
bulletined within average of two minutes from the
time he committed to the airl Other reporters OF
the event had to watch the yachts from the shore
whence correct observation of their position and
their work is impossible reporters were as near by
he, with the facilities for observation the
this wizard this prince OF the powers OF the
air. flung his message into space, and if the cable
service were organized for transmission could have
been in London and all the capitals OF Europe and on
the far side OF the planet promptly as it came one
seventh of the world circumference to San Francisco
The mind is conscious OF the effort needed to prasD
this wonder just the minds of men were conscious
Of exertion and change in methods of thought and
reasoning to take full hold upon what Franklin
demonstrated and its first withdrawal from laboratory
seclusion nearly hundred years later in Morses in
vention OF the telegraph.
The civilized mind, however, does not work IS
slowly as it did fifty and hundred years ago. The
march of invention and the economic application OF
science have frightened and sharpened the intellect
yet Marconi has taxed the trained intelligence OF the
world as OF his predecessors have done The
application of his discovery has as yet no bounds
HAcu ms survey must come by experiment and
practice But is within the range of possibility that
soon wireless teegraphy will be necessity in the
equipment of every sea-going steamer, and that
progress OF voyage, health Of passengers storm and
prospective wreck far out at sea will be common
feature in the news of every day.
The Call is gratfed to have had part In the
wonderful work of demonstrating Marconis discovery
which easily subordnaes all that had preceded it and
appears destined to stand alone supreme isolated in
its awe-inspiring influence for an age to come
He has answered afirmatively the challenge to
JOB. He has sent the lightnings that they may 90.
and say unto him, Here we are"