The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-07-31
MARcoNI's LATEST WORD.
The wireless Telegraph "Not Very
WONDERFUL"

The Duke of Northumberland presided
at the closing meeting Of the season OF
the Royal Institution, when Mr.. Aafconl
delivered a lecture on THE Progress OF
Electric Space Telegraph" There waA,
large attendance.
Mr. Marconi, in the course Of his re-
marks, said that the subject OF electric
space telegraphys was at the present time
attracting probably more worldwide at
tention than any other practical develop
ment Of modern electric engineering. That
IL should be possible 20 actuate an tnstru-
ment from a distance OF hundreds or
thousands OF miles and oblige 1t to act
at will and reproduce audible OF visible
signals through an electric receiver with
out the aid of an artificial conductor was
an achievement both wonderful ana mys-
terious 1t was, however, II they exam
ined the subject closely, no more wonder
full than the transmission of kilograms
along a telegraphic wire. The light and
heat waves from the sun Travelled through
millions Of miles Of space. and sound also
reached the ear without any artificial con-
ductor 1t was. therefore. not wonderful
that man should devise means by which
ne was enabled TO apply electricity to
convey messages or power TO a wire and
cause the effect which they called an
electric current to follow all the turns
and commissions which might exist in the
wire. The space biography he spoke OF
was founded on a comparatively new way
of controlling and detecting certain kinds
of waves much slower In rate Of vibra-
ton that light waves. called Hertzian
waves He went on to give a description
OF his system as he used II in his earlier
experiments and afterwards spoke Of the
various notifications which had since
been made. He also explained the exper-
ments which he and his assistants had
conducted between st. GATHERINGS Point
and Poole a distance Of thirty miles.
Present Apparatus Described.
In describing the apparatus employed
he remarked that It was now possible to
establish considerable number of wire
less telegraph stations simultaneously in
the vicinity Of each other without the
message suffering any interference. He
pointed out, however. that a powerful
transnitter giving of waves actuated
near one OF the receiving stations might
prevent the reception of messages to some
extent, but II was we'll to remember that
the ordinary system OF communication
by wire and telephone might be subject
ed to similar interference. For example,
IL was found impossible at Cape Town
two years ago to work the cables at GER
tain times when the electric trans were
running The lecturer then explained IN
some detail the principle Of the eoherers
1t was by means Of magnetic detectcr
that he had improved upon the eoherer
hitherto employed. The detector had
been successfully employed in the recep-
ton OF wireless teIegraphic messages be-
tween st. GATHERINGS Point and Poole
and also between Cornwall and Poole,
distance OF 15s miles. II was found 10 be
more sensitive and reliable than the CO.
herer and did not require so many pre-
cautions in the working. It might be
possible, he said, with that system to re-
ceive messages at a speed Of several hum
dred words a minute. At present by the
air OF the deteetor. they could Rad thirty
words a minute II had been shown that
the magnetic deteetor could be with adj
vantage substituted for the coherer IN
order to transmit messages over a long
dietadce