New-York tribune., 1901-12-17
uAPCOyTS LATEST WORK.

,r,;o nrocress made in wireless telcCraphy
within tho LAST two or three years has justified
tho hone that. sooner or later. it would he pos
sihIa IN send messages across the ocean by that
svstan, And the world has almost unlimited
confidence in Marconi'S ability to achleNe Ihd'
result 1t also believes in his honesty but
the story of his experiments last week Is
not absolutely convincing. 80 ShreNu anu
exnerienced an electrician as Edison has ex-
pressed fear that the gifted young lt;tiiah
has in some way deceived himself. No at
tempt was made to transmit Il series or words
forming n sentence The signals which are
alleged to have been heard were merely trloS
of dots representing the letter IS. These
were not received with the ordinary apparatus,
but by means of an exceedingly sensitiye tele-
phone and even then were faint AS to be
hardly distinguishabIe Marconi is said 10 have
been disappointed at their fecbleness. Under
the circumstances a repetition of the test at an
early day is in the highest degree desirable
Next after the actual outcome of the Corn
wall-Newfoundand experiments, the methods
employed therein are likely 10 command atten-
ton from both the electrician and the unsclen-
tiic public. 1t will be noticed, for instance
that Marconi did not maintain the ratio once
deemed necessary between the heIght ol MS
vertical wire and the distance covered. Inc
elevation of this part of the apparatus at
Podhu was apparently no greater than that
needed for merely crossing the English than-
nel Secondly, the curvature of the earth does
not now seem TO be formidable an obstacle
as If was once believed 70 be There is bulge
over one hundred miles high between Cornwall
and Newfoundland.
Again one great essential 10 increasing the
range of Hertz waves Is to Use more power IN
generating them. Like light and heat, these
vibrations diminish rapidly in intensity rs they
spread out from the point at which they ema-
nate. If after n message has been transmitted
two miles it is sought to send one hve, the
energy required for the second test would bear
the numerical relation of twenty- five to four TO
that employed in the first In other words. the
strength of the impulse decreases as "the
SQUARE of the distance" Early in the year
Marconi covered nearly four hundred miles by
his system. To reach l. 500 he would need 10
create disturbance more than twenty times as
violent
The cost of doing so at present Is far from
trifinc Marconi talks about spending SGD,oo
on his station in Newfoundland. Eventually,
nerbaps. he or some one else may simplify the
requisite apparatus and reduce the expense
But Hertz wave telegraphy will hardly com
pete with land lines. if what is saved in wire is
lost in the equipment of station. Besides it
must be remembered that at present fewer
words q minute can be sent by the new Sys-
fem than the old The chief advantage to be
derived, apparently, Will be in transoceanic
messages Submarine cables are costly affairs
They NAV remain in service for many years yet
But it is doubtful whether they can do their
work as cheapy as the apparatus on the per
fecting of which Marcon Tesla. FesScnden and
others have recently been engaged.