The Opelousas courier., 1907-08-31

& y tice that the vibrations OF
T3G2S movements that you have
started follow along the
rope clear to the end. If YOU toss a
stone into 4 pond Of still water YOU
know that Il ripple or wave VIII start
from the place where the stone fell and
spread i'll all directions to the very
edge of the water. These vibrations or
waves can be started in the air just
as in the water, though you cannot
see them and seldom feel them. When
ever you speak or sing or whistle you
produce waves or vibrations that go tc
your ears and to the cars of those near
you, where they cause 4 movement OF
the ear drum: this we call hearing.
If the water into which YOU throw
the stone is not smooth, you know that
the waves or ripples do not 90 far,
but soon become lost in the other
waves caused by the wind or by the
current Of the water. SO it is with the
waves of the air; the wind currents
and the many voices cause so many
other waves that the vibrations pro
duced by your voice do not 80 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
the wave that Interior 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, i'll all the space around us there
is something else besides air. There
is a very powerful something that we
call electricity; it is wherever we look,
though we cannot see it. 1t is i'll the
air. all about us, is always in motion,
and is constantly vibrating so fast that
q wave has gone a thousand miles be-
fore YOU can think of it. Under GER
tain conditions electricity has 4 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 mad in speak
ing, and these vibrations produce a
sound in the air like the sound OF our
voices. Now, remember the space al!
about us is full of this wonderful cleo
tricity, and you cal readily see that
waves are not really neeueG to carry
it. The electricity isJhere already, anG
all we need to do is to divide it up into
the right kind of waves, and then IT,
provide some sort of arrangement at a
distance that these waves will act
upon, as the waves on the Wlrc act
upon the telephone or telegraph inst'u'
ment.
If two separate wires are put on
posts at some distance apart, aEd Il
strong current Of electricity is sent
through one of them, it has been dis
covered that there will be a similar
current of electricity in the other
wire also, though they are i'll no way
connected. If the current of electricity
On the one wire be divided up into little
waves by the telephone or telegraph
instrument, the same waves will be
found on the other wire as we'll, ana
then we have wireless telephony Or
teiegraphy on a small scale. We say
ION a small SCALE" because there is
a limit to the distance for which this
method is available with the ordinary
currents of electricity and with ordl-
nary means of producing electlcai
Still, the general principle is
much the same.
These facts, and indeed all that are
necessary to a perfect wireless sys-
tenn of teles;raphy, have been known
to scientists for many years; but II
remained for a 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 go across the ocean Of electric
ity that surrounds us, and the other in
struments to catch the waves so sen
and turn them into dots and daslles
Stations have been established al
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 State:
has adopted this form Of telegraphy
for it's coast life-saving stations, fol
battleships, and for use in the army
The Russian, French, English and Ger
man governments have also adopted i
in their navies and armies.
/. While much has been written abou
| Marconi, and while we seldom thinl
| about wireless biography withou
thinking of Marconi, many other peopl'
have been interested and have invent
ed.instruments that may prove bette:
than his.
The uses to which wireless teleg
raphy may be put are many ant
varied. Ships may communicate witt
each other at sea or with stations O.
shore; ~life-saving stations may com
| municate with wrecked ships or witt
each other, powder mines may be fired
and torpedoes steered and explode'
without danger to the operator. TIL