Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1899-11-02
United States Officers Test Mar
conf System on BaitIsships.
UTILITY DEMONSTRATES
rho To.t Was Mndo However, Unaer
Conditions Not AItoso,her Favor-
nbio or Satisfactory to tho D.soov.
crer-ihe Method of Trnnsmi,tlpx
ANA Receiving sIcs,ago., ms wow
uncd. Briefly Explained.
(By Telegraph to vrginian- pilot,

New York. Nov. 1.-The cruiser New
York. flagship of Rear Admiral Far
onhar, and the battle ship Massachu-
sets. returned tonight to the anchor
age OF rhirty-fifth street, North River,
after being employed for three days
i'll evolutions for the purpose of demon
siraiAng the working OF tho Marconi
system of wireless tclegraphy under
various practical conditions. The OPP
erations were under the direction of a
board of three naval officers. appointed
for the purpose, namely: Lieutenant
Commander j. Il. Newton, aboard the
thc New York; Lieutenant ]. ".
Bhsh with the instruments at Nave
SINK, y. j.. and Lieutenant Fa X. Fill,
aboard the Massachusetts. MIR. Mar
com was handicapped by the tncom-
piese instruments, which had been
brought TO the United States simply
Tor the purpose OF reporting the inter-
national yacht rnces, and was unable
to give the Government board MS
thorough n demonstration of the capa-
bilImcs OF the apparatus as he would
nave wished. The request from the
Navy De2artmert for q Government
test had been made too late to permit
change of plans without interfering
with his contract. But the result OF the
wording of three sets Of Instruments,
employed In the tests OF the past three
days, was to show the Governments
board that there Is q practical UTILITY
IN the syst tenn. Viii CHI would be of ines
tina nils \ q lue.SS aagal vessels during
3at ~ ssneStst
The niemb srs 'ofi Ahe iGoYernme al. Viii
be obliged to call attention to the 1fct
that during these tests it was possibls
for Instruments nd x,yifhJ b.s
clrcumscribs9a radius Of transmission
to destroySthe effectiveness ofa other
instruments at any time. While the
massachusetts,. for instance, Mas telc-
graphing to the New Yorkithe opcr-
ator at Navesa3k sent message at this
ceiv'pg side OF the New forks set was
n mass OF unavoidable characters caused
by the two series OF electrical impulses
reaching ~ iliStrumsnt Mt the same
time. NJ Marcon taid that he could
prevniN mis- interference on the part OF
n thru ton. tnt that he would not
dei,ta siratc dupng these tests because
he s.ad not yetkseelved his patents for.
s.ssEt feature. *. !. .S " IS Z,
rs ,rHE SYSTEM EXPLAINED.
s pr. Marconl allowed n representative
O. the Associated Press to make minute
msptction of the Instruments The
method of transmitting and receiving
messages by his system, as now used,
may be briefly explained as follows:
y i%ire runs from tile earth 4 or,
wateF@When aboard ship to the instrS,IS
mere SGu thence to nc TOP OF a masts.
a powerful alternating current Is made
abve by closing q key. similar to an
culinary Morse telegraph set except
ihat 1t Is much larger. While the key
y closed the rapid alternating currents
pass UP the wire and user in motion
L. l,.1r II ~
rapid opening and closing OF the KEY
produces a dot and n dash is made by
nnidlng the key down a longer period.
Ihns the characters of ,{he Morse
Q lpha bet are made and anysstelegraph
ceiycd 81 80 m Y X - 'sl55
:. When the instrument is notaseti for
a-switch disconn4ets. the
Key and attaches q receiver which Is
iikewise connected with the mash and
the earth. The electrical impulses sent
out ny any other station are caught; by,
me wire at the mast and conveyedsto
the receiver. whereethey fnagnetizsl In
an extremely slight degree a small bar.
enough TO cause minute metal filinga?
near by o7cluster about il. This closes
ahQInert circuit, which works a record,
Ing instrument like the old-fashioned
telegraph register and set q small ham,
mer, called the "tapper'. to humping
against the glass tube, which holds the
DarS ati ID fill nSS 1872 - 5
. As Soon rs the sending operator re.
leases his key and stops the electrician
Impulses from flowing from his wire.
the attraction OF the bar for the films
ceases and the humping of the tap
per- causes them to fall back into;i
place. This opens the other circuit
ntioned, and the marker on the regiS
lister drops BACK from the paper and a
the same time the Taper stops. I ~
shnrt ana sustained impulses from tn
sender thus cGuse ktlotS and dashes -;
be marked; on the paper by the reg;;tH
fcoptinned on Six Page, -