New-York tribune., 1902-07-27
MARCONIS REVELATION.
EXPERTS IN WIRELESS TE-
LEGRAPHY
rBY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE. ]

| LEGRAPHY
| tpY TELEGRAPH TO THE rRIBuxE.I
| Washington. July 26.-Army and navy ex-
| perts on wireless telegraphy were not surprised
| by the revelation made by Marconi himself.
! cordng to cable dispatches from London yester-
| day. that he is not the real inventor of the sys-
| tenn which bears his name. While it not
! known here that the Marquis Luigi Soari had
| devised the plan which Marconi has been
| working under the limelight for a year more,
| still it was reported to Washington through
| scientific sources in Europe several months ago
| that an officer of the Italian navy entitled
! to the credit that was being given to the sup
| posed originator of the system of communica-
! tion between ships 1T sea and the mainland
! For obvious reasons the experts of both the
! army and navy of the United States refuse to
! discuss the subject at present for publication
! although some of them do not hesitate in private
conversation not only to doubt the practicability
| OF the Marconi system for long distance uses
| but they also make bold to say that Signor
! Marconi has not shown that scientific knowledge
! of the general subject of electricity which
! titles him TO serious consideration as an in
! ventor OF scheme that will either revolution
/ iZe or advance electrical communication. Sew
! eral OF the officers Of the army and navy charged
| with experiments and investigation in wireless
! telegraphy who have met Signor MarcOni say
! either Of the practical value OF his system or of
! an intimate acquaintance on his part with the
| known means for ~ovng the problem of Great
| ing and utilizing air currents for carrying mes
/ sages any considerable distance. 1t is to be ex-
pected that instinctively they would view him
| and his invention with more or less msgivings.
! AT the same time. they nave subjected it TO
| thorough tests-at least thorough from their
| point of view-and say they have found it want
| ing in some of the essential requisites of COM
| pleteness.
| NAVY TRYING OTHER SYSTEMS.
! The Navy Department long age virtually
| abandoned hope OF securing the desired results
| from the Marconi system. and has been expert
! menting quietly but persIstently with other sys-
| TENS which have given more satisfaction Fol
lowing the reported extmple of the German
Government. the experts in the United States
Navy look with more favor at the present time
on the SlabyArcO system than any other, and
unless some one of the scores of industrious ex-
perimenters perfects better plan than that
devised in part by Professor Slaby and in part
by Professor Arco, the American navy is likely
to continue to regard the German Governments
judgment of value than that OF Sgnor
Marconi.
General A. w. Greedy. Chief OF the Signal
Corps of the United States Army, has perhaps
gone far in original research in the field OF
various parts of the world whose names are in
tmately associated with the developments in
the new science and he is known TO be extreme
ly sceptical of the practicability of the Marconi
system. Just complaint cannot be made that
General Greely is prejudced for or against any
I of the systems His earnest endeavors to es-
tablsh the truth of the theory that messages
can be sent long distances without the of
| wires preclude the probability of his unfairness
in ba ma taJ
with him and unaware of his efforts should sus-
pect him of unworthy motive. In the recent
experiments conducted under his supervision
Newport News Va, it shown con-
clusively that teegraphlc messages can be
. transmitted through the air. and he has been
convinced that the development of perfect and
safe system is only question of time
FAIRNESS OF OFFICERS SHOWN
If Signor Marconi or whoever is associated
with him. succeeds in perfecting the system that
bears his name the army and navy experts of
this country be depended quickly to urge
its adoption by this government. 1t goes with
out saying that they too thoroughly devoted
| TO their work and calling to permit any precon-
ceived notions TO warp their judgment Their
treatment of the Gathmann- Hanna gun exem-
plifes the trustworthiness of their judgme.t on
| all such subjects. The ordnance experts of both
branches of the military service reported un-
faVorably more than once against the Gathmann
gun after giving it the fullest and fairest tests
But the hackers of this invention had influence
. enough to induce Congress to ignore the verdict
OF experts and trained men, and order special
test of the Gathmann contrivance. Accordingly
"A special appropriation made by Congress-
and the army directed to try the new ord
nance contrivance under the most favorable
! circumstances possible. The result disas-
| trous to the hopes of the inventor and the men
! who had advanced aptal in the promotion of
the invention. 1t is therefore possible that in
tOht
accomplish the purpose may be brought 10 bear
on Congress in behalf of the Marcon system
just as was done in the case of the Gathmann-
Hanna gun, and. judging by the persistency of
the shrewd and resOurceful press agents of the
Marconi people, II would not be surprising If
( this were done at the next meeting of the law
makers If Congress does do this. however. the
army and navy experts would willingly make
the further experiments ordered confident that
their Judgment would be amply vindicated in
this instance in the case of the Gathmann
gun.
I ment that ne has filed in the British Patent
! Office an acknowledgment that his invention
was communicat ted to him from abroad by the
MARQUIS Luigi Solar of Italy the officials of
the Patent Office in Washington say they had
received no intimation of this interesting alega-
ton until they read ii In the newspapers to-day
They are forbidden by the rules of their bureau
to give out any information concerning applica-
tions made to them or OF patents issued, al
though IL is we'll known that Marconi had had
his various devices patented in this country.
At the same time there is requirement for
ment he is alleged TO have filed in the office at
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