The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-05-12
TELEGRAPHY WITHOUT WIRES.
GREELY TELLS OF THE PROGRESS
OF HIS EXPERIMENTS.

Instruments OF Special Design That
Are Used in the WOrk-TransmIt-
ter Is on the state. War and Navy
building. and the Receiver at Ft.
Myer, Va.-SignaIs, Letters and
Words Have Been Sent and Re-
ceIved.
Washington, May 11.--Gen. Greely to-
day made the first authoritative state
ment as to the progress making In tho
development OF wireless telegraphy under
the auspices OF the United States signal
corps.
The important conclusion Is reached by
Gen. Greedy that the wireless system is
not likely to suppant the ordinary meth
Oh of telegraphic communication The
results so far obtained have been uncer-
tain.
Gen. Greely's statement is as follows:
Since the announcement of the tests
in space telegraphy by Senior Marconl
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 tests
ing the value Of this means of communi-
cation for military and other governmental
purposes.
Special Apparatus Used.
Especial apparatus has been designed
| and constructed for those tests, when
have already shown sufficient promise
to warrant further and systematic trials.
In view OF the great public interest,
and in order TO facilitate experiments by
other scientists in the United States. 1t -
deemed proper to put forth this state-
ment of the operations TO the present
time.
'In the experiments thus far several
forms of transmitters for the generation
of the Hertzian 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
| Marconl. This coil Is energized by .
three-quhrter horse power rotary trans
! former. furnishing 1e5 volts alternating
| potential, and this arrangement makes a
| very powerful aud efficient source of
/ Hertzian radiation.
| Arrangements for Experiment.
"The former receiver used has been SUBJ
stanlialy the Brankey Coherer, discov-
| cred Ia 1891, and the signals transmitted
| are recorded upon receiving taps
| "rhe transmltter has been mounted upon
| the west elevation of the state, war and
navy buildings. utilizing the present wood
! EN- nagpole as the vertical wire for tho
transmtter. The receiver was first place
ed al the old naval observatory grounds.
| about three-quarters of a mile distant.
| and later moved to the signal corps sta
ton at Fort Myer. Va
| During the experiments constant COM
muncation by Photograph and flag between
the transmitting and receiving stations has
been Kept up by the trained men Of the
regular signal corps, and this has greatly
| facilitated the work of experimenting.
what Has Been Accomplished.
| "slRnals letters and words have been
/ transmitted and received between these
stations but tho great delcacy and con-
! slant adjustment required In the present
receiver have made the transmission OF
regular messages as yet unreliable and un-
/ certain. The presence of large buildings ana
masses Of iron and metal necessarily pre-
sent in cities, make such places undesira-
bic for carrying on experiments of this
| character
'The distance over which signals may
be transmitted by a given apparatus Is
| function OF the hight of the vertical wire
used at either end. and this has naturally
| suggested the use of small gas balloons
| such as have already been used for signal
and other purposes by the signal corps. A
| supply OF these balloons has already been
| obtained and will be used for this purpose
| in the near future.
| VIII Not SuppIant Wires.
THAT there Is a field of usefulness for
! space telegraphy is undoubted, but that
1t win supplant TO a material extent the
use of wire for ordinary commercial teleg-
raphy Is not believed. Its value for con-
| nection between lighthouses and light
/ ships and the shore where cables cannot
now be permanently maintained will be
| great.
For signalling between ships at sea
| and 10 replace ordinary flag methods in
| use between naval vessels, II should prove
| invaluable, since no kind of weather,
neither fog, darkness nor storm avail to
| affect It's use.
THE use Of metal redectors to augment
| and direct the radiation 10 particular
! POINTS has already met with partial sue
/ cess and should be thoroughly investi-
| gated Al present the radiation proceeds
! from the transmitter in all directions and
| the same message can be received az any
/ point within the proper radius. at which
| a receiver Is placed. A satisfactory dir
| recting reflector and a receiver Of the
| proper electrical capacity, or, In other
| words tuned 10 the vibrations Of the par
| teular transmitier, would make great
advance in space biography and do much
| toward the extension Of its field of prac-
| deal usefulness.
| 'tWhnc secrecy of transmission Is among
| the probabilities the present stage of ex-
pertinent does not justify its positive pre-
/ diction."