Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1905-10-21


and the many voices cause so many
other waves that the vibrations pro-
duced by your voice do not go far. IL
there was no other movement of the
air when you speak you might be heard
around the world. TO keep out some of
tire waves rnuJ intvrfer with those
made by your voice, you can speak
through a pipe or speaking tube and
your voice will be heard at a much
greater distance.
Now, In all the space around us there
is something else besides air. There
is very powerful something that we
call electricity; it Is wherever we look,
though we cannot see it. 1t is in the
air, all about us, Is always in motion,
and is constantly vibrating so fast that
a wave has gone thousand miles be-
fore you can think of 1t. Under GER
tain conditions electricity has special
fondness for metals, and will follow a
wire from one end to the other almost
instantly, no matter how long the wire
may be. So we have the telegraph
and the telephone, which send waves of
electricity over a wire hundreds of
miles.
When we speak into the mouthpiece
of a telephone, we divide the current
or stream of electricity on the wire into
little waves. At the end Of the wire
these same waves cause the same kind
of vibrations that we made in speak
ing, and these vibrations produce a
sound in the air like the sound of our
voices. Now, remember the space all
about us is full of this wonderful cleo
tricity, and you can readily see that
waves are not really needed to carry
it. The electricity is there already, and
all we need to do Is TO divide it up into
the right kind Of waves, and then to
provide some sort of arrangement at a
distance that these waves will act
upon, as the waves on the wire act
upon the telephone or telegraph instru-
ment.
If two separate wires are put on
posts at some distance apart, and a
strong current of electricity is sent
through one of them, II has been dis
covered that there will be similar
current of electricity in the other
wire also, though they are in no way
connected. If the current of electricity
on the one wire be divided up into little
waves by the telephone or telegraph
instrulypnt the same waves will be
rounu on the otner wire as wen, and
then we have wireless telephony or
telegraphy on a small scale. We say
ION small SCALE" because there Is
n limit to the distance for which this
method is available with the ordinary
currents of electricity and with ordi-
nary means of producing electrical
waves. Still, the general principle is
much the same.
These facts, and indeed all that are
necessary TO perfect wireless sys-
tenn of telegraphy, have been known
to scientists for many years; but 1t
remained for young Italian to put
the knowledge OF the wise men of
science to practical and commercial
use.
The work of Marconi has been to
invent instruments that will produce
waves strong enough and of the right
kind to so across the ocean of electric
ity that surrounds us, and the other in
struments to catch the waves so sent
and turn them into dots and dashes.
Stations have been established at
various points of high land and wires
placed upon tall masts, from which
messages may be sent in all directions.
Companies have been organized to Op-
crate wireless systems, and the new
method is gradually coming into pop
ular use for the transaction of ordinary
business.
The Government of the United States
has adopted this form of telegraphy
for its coast life-saving stations, for
battleships, and for use in the army.
The Russian, French, English and Ger
man governments have also adopted it
in their navies and armies.
While much has been written about
Marconl, and while we seldom think
about wireless telegraphy without
thinking of Marconi, many other people
have been interested and have invent
ed instruments that may prove better
than his.
The uses to which wireless teleg-
raphy may be put are many and
varied. Ships may communicate with
each other at sea or with stations on
shore; life-saving stations may COM
municate with wrecked ships or with
each other, powder mines may be fired,
and torpedoes steered and exploded
without danger to the operator. The
wireless system may be applied to any
use that now employs the telephone or
telegraph, and to many uses where
they would be of no value.
A curious instance Of what may be
done with wireless telegraphy occurred
not long ago, and was reported by New
York newspapers.
"Cllck, clickety-clickp' licked the
Marconi instrument ON the Red Star
liner Finland, outward bound. This
was the substance Of the message
heard by the operator:
; "Hold upl Where are you going with
those diamonds2 Tell the purser to gel
the package of jewels out of his safe.
A tug is coming after you, and the
proper person is on board to whom
the diamonds can be delivered. Don't
sail until property is surrendered"
Only wireless message could have
stopped the big ship this side of Ant
werp. But when the Marconigram
was completed there was hustle
aboard ship.
Bells tinkled In the engine room, and,
as the propellers ceased to revolve, the
Finland lost Roadway.
The package of diamonds had been
consigned to Hoey, Gascoigne e. Scar
defeld, custom house brokerage firm,
by client whose name they declined
to make public.
The jewels arrived on Wednesday
and were locked up In the liners safe.
The usual permits for immediate de-
livery to the official truckman Of the