Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1903-03-25
The Alleged Origin of Wireless
TelegraphY.

land, who as long ago as 1914 sue
ceeded in telegraphing messages
across ponds without wirse" In 1859
Lindsay read a paper before the Brit
lish association on the possibilities of
wireless telegraphy.
How much of the truly prophetic
vision this brilliant Scotchman must
have had is shown by the fact that as
early as 1881 he was delivering lee
cures in which he predicted that with
in Il few years houses and cities
would be lighted by electricity in
stead of gas and heated by it instead
of coal; and he also demonstrated the
facility with which wheels could be
turned and pulleys raised by electric
power and forecast the substitution
of electricity for steam as motor
for machinery.
Marconi himself, we are informed,
in an address delivered at Dundee,
has done full justice to the memory
of the Scotch pioneer as the first
man who thoroughly believed in the
possibility and the utility of long dis
tance wireless telegraphy''
Wireless telegraphy is thirty years
old according to one record. How
much older it may be no one can tell.
January 10, 1873, the United States
senate passed bill Incorporating the
Loomis Aerial Telegraph company.
and the act was signed by President
Grant Jan. p of that year. 1t appears
from the debates that DIR. Mahlon
Loomis, of West Virginia, was the in
ventor, and proposed to establish
system of wireless telegraphy. The
bill was championed by Senator An
th0ny. of Rhode Island, and there was
a disposition to make fun of it. as well
as the entire scheme. and the word
Laughter" frequently occurs showing
that senator's regarded the matter as
a freak. Senator Thurman. of Ohio.
while somewhat incredulOus. was Civ
ing the bill his support. Now" said
he, Il want to perfect the measure
as well as l can, which. | am assured
by the promoter of it, the discoverer
of some new mode of telegraphing,
will enable him to telegraph all
around the world without any wires
at all, with not the slightest neces-
sity for cable or anything of the kind
have not the least objection to his
doing it, if so great feat can be
performed"
One section of the bill provided
that the business and objects of said
corporation shall be to develop and
utilize the principles of the powers
of natural electricity to be used in
telegraphing, generating light, heat
and motive power. and otherwise
make and operate any machinery run
by electricity for any purpose Re
ferring to this provision, Senator
Morrill,, of Vermont. asked: 81 desire
to know whether the chairman of the
committee on commerce has thor
oughly studied this subject so that
he has confidence in the results?"
In the course of a reply Senator
Chandler, of Michigan, who had re-
ported the bill adversely, said: Il
understand that when you only have
to get up fourteen or fifteen thousand
feet above the earth, when you can
commence telegraphing if you have
the Instruments, but the precise
method of getting up L have never ar
rived at
Senator Anthony remarked that
1T is very common to laugh down
great inventions, but all great inven-
tiOns have been illusions to begin
|
graph without wires, and thinks he
has made experiments to prove it,
| if he can get persons to contribute
money to test the question:
| Senator Thurman was still incredu-
lous, and asked if Loomis had ever
telegraphed without wires one hun
dred miles or one hundred yards.
| The bill passed more as a compli-
ment to Senator Anthony than any
thing else, and because it did not
commit the government to anything
or involve an appropriation. Senator
Stewart is the only man in the senate
| then who is now there and he voted
for it. Among others still living who
voted the same way were Corbett. of
| Oregon; Davis. of West Virginia; Ed
munds, of Vermont; Ramsey, of Min
nesota; and Ransom, of North Caro-
| lima. Wel-known men who voted for
he bill, but have joined the majority
were Anthony, of Rhode Island; ST.
mon Cameron, of Pennsylvania; Zach
Chandler and Ferry, Michigan; Phil
etuS Sawyer. Wisconsin; and Sher-
man, Ohio. Here also are some we'll
known men who voted in the mega
tive: HaInlin and Morrill,, of Yer
mont; Salisbury, of Delaware and
Trumbull. of Illinois.
The LOOMS wireless telegraphy was
recalled by resolutions introduced by
Senator Hoar. extending to Signor
Marconi the thanks of congress for
the invention of wireless telegraphy.
Upon reading this i. w. Whitaker
wrote letter to Senator EllSins
claiming that~a man from the sena-
tors state had invented wireless tele-
graphy more than thirty years ago.
He said that a foreigner had taken
and perfected the ideas of a poor