The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-09-22
A SUMNER WITH A
GREAT INVENTOR.

Marconi is spending much of his time
this summer on the bit of beach lying
to the north of Poole Harbor-on the
English GRANDDAUGHTER he calls his
laboratory" It is the strangest lab
oratory ever established by any scien-
fist, and even those who are familiar
with the ordinary form of wireless tele-
graphic apparatus would scarcely be
able to recognize the kind of work he
does in it. For Marconi has changed
the form of his experimental work-cy
indrical tin cans make for him more
convenient capacities and radiators
than vertical wires-and tables covered
instruments are scattered about on the
beach whenever he is at work.
Some who have seen the apparatus
with which he is experimenting at pres
ent have taken it for a set of tide meas
uring Instruments; others have suppos-
ed his devices to be arranged for tax
ing the temperature of the sea water;
it has even been suspected by the fish
ernen who have watched him with
wonder, that his tin cans and tables
and wires formed parts of some new
tangled coast fishing machine.
1t is now almost year since Pro-
fessor Fleming, of University College,
London, addressed the British Associa-
ton for the Advancement of Science.
on wireless telegraphy, and, in send
ing greetings by the Marconi system
to the French Association across the
Channel, discovered that some of the
messages exchanged were detected fif-
ty miles beyond their destination.
Messages sent from Boulogne to Dow
er were read in the stations at Chelms-
ford, away across the hills of Kent and
beyond the smoke and fog of London
town. The achievement was remarka-
BILE, even though the public refused to
be surprised. Probably nothing short
of wireless messages half way round
the world would excite unusual inter-
est now, and doubtless many are won
dering whether anything more will
come of wireless telegraphy than has
already been accomplished.
But Marconi has not been contented
to stop at the attainment of a hundred
miles. There were and are still too
many problems unsolved for him to rest
from his labors. To prevent the inter-
ception of dispatches, and the Jam
ming of the instruments, to attain lon
ger distances, to master the secret OF
tuned ether waves, and to apply the
system practically to shipping so to
increase the safety of vessels at sea-
these are a few of the things he has set
out to do. Already the little strip of
coast near Poole Harbor has witnessed
some of these solutions.
The writer had. the pleasure of spend
ing several weeks recently with Mar
conf at the Poole station, and of watch
ing the work from day to day. Each
morning began with a wireless con-
versation with the Isle of Wight station
when orders were given to the man
there to stand by later in the day
and meantime to look out for any unus-
ua1 "etheraP' occurrences. The Eng
lish navy was experimenting with wire
less telegraphy at Portsmouth, forty
miles beyond, and the Isle of Wight in
stallation kept up a lively action while
these experiments were going on
The most widespread cry against the
usefulness Of wireless telegraphy has
been based on the fact that intercept
ton of dispatches was for long time
possible. 1t may not have occurred
to the DIRECTORS that the same fault
may be found with the wire system of
signalling. But by means of variable
conductors and capacities. Marconi has
worked out system by which only GER
tain instruments can receive certain
messages.
A hundred wireless instruments tap
ping out a hundred different messages
or recording a hundred different dis
patches from as many different places
ranging in distance up to let us say
100 miles would be most marvellous, yet
Marconi is now able to do that and
much more. He has taken up the old
problem of tuning messages and
worked it out practically
Marconi sometimes works days with
out apparent result, but he is never
discouraged.
ct am about as well satisfied" said
he one day. when fail IN an expert
ment as when I succeed. because IL |