The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1903-02-26
MARCONI AT WORK.
Sending Wireless Messages over 5000 Niles
OF Ocean.
(The Worlds Work.)

CIhe world WORK.
Marconi opened the door, and we en-
| tered room where few have been. The
center of this place was filled with great
box-like Leyden jars; while at the easterly
side was the magnetic-detector which has
replaced the coherer in receiving mes
sages; on the south side was the nduc-
| ton coil and great zinc and copper tanks
of oil. Over the Leyden jars, which oc-
cupied the greater portion of the room,
were four huge sheets of zinc bound with
copper. On the concrete floor were rubber
mats, and the walls and low ceiling Were
of hardwood. Here some important de-
vices were completed late in January and
some important discoveries made. Queer
instruments stored in ali parts of the room
evidently played their part in the general
scheme. On nOrtherly wall over plat
form were tables with n brass sending
key and great wooden lever also used
for sending. Marconi stood on this plat
form, his hand resting near the sender.
'NOw," he said, when l signal to the
electrician $4,000 volts will come into the
room. Stand up here by me and don't
touch anything. Keep away from those
jars, because the current does not wait
for you to touch it. 1t will jump to YOU"
confess stood as close to Marconi on
lut Httie DldtlOEU as L COulu.
This scene is indelibly stamped in my
memory; the room, packed with its queer,
mysterious instruments, of some of which
the electrical world knows nothing, and
that slight, youthful figure of Marconi,
with his eyes fixed on the Indicator his
sensitive hands on the key.
"All ready! he cried to the electrician
who stood in the power-room watching
the inventor through the long connecting
a LODI nv,1 =
hum filled the room. The indicator of the
volt meter began to race past all sorts
of high figures on the face of the dial
"Now, I'll send to POldhu." He pressed
the key.
There was a binding flash Of blush
light, for with each movement of the key
great sparks jumped two inches between
the two silvered knobs of the induction
COIL One knob Of this coil is connected
with the earth, forming the ground con-
nection, the other with the wire leading
to the aerial wires. Each spark means
an oscillating impulse from the battery
to the aerial wire, and from the wire
the oscillations of ether occur which carry
through space at the speed of 1S7, 1000
miles second. With the binding flash
accompanying each movement of the key
occurs report to be compared accurately
with the noise attending the discharge Of
krag-Jorgenson rifle. 1t was terrifying
the light, the noise, and in the midst
OF It all the inventor calmly pressing the
key, making more noise, more light. Imag-
inc company of infantry firing at will in
tunnel and you can understand the
sound that accompanies sending a mes
sage. Marconi, who stuffs cotton in his
ears when sending, is now experimenting
to deaden this sound. But somehow, to
one impressed by the fact that here, in
TINS very room, message was being sent
through the air across that gloomy stretch
OF 5,OUO miles of ocean, the noise and the
.ishL seemed htting-gaye the proper
touch of the superhuman, of force, of in
tensity.