New-York tribune., 1903-01-25
Hertz WAVE POSSIBILITIES.

Since his arrival In this city on Friday Mr..
Marconi has thrown a little light on two i'm
nortant nhases of his work--the possibility OF
securino secrecy in wireless telegraphy and the
sneed with which his new receiver works A
,-rea+ deal has been said in the last two years
about the virtue Of tuning, but it appears that
the Young Italian had made no practcal use OF
il until he sent a message from Glace Bay 10
Poldbu five weeks ago His apparent success
in maintaining privacy at that time affords too
limited a basis for sound conclusions. Syn
tony, must be tried much more extensively
bafore its possibilities are fully demonstrated
Mr.. Marconi's explanations, however, dispose
of the unpleasantly suggestive fact that some
of the messages sent from Poldhu last summer
were picked up by the wrong persons. AS 10
the efficiency of his new receiving instrument
the magnetic detecter, Mr.. Marconi is able to
speak more decisively> than about the practical
value of tuning. Its speed, he says. is restricted
only by the speed of sending. The improve
ment thus effected over the coherer must be the
more gratifying to him because this later de-
vice is more largely his own invention.
Another question concerning which further in
formation is supplied by the Cape Cod tests is
the relation between the power needed and the
distance covered. Only five or six horsepower,
or about one-eighth Of the capacity OF his
motive equipment was employed in reaching
Cornwall nearly three thousand miles off. If
the demand for power Increases as the cube OF
the distance, then forty or fifty horsepower
ought under favorable circumstances, to enable
one to transmit six thousand miles. Whether
this is the correct ratio or not will be better
known few months hence. when the Italian
station for communication with tn Argentine
Republic is ready for experiments. The in
terval to be spanned in those tests is fully six
thousand miles, and engines capable Of supply
ing five hundred or six hundred horsepower will
be installed. At first this may look like need
lessly ample provision. Still, as safeguard
against interruption through accident, more
engines should be available than are likely to
be busy at any one moment. Besides. it is
much easier to deal with a surplus than an
insufhciency Of power.
Should the Argentine venture prove sue
cessful 1t will pave the way to other extensions
of wireless telegraphy. The distance from the
Cape of Good Hope to Cairo is approximately
forty-fve hundred miles. Melbourne is about
five thousand miles from Singapore Manila is
seven thousand miles or more in straight line
from San Francisco. but only ffty-five hundred
from Honolulu. Messages from the American
continent for the Philippines. going by way of
and repeated in Hawaii, will call for less en-
ergy than will be expended for effective work
on the route about 20 be opened through the
generosity and sagacity Of the King of Italy.
Should direct communication between the
United States and her newly acquired Asiatic
possessions be preferable, more power would be
needed, Of course. In either case the data for
precise computation will be afforded by COM
pairing the consumption on three thousand
mile line with the requirements for six thou
sand mile service.
Tempting as this sort of calculation is, the
general public must remember that unforeseen
operative difficulties may yet be discovered.
Mr.. Marconi knows great deal more than
other people about the experiments tried since
his arrival at Glace Bay three months ago. and
it does not seem likely that many technical
surprises are in store for him. On the other