New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-09-10
GTGLIELNO H1RCONL
THE MAN WHO FIRST MADE PRACTICAL sue
CESS OF WIRELESS rELEGRApHY

Signor Gugliemo Marconi. whose name has
been in the mouths If all civilized people during
the last year and who is popularity known as
the inventor Of a method Of telegraphy which
dspenses with wires between stations is an
Italian by birth. and partly 50 by parentage.
His mother English woman; but his
father was native Of Italy His birthplace
was Bologna and he is about twenty-six years
Of age. Since 1895 however. ne has been resi-
dent Of England and has apparently Identified
himself permanently with that country Both
his scientific and his financial hackers live there
Marconi had demonstrated the possibility OF
signalling without wires b. means II the Hert-
zian waves. before he left Italy but not until
he reached England did any one show much
interest in him. For ten years or more Mr.
Precce then at the head Of the Geographic de-
partmcnt Of the British Postal Service. had
been working away at the problem Of wireless
/ teegraphy. but he had employed a somewhat
different principle from that Of the young Ital-
ian and secured less remarkable results. But
with beautiful generosity he promptly recog-
nizcd the superior merit Of Marconrs plan. and
gave him material aid in developing the new
system Experiments were made. both out in
an open plain as at Salisbury and inside a
city district filled with great buildings. The
]
used by the Italian proved beyond a doubt
before the close Of lS97.
Three incidents Of much significance occurred
last year Regular service was established be-
tween Alum Bay on the Isle OF Wight and the
main land at BOurnemouth. a distance of egh-
teen miles Lord Kelvin. who has made many
interesting investigations into electrical phe-
nomcna and who devised the 'slphon record
err" an instrument that was used in the first
submarine cable work sent message over the
Bourncmouth-Alum Bay route last year, and
formally paid for il. TO emphasize the CONNER
clal character Of the transaction.
After the Prince of Wales had sufficiently re-
covered from the injury to his knee last sum
mer to embark his yacht. it remained in the
vicinity of the Isle Of Wight. which Osborne
House. one Of the Queens r sidences. IS stu
atcd Most Of the time for sixteen days the
yacht lay in Cowes Bay. about two miles from
Osborne House. During that period frequent
reports were sent to Her Majesty on the cond-
ton Of His Royal Highncss once in while
the yacht would put out to sea. but communi-
cation was maintained nevertheless. often at a
distance of seven or eight miles. During this
period l50 messages were sent by the Marconi
apparatus. and no hitch Of any kind occurred.
Regular service between the South Foroland
/ station on ldnl anu the Fast 'f''HNi' ''"'i'
Lightshp was established Christmas Eve
1S9S The interval spanned here is only about
seven miles.
Two more advances we're made after the new
came in The first messages across the
English Channel we're sent last March. The
distance between the South Foreand and Bou-
logne is yariousy put at tWer,y-eight and thir-
tv-two miles Early in the summer a series Of
tests we're made with warships The French
naval vessel Nienue communicated with both
France and England when at a distance Of
fortv-two miles from the former and twelve or
fourteen from the latter.
An important feature Of the Marconi system
is wire arranged vertically n''r the sending
apparatus. and "A similar one near the receiver
Without his attachment the system will not
work So we'll as with it, At Bourncmouth ana
Alum Bay the pole up which the wire was led
was TO feet high at first. but later ii Was found
feasible TO reduce the height 10 NJ feet. The
wire on the royal yacht ran up tie funnel and
attained an elevation Of " feet. The East
Goodwin Lghtship sustains the wire at height
Of 81 feet on mast The South Foreland pole
for communication with the lghtship IS only
about 80 or 90 feet high. But for the Bouogne
service a pole $50 feet high is employed. The
elevation to which the wire is carried bears a
definite relation To the distance to be covered
although the latter is also DEF ndent upon the
"induction COLI OF the Geographic apparatus
II this be powerful enough To compel a sparA
to leap across a gap Of twelve or fifteen inches
it will transmit Hcrtzian waves for thirty miles
or more
Marconi WAS the special attraction and lion
at the annual meeting Of the British Association
for the Advancement of Science. held in Dover
last week His attendance upon this meeting
was his last public appearance ia England be-
fore sailing for America.