Omaha daily bee., 1899-10-13
THE FIELD OF ELECTRICITY
Renewed Interest in the Marconi System of
Wireless Telegraphy
SUCCESS IN REPORTING YACHT RACES
series of Elaborate Experiments Pro-
jccted bS the National GOVERN
ment-ElectricnI Apparatus
on New War ships.

The Marconi system of wheless telegraphy
demonstrated its pracucability pretty clearly
in reporting the yacht races outside New
York harbor. Trials over far greater dis
tance have been had abroad Dispatches
were sent and received between thirty miles
apart as against seven miles outside sandy
Hook In both instances the system was a
marked success, particularly so in reporting
the progress of the International yacht
race. The greatest rivalry prevailed among
newspapers and press associations TO give
the earliest possible news OF the event and
various expedients were employed. Flag
signals were used by some, balloons and
carrier pigeons by others and telegraph sig
nal stations were established along the shore,
all designed to obtain and fash to the
country news of the event. The Marconi
system employed by the New York Herald,
proved superior to all other means and its
accuracy was faultless.
Various tests Of like systems have been
had in this country during the present year,
all of an experimental nature. Public in
! terest has been excited to high degree and
considerable discussion was provoked among
| electricians. Some additional details OF the
methods OF operation will, therefore, be in
structive at least TO the unprofessional
Mr.. Marconi had charge of the operation
on the boat following the yachts. Another
J boat was stationed near the Scotland light
ship This boat was connected with the
| Mackay- Bennett cable, so that dispatches re-
ceived were flashed to the old world as we'll
as to the cable station nearby, Another re-
ceiving station was established on shore.
| Both stations received dispatches from the
reporting boat and that boat received in
! turn dispatches from the receiving stations,
| which were read to the guests. In fact news
dispatches were exchanged as readily and
accurately as between any telegraph stations
on land.
The transmitter used by Mr.. Marconi con-
sisted Of a specially designed transformer
which converted the perfectly harmless cur
rent of small storage battery into a cur
rent of hundreds OF thousands OF volts One
terminal OF the transformer was connected
to a perpendicular wire hung from the fore
mast of the ship and the other terminal was
immersed in the water. Immediately at the
transformer, however, the two terminals
were provided with brass balls on oscila-
tors placed about half an inch apart The
transmitter key is somewhat similar to the
ordinary telegraph key, was arranged SO
that when 1t was pressed the current from
the battery was turned into the transformer
and the high tension current generated i'm
mediately jumped across between the two
balls or, in other words. the perpendicular
wire was rapidly charged and discharged
and the electric waves generated by this
peculiar action passed out into space until
they reached the receiving apparatus on the
cable boat, which Immediately responded tc
every impulse of the transmitter
While the whole arrangement of the ap-
paratus appears simple in the extreme, there
are many little details which the expert ir
wireless telegraphy is alone capable Of man
aging, and although when everything is per
fectly adjusted, 1t is an easy matter to trans
nit at the rate OF twenty words a minute
If anything should go wrong with the in.
stallation it requires the trained eye Of the
expert to locate and remove the difficulty
The receiving apparatus is likened to a sys-
TEN of tuning forks When two receiving
stations are in operation the two forks Of the
same key will respond sympathetically each
to the other if either be set in motion. Forks
OF dissimiar keys will not affect each other
even though they be brought almost into con
tact. So it is with the Marconi instruments
Arranged by the masters hand, score ma!
be stationed about, and each will respond tC
any signal from any OF the others. But, by
a simple reversal. the apparatus may be in.
dividual5td and signals exchanged between
two, while none of the others respond.