The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1902-05-30
LoRD KELVIN ON soruNon.
Ne Gives Ms Views About variou,
suh3scts


kelvin's time and strength during th,
last Few days nave been numberiess. n,
consented yesterday TO talk for a few
minutes for publication on a number
, OF scientific subjects which have re.
Gently attracted popular attention Tho
enthusiasm with which he sneake q d
the promPtness Of his responses 20 I'M.
expected questions AFFORD eratifvinr
assurance that. whatever be the efrect
OF years upon his physical vigor. bis
lnental powers have been magnihcently
preserved. A further charm is added
70 MS conversation BY a manner that
Is peculiarly simple. diEnifed and w,n-
ming.
Tie Tribune has already mentioned
the fact that Lord Kelvin has great
iaith IN the future usefulness Of wire
less telegraphy. He was asked yester-
day to discuss two or three special
phases OF that topic.
The effect Of Marconi's work upon
the submarine cable companies" said
he, will not, In my opinion. be hurt
full II win do good. not harm. The
new agency viii supplement- not re-
place, the old one In fact by popular
izing transoceanic telegraphy Il will
not fail to benefit the cable compan-
les"
win not the efficiency of wireless
telegraphy depend largely upon the
number Of turod "'rcults that can be
operated simultaneously? And have
you any idea how many OF these are
practicable?"
1t is not possible to say yet. When
several messages are TO be received at
one point at the same time each cir
cult must have a different pitch to in
sure noninterference. That is to say,
one must respond TO waves OF one
frequency and another to waves Of an
other frequency. But Just how great q
difference in frequencies will be neces-
sary to protect circuit from picking
up the wrong message is yet to be de-
termined. However, the principle on
which the tuning system is based is
perfectly sound"
In Marconis earlier work his re-
ceiver was apparently acted upon solely
OF chiefly by ether waves, which wsre
radiated sideways from the vertical
wire at his sending station and trans-
mitted through the air Subsequently
he connected the apparatus at both
stations with the earth When the
latter was used as a conductor he se-
cured much better results. DO you
think that waves which travel through
the earth differ essentially from those
which travel through the air7"
I'VE have m oh TO learn about this
phenomenon. We cannot say exactly
how much, II any, change occurs
through the action OF the earth upon
the waves l hardly think that we are
justified in saying that there is any
great difference In the forms Of energy
that take the two routes, aerial and
terrestrial"
"One OF the suggestions which you
are said TO have made to increase the
efficiency of submarine cables related
to the use Of the condenser, TO make
the signals more distinct, Is there any
resemblance between that idea and
Prot Pupin's recent invention?"
First let me set you right about the
condenser. II was not my suggestion
but Cromwell Varley's. to use that in
strument for the purpose mentioned.
Ny principal contributions to the ap
paratus employed in operating sub
marine cables were the mirror galvan-
ometer. which enables messages to be
received visually. and the siphon re
eoyder, which registered them auto
mapcally.
Between Mr.. Varley's and Dr. PUP
in's methods there Is this difference;
The former placed a single bit of ap-
Raratus at the end of cable, while
the latter introduces his at certain in
tervRls along the whole length. Dr.
Pupin, moreover, aims primarily 10
improve telegraphy. or course, until
his system Is put into actual operation
Il 10 difficult TO form any opinion con-
cerDslE II"
Is electricity likely to be used for
traction purposes on main lines, as
well as suburban and urban railways?"
Yes. | feel sure OF II, though Il
would not be safe 70 say precisely how
soon. am not confident that II is in
the immediate future"
Lord Kelvin had not closely followed
the unfinished traction experiments on
the Berlin -Zosen road, and was not
ready TO pronounce on their signifi
canoe.
Reference was made in these columns
a few days ago 10 Lord Kelvin's con
nsction with the work of Harvesting
Niagara. in many respects a pioneer
enterprise. Even before he was con
suited concerning that project he made
a prediction that II would be feasible
TO transmit 10000 horsepower econ
omically In the form Of electricity for
a distance OF 800 miles II pressure OF
so 900 volts was employed. He ex-
pressed delight over the close approach
to a fulhllment OF that prophecy wh'rh
California now affords. Out near the
Pacific coast electricity Is being sent
for 223 miles from the point where II Is
generated and at abeut $4,000 volts.
Whether further increase Of pressure
would be risky or not Is question
which electrical engineers have CON
siaered very carefully Lord Kelvin
expresses confidence, however. in the
practicabllity and safety OF $4,000
volts.
The fnuvaraaffou rour fnttoH.S -, a..