The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-03-19


Herald.
IN a few months residents of New YORK
city may be able to drop message
in a deep London hole there and have
1t arrive in London few seconds later.
They may also receive the response by
the same method just as quickly The IN
vention is now awaiting patent rights In
washington. 1t is an underground wire
less telegraph system patented by Father
Joseph Murgas of Wilkesbarre. Father
Murgas is pastor of the slavish Catholic
church in Wlkesbarre, and is trained
electrical expert. The underground Wire
less he considers the cheapest and most
practical system of telegraphy in exist
ence.
The secret Of his invention is carefully
guarded but its success has already peeh
established by a series OF experiments
The communication between New YORK
and London is to be the same kind OF
experiment upon a larger scale The
Universal Aether Telegraph company
which is backing Father Murgas work,
it is promised, will be started simultane-
ously in New York and in London to drill
the depest holes ever bored in the earth,
each about 5000 yards, or nearly two miles
deep. This work, 1t is estimated, will
cost about $40, 900, for the holes are to
be concerted to prevent moisture anectins
the wires. and heavy copper wires Will
connect the discharging and receiving
apparatus at the bottom of the hole with
the sending and receiving stations on the
surface. After that. Father Murgas says,
all it will be necessary to do will be to
send the messages according to his sys-
TEN, and New York and London will be
connected by wireless telegraphy.
The system is much the same as that
which has proved successful in his wire
less aerial telegraphy invention, which is
now in regular operation between Wilkes
barre and Scranton, distance OF eigh-
teen miles. The messages are discharged
and received at the top of lofty twin
towers. These towers are connected by
heavy copper cable, from which depend
smaller wires at short distances, ana
these are finally looped into one cable,
which is carried down to the operators
Instruments in the offices at the foot or
the towers. On each of these towers is
wound thirty-two miles of wire. The
power used is about one-tenth that re-
quired by ordinary wireless systems TO
send a message the same distance. In
stead of the Morse alphabet, musical
tone is used to represent each letter or
code word or group of words, and the
message is sent by series of sound
waves. the instruments being so deli
cately adjusted that they receive these
tones, slight though the variation is, and
reproduce them as letters and words In
this way a speed six to ten times as great
as that possible by the use Of the fastest
Morse code is obtained, and at far less
cost. SO the inventor claims, than any
other system.
Father Murgas says: The experiments
which have so far been conducted have
been successful. 1t is now only ques-
ton of extending the distances by which
messages are sent by the underground
system In short time the system
will be working between Wilkesbarre and
Scranton, and then will come the greatest
test, the effort to send messages between
New OIk l<OuuOus ue SyStCH 10
much the same as the aerial system"
1t Is desired to dig holes 800 feet deep
in Wilkesbarre and Scranton, to line
them with concrete and equip them with
wires There are still some details to
perfect and when these two holes are
completed and the system Established
Father Murgas does not believe that 1t
will take long to complete every detail
of It. He is most enthusiastic over the
success which has already been won In
the experiments, and the experts of the
company are no less pleased. Baron
fist of Holland, has witnessed these ex-
periments and investigated the system
thoroughly, and he will probably superin-
tend the London end of the big test.
Speaking of the possibility of boring
hole two miles deep. concreting it and
that it is not much more difficult than
boring a hole mile deep, and that the
only extra consideration is the extra ex-
pense. He says that hole 5000 feet deep
was recently drilled in Germany by a
company which was prospecting for gold,
and no great difficulties were encoun-
tered The holes, he says, are to be
nearly two miles deep, in order to assure
the success of the tests as &. that depth
he calculates he will be below the bottom
of the sea. and that there will be no