The record-union., 1899-04-16

devices have been made with the great
mast in Rue Claude Bernard, whence
messages. were transmitted to the Pan
theon, and afterward between the lat
ter place and the Eiffel Tower, a dis
lance of A kilometers C211a miles,. These
messages were always sent successfully
over Paris in spite of rain and fog. At
this moment experiments are on foot
on the French coast, the distance be-
tween the two stations being 30 kilo-
meters 40 miles)
All discoveries and inventions at the
outset meet with obstacles which for
the time being seem insuperable. So
in this case it is found that the system
is affected by the machinery or de-
vices collecting the atmospheric electric
waves, and these interfere with pre-
else transmission. On the other hand
the apparatus thus becomes a delicate
registering device for atmospheric dis
charges, and SO will prove of great use
pheric electricity. This, it is hoped, viii
advance knowledge to better means of
Harvesting this powerful agency of the
air.
But we may place faith in the belief
that there will be discovered a means
| of distinguishing between the two or
ders of electric waves, so that the one
may not disturb the other. But wire
less telegraphic science has gone far
enough to prove conclusive1y that it is
fact; that communication may be had
by its means for considerable distances.
But it has not sufficiently developed to
justify Tesla's rather premature fore
cast that he will soon be able by very
simple system of induetive waves to
telegraph from station to station across
the Atlantic.
In France they hold such an idea to
be fanciful at present, and that the
wireless biography must be prosecuted
after the system above inadequateiy de-
scribed. At present then We have pos
sible wireless telegraphy between short
stations of al fairly reliable order, when
all the conditions are right. But we
have not, if we are to accept the die
tum of the European scientists, such
fact at command as to justify the be-
lief that we can communicate between
stations as distant as they must be
to embrace in their circuit the Atlantic
or the Pacific Oceans. That may come
however, but when no man may say.
When, therefore, a contemporary sug-
gests that we should not go to any ex-
pense to lay a cable to Hawaii from
San Francisco but await further dis
covery concerning mast or wireless tel
egraphy, it is dealing with the specula-
| tive and vague only. 1t is very true
| that it is not impossible to secure a
mast placed upon lofty land points.
thousand feet high, since such a mast
does not need to be massive structure;
a very light one, mere rod, so to
speak, serving the purpose as well as
would stout mast. That, we say,
would be possible, though its utility and
safety from natural disturbances render
it extremely improbable Of construc-
ton.
But the idea of such a mast, aid
number of them of lesser hight main
tanned in the ocean waste in order to
make up line through which, the Hert-
zian waves might be transmitted and
received, is far too speculative to wait
| for realization as a device in lieu CT
an ocean cable That we know is prac-
| ticable We know its life, its capacity
and all about it, while we know so lit
tie of the new idea that commerce, ma
tional need and social demand will re-
fuse to wait for a practical wireless
system to be developed before estab-
fishing Geographic communication with
Hawaii and with our new possessions
in the Philippines.
There is one other consideration con-
corning wireless biography that has an
| important bearing upon the whole sub
ject. and which, unless cleared up, will
make the limitations of its use for any
distance exceedingly narrow, namely
the privacy attaching to it. Nothing
on that score has been set forth by the
scientists, so far as we can discover
Unless the integrity of each excitation
the uses of wireless biography for pri-
vate communication will be very few.