Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-12-30
Marconi's Great Triumph.

across the Atlantfc Dy means Oh HIs
wireless system of telegraphy has SET
the world to talking as has nc
No messages have been sent. but fol
two successive days Mr.. Marconi, sta
toned at st. Johns. Newfoundland
received prearranged signals from
Poldhu, on the Cornwall coast. 100
miles distant He did not return the
signals. because he had not the neces-
sary apparatus at the receiving sta
| ton. AS matter OF fact. his sole
purpose at the time was to ascertain
whether signals could he sent. His
endeavor now will be to perfect the APP
| paratus So as enable him to transmit
! tons. A beginning has been made and
The rest will come in due course of
time.
To coax from the empty air mes
sage flung into it hundreds OF miles
away. across the ocean. is a marvel
tale To catch the imagination. Just as
Franklin first called electricity from
| the sky with a kite and wire. SO this
wonderful young man Marconi uses a
kite to catch the Hertzian
waves they are called-sent from the
transmitter across the sea. All things
electrical are mysteries, the alternat-
ing current which kills the murderer,
| the \-ray which allows one to see
through solid substances, and the
Hertzian wave of wireless telegraphy.
1t may be that man viii be unable TO
harness electricity for this new task.
but il is an age of miracles and one
hardly dares to prophesy. especially
about q force which seems 10 obey
man because it pties his ignorance
rather than because it is mastered by
his wisdom Already wireless telegra-
ply is used to send signals at sea
from one ship to another or to the
shore beyond the horizon, and on land
the system works accurately and Cue
.,essfully for distances UP TO so miles.
And what is this system of wireless
telegraphy? 1t is simple in principle
worked on the problem for years, but
Marconi has been by far the most
successful. His own invention. though
of prime Importance, is a small part
of the whole system. If stone be
dropped in a pond waves are set up
which with diminishing force spread
out in all directions, until their last
remaining energy is expended upon
the distant shores. They soon become
so small as To be invisible, but in
theory they persist until. all their en-
ergy has been expended, and undoubt-
they can be detected by any means
now available. A similar propagation
of waves OF electrical energy takes
place in the ether by the use of the
sparkling apparatus devised by the
German physicist. Heinrich Hertz.
There is no theoretical limit to the
distance such waves may be propa-
gated. but they soon become so feeble
that their presence cannot be detected
except by the most sensitive apparatus.
What Marconi did was to perfect a
receiving instrument which is not only
affected by waves of infinitesimal en-
ergy, but of such a character that it
can be employed as a relay instru-
| men,. Let us quote from a scientific
| deScrptior Of the apparatus.
The original impulse is much too
feeble, even at short range. to ring a
| bell or work sounder. 1t cannot even
| be made to close circuit except
| through "coherer.' which is the es-
| scnce Of the receiver used in the Mar
conf system. This coherer consists of a
small glass tube, not larger than the
tube of an ordinary household Their
mometcr. and about two inches long.
! 1t is stopped at both ends with silver
IIuSS COIlIleCteu WITH Wires Il
| circuit. In the tube between the plugs
is a minute quantity of fine filings of
] nickel and silver. The electrical circuit
| is complete except for the gap formed
| by the filings. but nocurrent flows from
| The local battery because of this break
| in the circuit When. however, an cleo
| trical impulse comes fIon. distant
station the particles of nickel anG sill
v,r cOhcrc thence the name cOhereD
| the circuit is completed. and the local
| battery. being brought into action. does
Whatever it has been set to do 1t may
| ring q bell, work Il sOunder. or be EN-
plOyed to bring into action other an(
mere powerful batteries to do any kint
of mechanical work.
| II will be observed that it is the cur.
rent from the local battery that doe.
| The work; the only function of the
feeble wave of electricity from the dis
tant station is to close the circuit by
making the particles of nickel and sill
Yer cohere, ard thus bring into play
the force of the local battery. But the
cOherer in this form would be of no
value. a single impulse would close
the circuit. and no more signals could
be received. MarcOnis invention Is
that Of a de-coherer. When an i'm
pulse is received which causes the