The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-04-15
WIRELESS TELEGRAPHY
Is Given a Successful Experiment In
Government Building.

Washington, April 15.-Col G.. o.
Squier and his assistant Sergeant Bath
of the signal corps, conducted a success
full experiment in wireless telegraphy
again today. The regular induction coil
of the Marconi system was discarded
and a new one, the Tesla coil, connected
with receptacle filed with refined oil,
was used.
The instrument for receiving the
waves was placed in the corridor of the
department building and the heavy iron
door closed. The electrodes were started
and soon waves were diffused through
the room and the coherers of the in
struments in the hall showed conclu-
SiVely the effect of the waves started
from the inside.
The receiving instruments were then
moved from the war department side
to the navy department side, a distance
of several hundred feet. The waves
intention of Col. Squier to send a mes
sage over the system, but the dynamo
broke down and the experiments were
ended for the day.
Col. Squier said the experiments of
the last few days were more to ascer-
tain the laws governing the system than
to demonstrate its utility.
Within few days message will be
flashed through space from Fort Myer,
Virginia, to some high point in Wash
ington-possibly to the top of the state,
war and navy building.
a set of Instruments for sending must
set must then be taken there and grad
ually removed toward Washington, in
order to gauge the height to which the
wave-receiving pole must be elevated.
Each succeeding wave describes a
greater arc and consequently must be
received at a higher point.
When Washington is reached it may
be necessary to set the receiver up on
the Washington monument Even
should the top of the state, war and
navy building be high enough, it is
feared that the vast amount of iron
which enters into the construction of
that building may seriously interfere
with the working of the instruments.
Tests on a small scale have been made
at FIT. Myer. as we'll as in the labora-
tory at the war department, all of them
successful The instruments are as
simple as those used in ordinary teleg-
raphy, and differ little.
Sounds are originated by an ordinary
Morse key, and the reading at the other
end is made from a receiver like those
in ordinary use. The sending instru-
ment consists first of an induction coil.
Col. Allen and Col. Squier believe the
Tesla coil gives better results. 1t does
not change the principle.
HOW THE WAVES ARE PRODUCED.
Communicating with the coil are two
brass spheres three inches in diameter,
approaching within an inch of each
other. The sending key is so arranged
that a depression of the lever causes a
spark to pass between the two spheres.
These sparks produce the waves, which
radiate in every direction.
Passing on through space, the waves
come in contact with wire elevated
by means of a pole above the receiving
set, and the pulsations are communi-
Gated to a sensitive cylinder filled with
steel filings. By means of what is
termed the coherer the wave motion is
communicated to the receiver, when
the reading is made as in everyday tel
egraphy. The Morse alphabet is used
in the writing, so that the chief differ
ence between the wireless system and
that now in use is the absence of wires.
1t is feared by experts that in the
wireless system conditions must ap-
proach too closely to the ideal to assure
successful work, but time may remove
all obstacles