The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-03-13

the earth plates in Cambridge and Bos-
ton, assisted, probably, by the water
mains and the water in the soil.
On this principle it was proposed that
ships at sea should communicate, a
strong current from a dynamo being
sent into the sea through trailing
wire and the current detected by
telephone connected TO a similar wire
trailing from another ship. 1t was even
suggested that communication could be
established across the Atlantic by
sending a strong current through
wire running the length Of the Ameri-
can continent and connecting the ends
of the line to the ocean. A telephone
line running from England TO Liberia
would pick up enough current TO make
the signals diStinguishable.
To understand the operation of the
second method it viii be best to con-
slider the action of waves or similar
character.
When a wave progresses over the sur
face of water 1t is not by the onward
motion of the water itself, Each par
ticle of water Oscillates up and down,
communicating it's motion to the next
and in this way causing the wave form
TO travel onward until it breaks upon
the shore or is smothered out by the
friction in the water itself IN Just thls
way a wave pasSe over a f1e-d OF stand
ing grain. Eacn stalk keeps its place,
but the wave form moves onward. A
wave may be made to. travel "a rope or
a long spiral spring; in fact, in any
substance which, for any reason. tends
to resume its original shape or volume.
{ a ound-prOducing wave IN air Is OF
much the same character, altnOuSn the
/ motion of the air particles IS TO and
/ fro along the direction or motion OF
/ the wave. instead of across II; for air
/ has elasticity of volume but not or
! shape. These air waves are ordinarily
I invisible. but produce the effect OF
/ sound within certain limits or rapidly,
/ if the receiver is an organ or nearing.
! A single sharp disturbance of the air,
/ like an explosion, starts an air wave
which travels outward in all directions
/ from the source; or q regular repetl-
/ ton OF impulses, like the sound or a
| siren whistle or OF a bell, causes Sc
ries of waves. These disturbances are
/ transformed by the ear upon which the
wave strikes into the sensation or the
r port Of the explosion or the musical
note Of the bell, reduced in loudness IN
accordance with the distance For the
1 wave is spreading out into greater and
greater spheres and the proportion o.
the whole wave which Is received Is
I correspOndingly reduced as II recedeS
from the starting point
If. instead of falling upon an eal
which responds TO a wide range of VI
brations the waves are received by
some apparatus which responds 10 but
one definite pitch or rapidity OF Vlhra'
ton. little OF no effect is produced
unless the waves are OF the same pitcf
as that of the receiving instrument
Such an instrument is called a ''resO
natOr'' and the action is known as sym
pathetic. resonaung or syntomlc ae
ton. The resonator selects only TIT
waves of its natural period.
To account for the known phenome
non of light it has been found neces
sary to assume the existence of an all
pervading substance called the ether.
Nobody can see or feel the ether, bu