The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1899-01-03
WIRELESS TELEGRAPHY.
1t is Claimed That the Principle is Due
to "A Frenchman's Discovery.


WASHINGTON, Jan. 2-speciol.-'rhe
following is a translation of am article
by NJ. Ducretet explaining his theory
which has just furnished interesting Irac-
teal results.
"The starting point was the discovery
bv Henri Hertz. I'm 1859, OF electric waves
analogous TO waves of light. A ma nine
invented By him enabled one to- perceive
the diffusion of electric vibration al a
short distance.
professor Popon. a Russian savant
was on the point of applying this dis
covery to telegraphy I'm 1850 when ne
learned that VI. Brandy, q Frenchman,
had already invented the tube seen IN
my machine and which Is the essenilal
point. as this puts in motion the vlectflc
currents or, 10 use the tecuh'eii teii"'
the Inducing currents.
M Brandy has not received the pro-
per share of praise for his important IN
vention. in 1890, he had already Observed
the action of electrical radiation n metal
filings. free or agglomerated. placed I'D an
insulatOr between two conductors FORM
ing circuit made by battery ana a
galvanomoter The filings, primitively in
sulated or of very high electric resist
ance become conductors when they are
struck by an electric wave This con-
ductibnity IS destroyed by blow Tut re-
asserts itself when the filings are struck
by a new wave
M. Brauiy has given the name Of ra-
dio-conductOrs 90 his tubes made Of il-
ings This name suggests thdt their CON
ductlbilitv springs from the influence OF
electric radiation. produced by any source
whatever. The sensitiVeness OF tms
transmittcr is extremely great.
professor Popoh first used his own ma
chine TO register electric waves produced
by atmospheric disturbances. he hen ce-
monstrated that it could DE practically
employed in the navy for lone-dlslance
signals. England Immediately COM
menced experiments with machine pased
on the same principles and with which
IL is said. messages have been sent be-
tween Bournemouth ana the Isle or
Wight.
Experiments have been made I'm Paris
and quite recently M Erest. where Mr..
Tissot has successfully communicated
with a point $500 meters G.905 foeD dis
tant. ! have covered a distance of kilo-
meters Gas miles). and the transmission
was as clear even through fog as be-
tween the Pantheon and my laboratory,
rue Claude Bernard ! have reason TO be-
lievo that stu greater distances will be
compassed The chief difficulty will be to
find two points at sufficient distance and
at the same time high enough not TO be
hidden from one another. The success
that has crowned our efforts Ia due 20 the
improvements / have made i'm the re-
ceiving machine and parti ,ularly in tho
Branly tube.
1T can not be concluded from our eX-
periments that Hertz telcsrapay will take
the place of ordinary electric biography.
but experiments already prove the value
of this system for the exchange Of signals
between. ships and the shore. for light
houses and exploring service and for
communication in our colonie5-African
and Asiatic. In town. posts could be rea-
Oily established by using windows or tow
ers on high buildings very far apart The
only objection would be that all ma
chimes favorably situated would receive
the kilograms from one transmitter This
would render kilograms public property
unless secret alphabet were adopted.
THE receiving machine may be utilized
for other purposes than communicating
the current 10 a telegraphic machine. a
row OF incandsscent lamps can be light
ed. for. example. or the fuse OF a mino
touched on. II is merely a question OF
sufficient force
Commercial Agent Atwell at Roubaix
says
"rhs experiments spoken Of by NJ
Ducretet are now being carried on az
his Paris laboratory. On the top OF the
building passers-by may see a mast 20
meters (65 feeD high. A wire passes
aloAg the top ana ~ connected below
wilh an electric conductor. a Ruhmkorff
coil and an accommodating battery made
after a special plan. The machine IS set
in motion by pressing on a handle BY
manipulating this. a telegram can be
sent "a well as by an operator seated
before his machine II would seem that
the message would stop when II reaches
the end Of the wire This Is not the case.
for II Is transmitted 10 a receiving ma
chine 4 kilometers Gas miles, distant. To