The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-04-26

The towers will be arranged in the form
OF a triangle. and viii be twenty-five feet
square at the base. The combined weight
OF the three will be I'D tons. They viii be
constructed entirely OF wood and Will be
braced with dozens Of steel guy ropes.
Connecting the tops of the towers. and
forming the support for the wire screens.
Will be a large strong cable. The screens
will be suspended from this cable. and when
in place will give the appearance of an
Inverted pyramid. d
This three sides screen is the keystone OF
the wireless system From II emanate the
sound waves that extend. In gradually in
creasing circles. for hundreds OF miles.
When tuned in concert with the screen
OF a receiving station. even though II be 500
miles distant. the sound waves speed on
their way as though guided Dy the familiar
telegraph wire.
1t is possible q tune several instrument.
TO the same pitch as the sending screen.
and in this manner the same message can
be sent to several destinations without re-
peating. -
No DYNAMO USED.
In the center Of the triangle formed b.
the towers, the power-house will be To-
Gated. In this will be the sending and re-
ceiving apparatus. but. as the electricity
will be taken from the Exposition conduits.
the usual dynamo will be omitted.
The wire screen converges into a single
cable Immediately above the power-horse.
and this is brought through the roof and
To the end is attached the wires leading to
the sending and receiving instruments.
-The latter are considered extremely SIM
pie. In fact. they are very little more COM
pHcated than those In an ordinary telegraph
ONCE. At the end of the cable. connecting
the screen with the INSTRUMENTS. IS located
the tuning device tbs consists OF several
coils OF. wire. and to tune TIE screen Il Is
only necessary to increase or decrease the
length Of wire through which the current
is to pass =
When wishing TO send a message. the OPP
orator switches the transmitting instru-
ment on to the tuning coil.
The wire that connects the tuning coll
and the sending instrument terminates IN
enc OF the knobs of the spark gap. A few
inches distant Is the other knob. to which
Is attached a wire extending TO the sew
srai parts OF the transmitter.
In sending a message. the operator press
es upon a small key, the counterpart OF an
ordinary telegraph strume This closes
the circuit and the current enters what Is
known as the transformer.
This latter is one of the important parts
OF the device. and Its construction can only
be described in technical terms that would
prove dry reading.
SPARK GAP IMPORTANT FACTOR.
From the transformer the current passes
the condenser and from there TO the
spark gap. By an ingenious arrangement
the current leaps across the space between
two knobs OF the spark gap and forms the
sound wave that il sent out by the screen.
When crossing the gap between the two
sparkers the current takes the form OF
lightning. and Il is here that the sharp re-
ports are heard. The principle Is the same
the flash of the lightning and crash of
thunder IN an electrical storm.
The receiving device is radically dit-
ferent from the transmitter. The sound
reaches what is called a responder. This
acts in sympathy with the sound wave and
c.oses and opens an electric circuit.
The responder II connected with a tele-
phone that the receiving operator wears
upon both ears.
The dots and dashes are received by him
in the form OF long and short buxzing
sounds.
The noise Is not disagreeable. II sounds
like that made In an ordinary |
telephone when central rings the bell while
the receiver is at ones ear, only not SO
pronounced.
The Exposition station will be different
from those erected for purely commercial
use. as there will be an observation plat
form built on the top OF one Of the towers.
An elevator will be provided for the con-
of visitors. In addition TO pro-
viding a view into the interior Of the in |
verted pyramid. the visitor TO the observa-
ton platform will be afforded an excellent |
panoramic view of the entire site.
About the top OF each tower will be Gus
tiers OF electric lights and around the wire
screen Will be a border OF Giessler tubes.
These latter when excited by the presence
Of an electric current. glow with many
colors, and when the screen Is either send
Ing or receiving a message the effect will
be very artistic. |