The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-10-15

librium, the objection arises that such
disturbance would affect near at hand
wire or cable telegraph systems, dy
namO power houses and all sorts of
electric operations. Not so, necessarily.
Sound waves and light waves do not
conflict because their rates of vibration
are different. These high tension vi
brations of millions per second should
not disturb vibrations which are lower,
as are telephone vibrations, for exam
pie, on light vibrations which are high
er. It is true that any disturbance of
the earth's electric equilibrium will to
an extent, affect electric operations on
the earth'S surface, but this is not
large factor and the difficulties can
probably be easily overcome.
But it is not best to be too SU~z as
to the nature of the operation. Marconi
has given months of thought and eX-
pertinent to just this problem, and it
is doubtful if he, even, is sure of what
the force really is. Tesla has made
many predictions in connection with
transmitting electric power in just this
way. His plan meant simply that he
would kick the earth electrically and
the power put in the blow could be
picked up anywhere on the surface of
the earth, if the proper detecting and
collecting apparatus was used. a
French scientist has recently come for
ward with another plan quite similar,
and the French government is trying
to carry out his ideas. He proposes to
test the earth'S surface at a large num-
Der of places in France and find spots
equal in electrical capacity, or, by dig
ging down far enough in the necessary
places reduce all of these spots to an
equal capacity. Then a disturbance at
any one viii be noticeable at all of the
others. 1t is a simple matter, then, to
create a disturbance of short and long
durations as desired, and thus repro
duce the Morse code. The difficulties
here are also very great rain storm,
for example, in one section of the coun-
try would be sure to change the electric
capacity of the earth in that neighbor-
! hood.
The System That Always Works.
1t is with relief. then. that we turn
to a plan such as Marconis, which
| seems applicable to all conditions
Whether it works through the ether
above the earth, as we have been led
! to believe, or through the ether in the
earth, or by a disturbance of electric
equilibrium in the earth, does not mat
ter so much, as the fact that results
are actually obtained.
"It works. says EIarconi, land that
| is enough"
Description of the Apparatus.
The present apparatus is very
simple. The whole of it can be placed
/ on an ordinary table. The cylinder. the
new feature is of metal. and its func-
/ ton is to radiate the ether waves, if
we hold to the Hertsian theories. or to
/ provide a sort of balancing capacity. if
/ we believe in the electrical equilibrium
! disturbance theory. In either case
! it removes most of the difficulties OF
! the vertical e system. If the law
/ of squares St olds good, a cylinder
! twenty-five fee.- Ugh Will be ali that
is required for transatlantic messages
a thirty -five-foot cylinder will send
| messages from England to South
Africa, or from San Francisco to Ma
Mia
If the result is brought about by the
disturbance of the earth's electric eoui-
ibrium, then it viii only be necessary
i to make greater disturbance in or.
der that the effect may be detected al
greater distances than are now covered
This latter plan is necessary because
| of the varying capacities on the earth's
! surface and the loss of electricity al
various points. 1t is something like
pouring a little water int a pail thai
is already full; the water will overflow
at the weakest point of resistance or
| the edge. a proper receiver open foi
the electric disturbance will detect the