The Portland daily press., 1899-10-28

wireless Telephony May Rss the Sea
efsoms ofrs. D.sssr..

Wireless tsiesrAphy and wireless tale
phouy have practically monopol.zvd the
attention OF soientists during the pas,
few months and have attracted ths In.
tcrested attention Of unscisntiio people
rs we'll, says the Montreal Star.
In oonnectics with wireless telephon-
ing. Prof. d'Azar, Of Italy, has been
making some very successful experiments
at SEA which might well reoeive the st
tention Of our own Dominion govern
ment. Everything that could possibly
tend to make ocean navigation more safe
is worthy Of the most careful considera.
tion, and the results Of Prof. d'Azsr's
experiments seem to show that not only
may the presence Of \ moving steamer be
known at a considerable distance, even
though the vessel itself be invisible. bus
the-sound Of waves breaking on the rocks
or on an iceberg may he detected sut-
ficently far Of to prevent danger Of col
listens.
IN FOG OR STORM.
Professor d'Azar has found that the sp-
proach Of steamer can be heard five
miles away during fog or storm. This
Is owing to the vibrations Of her propei-
Ter or the stroke Of her paddle wheels b.
Ing detected by the sensitive telephone
receiver.
watr Is better conductor Of s)und
than air. Nearly every one who has
divec or swum under water, or even held
his head under water for few moments,
has been aurpriset at the dictinctnees
with which sounds in the water hre
heard even when they ara caused at
considerable distance. The dropping OF
spuns into the water hundred feet on
sounds like pistol shot CLOSE at hand.
This explains at once how this churn-
ing OF q steamers screw oan he detected
st a distance Of miles by the membrane
Of telephone receiver, which Is far more
sensitive than the human ear.
TO PREVENT COLLISIONS.
Professor d'Azar's OF ,ct at first was
to devise mean for preventing collisicr 5
at sea during fogs and storms. Expeii-
ments In this line have been entirely sus-
cessful. Two ordinary telephone reoeit-
ers, such as every city telephone IL
euu ippeo with, are attached to each side
Of ship below the water line where the
hull curves under the bilgs In small
box-like case.
ward and aft on both sides of the ship.
Zach one of the receivers communicates
by a separate wire to q telephone instru-
ment ON the captains bridge or In the
pilot house.
When IL was found that the pres ence OF
q ship could be Bscertainea by thoss
means the Inventor at once set to work
to transmit mtssages and hold regular
communication between two moving
ships.
In the expert m ents thus far conducted
this has been done by tapping signals,
by the Morse telegrsphic code. These
taps were distinctly heard on another
ship to a distance Of from thres to five
miles and messages exchange
SPEAKING ACROSS THE WATER.
Even the sound of the human voios
was prcj jsot>d through several hurd
feet OF water during o raging storm,
when IL would have been impossible to
shout even through mezaphonts from
shin OF ship.
The inventor is now confident that he
can still further perfect his apparatus SO
that the voice can be pr7j scted at great
distances through the water.
This seems quite possible when 1t is
considered that telephones SO delicate
have been constructed that the walking
OF fiy can be heard like tile trotting of
a horse on rock pavement, ana even
the heavy breathing of "a tired insecs Ia
audible.
The Italian navy officials have been
testing Professor d'Azar's wireless ma
rins telephone with the spscial View to
Its use In naval warfare. To detect the
approach of hostile vessel with hooded
lights at night would be nf the greatest
value, especially to a blockading fleet
Ital ian marine experts who have tested
1t tn oroughiy declare that this marine
telephone Will soon be considered rs nec-
es Sary part OF every ships equipment
as this compass and sextant.
This invention promises to lessen disss-
ters at sea by collision aud to maks talk
ing from ship to ship as easy as to call
up a friend by telephone on land in
another part Of the city.
King Humbert, OF Italy, has oompli-
mented the Inventor on the adding of
another factor of safety on the ssa and
a benefit to the worlds commeroa.