The times., 1899-04-15
WIRELESS TELEeRAPHY.
The First Long-Distnncc Experiment
Made by the SixnnI Cnrnx


Made by the signal Corps.
The first long distance experimen. in
| wireless telegraphy made by the War Sig
nal Corps was made yesterday between the
top of the library mausard OF the State,
War. and Navy Building in Washington
and the cross-trees of the flagstaff at the
Naval Observatory and Hygienic Museum
| In Massachusetts Avenue extended.
i'or two or three days there had been
experiments in adjustment in the cleo
trlcal experiment room OF the library
Prof. Fields. an electrical expert who has
been connected with Lieutenant Squier in
college experiments and who is king
with the lieutenant in another branch of
| enquiry. has given some little counsel
when an obstinate condition presented it.
self. and Colonel Allen. General GreeIy's
chief assistant. has been able TO do consil-
cradle toward the perfection OF arrange
ments for the test which is but prelimI-
nary 10 the greater one of sending mes
sages between the War Library mansard
and Fort Myer flagstaff, six miles away.
| between which and the War Library .see
Observatory is in direct line. Lieutenant
SQuier and Sergeant Barth have done the
bulk OF actual preparatory work
-Four heavy wires were run from the
experiment room to the top CT the man
| sard. They were connected with a dynamo
and operated through a Tesla induction
coil, which intensiiies and breaks the cur
rent into millions OF chunks per minute.
The electric current passes into the trans
mitter or wave producer. with two brass
ball electrodes. on the sides OF which the
sparks of electricity spread of into space
IN rings, constantly growing larger and
supposedly constantly losing yihratory en-
ergy as they expand
II is because OF this constantly growing
wave circle that it is necessary TO have
elevation for the wireless telegraph instru-
ments, for so soon as a wave circle gets
large enough to hit the ground it is imme-
diateiy taken up into the general terrestrial
magnetic system. To be seryiceable in
wireless telegraph the electric wave must
reach the earth through the receiver.
which grounds the current and makes an
earth return to the point of sending. 1t is
necessary in wireless telegraphy as in
that employing wire TO have an electrical
circuit. the current going by atmospheric
medium to the receiver and returning
through the ground to the sender.
II was expected several days ago to work
direct with Fort Myer at once, and instru-
ments were taken over there, but ii was
found by outdoor experiment that long
distance work must be come up TO gradu-
ally so that the adjustment may be ac-
quired by actual experiment.
Colonel Allen suggested the Observatory
experiment. which began from the window
OF the experiment station on top of the
State. War. and Navy Building a few
days ago. ii is whispered. The window
was not found high enough TO clear some
of the buildings on the route the wave had
to take. The very top OF the mansard
and the cross-tree of the fiagpole. which is
higher than the Naval Observatory, were
finally decided on. and the experiment yes
terday was an unqualified success, though
it took Marconi several years to reach the
point reached by the United States Signal
Corps in two weeks.
Lieutenant Squier went 10 the ODserya-
tory yesterday morning with several Sig
nal Corps operators. He had with him the
receiver, the mahogany board on which
are what appear to be two relays, and a
sounder. similar to those used in wire
telegraphy. One OF the relays seems. on
closer observation. TO be a bit peculiar.
The top of IL has a small glass tube be-
tween two brass pillars. and against this
the lever of the armature rests. except
when the electric wave comes rolling along
Then ii flies back. opening the circuit be-
tween this apparent relay and the real re-
lay and the sounder. which ticks the dot
or dash as il is licked in the old style tele-
graph where wire is used.
The nickel and silver filings in the little
glass tubes centre Just opposite where the
armature lever rests. This lever is called
the decoherer. 1t separates the particles
of the filings by transmitting to them an
electric current from a storage battery or
dynamo. But when the wireless teles-
raphy wave comes along ii causes the
filings 10 cohsre and make one OF the most
perfect electrical conductors known to sci
ence.
The receiver and the batteries needed in
its operation were drawn up to the mast
head by the use of flag halliards. and Lieu
tenant Squier and a sergeant were drawn
up by similar means. They could be seen
from the top OF the State. War and Navy
Building They signaled that they were
ready and the sending button was pressed
by Colonel Allen. with Prof. Fields, Ser
geant Barth. and other signal officers
standing by.
Are you there. Moriarity?" was the first
message. II was suggested by the speck
seen on the flagstaff.
Are you there" came all right. and
then there a buzzing Further ad-
justing was needed There were signals 10
the men on the mansard and another mes
sage was sent. II seemed to be received
all right. so the words, "Greely sends
greeting 10 Marconi' were flashed across
the realms of space, and while they were
being taken down on the receiver in the
poles top they may have also licked
themselves of on the receiver Marconi was
probably at that very moment operating
on the banks of the English Channel. far
away.
During the morning there were frequent
buZzings, but toward noon the receivers
adjustment became better. and nearly all
the messages sent by Colonel Allen were
delivered in good order TO the studious
looking men away on top of the flagstaff
When lunch time arrived the instruments
and the men were lowered to the ground
and the little group on the State War.
and Navy mansard climbed down the iron
stairs that lead to the library floor.
Lieutenant Squier got back soon after,
and all the wireless telegraphers took an
hour OIL to celebrate the experiment but
they did it mildly. for the work went on
as usual in Signal Corps headquarters all
the afternoon.
The Personal Equation.