Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1901-01-10
er, so much so that could look back

er, so much so that 1 could look back
In thought to my laboratory in New
York, and in examining familiar OBJ
jects in the rooms there l could notice
the smallest scratches on them, and in
scanning the features of my assistants
could notice the slightest marks on
their faces, as though they had been
actually before me. Now, in the city
the mental images are much duller.
zone of the first observations made
in Colorado was of great scientific i'm
portance and confirmatory of result
had already obtained in New York.
refer to my discovery of the stationary
electrical waves in the earth. The sig
nihcance of this phenomenon has not
yet been grasped by technical men, but
it virtually amounts to a positive proof
that with proper apparatus, such as
have perfected. wireless transmission
of signals to any point on the globe is
practicable. When 1 read statements
to the effect that such a thing is i'm
possible and recall the numerous ad-
verse criticisms of my expressed con-
tdence that | can ultimately accom-
plish this, | experience a feeling of sat
isfaction.
"in perfecting my apparatus 1 en-
countered at first great difficulties.
mad few narrow escapes from sudden
sparks jumping out to great distance,
and number Of times my laboratory
caught fire, but | carried all the work
through without serious mishap 1
gradually learned how to confine cleo
trical currents of a pressure of $4,000
600 volts, how to produce electrical
movements up to 10000 horsepower,
and | succeeded in obtaining electrical
discharges measuring from end to end
100 feet and more. These results were.
however, rendered more valuable by
the fact that they opened up still great
err possibilities for the future
Parallel with the development of NV
machinery for the production of power
full effects l also perfected novel
methods for detecting feeble electrical
actions, which, l feel confident, will be
important in number of lines of
scientific research. To illustrate the
efficacy of these methods | need only
say that, whereas in ordinary, finely
adjusted Hertzian appliances a light
ming discharge could be detected at a
distance of only 800 miles, with nv
methods it was easy to observe the eff
feet in the receiving instrument at a
distance of 1,1OO miles. 1t was, in fact,
| in investigating feeble electrical ac-
lions transmitted through the earth
that | made some observations which
are to me the most gratifying. Chief
among these were certain feeble elec-
trical disturbances, which could bare
~ note at times and which by their
character Enthusiastically showed that
they were neither of solar origin nor
produced by any causes known to me
on the globe
what could they be? I have inces-
sanity thought of this for months until
finally arrived at the conviction,
amounting to almost knowledge, that
they must be of planetary origin AS l
think over it now it seems to me that
only men absolutely stricken with
blindness, inSensible to the greatness
of nature. can hold that this planet is
the only one inhabited by intelligent
beings. | have perfected my transmit
ting apparatus so far that l can under
take to construct q machine which will
without the slightest doubt be fully
competent to convey sufficient energy
to the planet Mars to operate one of
these delicate appliances which we are
now using here, as, for instance, very
sensitive telegraph or telephone instru-
ment. Now since we ourselves are al
ready SO far advanced is it unreason-
able to at least believe in the posi-
bility that of the 20 or % planets of the
| solar system one, if not more might be
ahead Of us in the evolution? Where
there are suns heat and moisture,
life must originate and must go on
developing just as stone must fall to
earth.
II would have abstained from max
ing these observations known for some
time yet, had | not been asked by the
Red Cross society to give short ex-
preston Of opinion for their meetings
vi AVG" cal , eve. nave enter
tanned a profound respect for the Red
Cross ever since my boyhood, when |
was told that the mere appearance of
this society in the Balkans has ad-
vanced those wild regions 100 years.
believe it to be the noblest and
worthest association in existence, and
there was nothing which could have
refused them. and. Furthermore, | de-
sired to give them my best This dis
covery. in my opinion. was my best.
With improved means of investigation
we shall soon be able to find out
whether indeed these disturbances
which have noticed are what feel
they must be. The time has certainly
arrived for the electrician to join the
astronomer in the exploration of our
neighboring worlds.
With regard to my work in other
lines which ! have simultaneously car
ried on, my progress has been most
satisfactory. and | hope that soon cleo
trical energy may be turned to the uses