New-York tribune., 1908-11-23
AMBITIOUS HERTZ WAVE PROJECTS.

A
One of the most important installations now
being made anywhere for wireless telesraphy Is
reported from Paris A provisional equipment
at the Eiffel Tower which rendered fairly satS-
factory service between Casabanca, Morocco,
and the French capital, is being replaced by ap-
peratus for permanent use. Before the alfera-
tions were begun messages were occasionally re
ceved in Paris from points more than one thou-
sand miles distant and it is hoped that dls-
patches may before long be sent a distance
of three thousand miles. Apparently the range
of the reorganized station will hardly be suffi-
cient to reach New York. but it may facilitate
communication over the greater part Of the
North Atlantic with the French West Indies
and with parts of Africa much further south
than the Barbary States. Inasmuch as the work
done thus far has been performed by French
military engineers in cooperation with NJ
Efffel ii may he assumed that the new plant
will be employed primarily. if not exclusively.
by the government. thus paraeling the provision
made by the British Admiralty several months
ago for controlling its fleets directly from the
home Office in London.
Until the station goes into operation it viii
hardly he safe to make comparisons, but il prom
iseS to make a new record in long distance ser
vice At present the most credit for long dis
tance communication seems to be due 10 the
Marconi company which. with partly completed
stations. has been exchanging messages over
fully two thousand miles for thirteen months. \
few weeks ago the United Wireless Company
(using the Deforest SYSTEM began transmitting
dispatches from San Francisco to Oaku. Hawaii.
21O0 miles away. but perhaps il is too soon TO
ella i'm any superiority for the achievement The
difference in the distances now spanned is too
small 10 count for much. and the regularity of
the service over portion of the Pacific may
not have been perfectly established. Indeed,
four or five years ago Marcon able to send
messag ges from Cape Breton to POldhu-a dis
lance Of about 2.3Q0 miles-for several weeks.
He was obliged to SUSPEND operations. but might
reasonably claim to have surpassed for short
time anything yet accomplished by his rivals.
Nor would il be quite fair TO draw any differences
from the remarkable feat of picking M at Point
Iona. Cal. ii message from The battleship Con
necticut when she was 300 miles off The Con
necticut WAS 10 be sure. equipped with the De
forest anparatuS but some Of Marconi's mes
sagcS have been recognized Al n distance Of
iO0O miles. Owing to the variability in the re-
sistance TO transmission offered by daylight aud
other less ineligible influences Hertz waves
betray \ notable lack Of uniformity In their
range II is the regular. not the accidental per
formance by which any wireless Geographic syS-
tenn should he judged.
proposition which was even hoIder than
that now being carried into effect in Paris at
tracted much notice FIVE years ago. Marconi
contemplated the erection Of s station in Italy
capable of sending messages to the Argentine
Republic. Construction actually begun. bat
II was not carried far enough to have any prnc-
teal value. OF late the project has made little
hpadway but if it is ever carried out it may
open up surprising possibilities. The Italian
plant was designed to he powerful enough tn
transmit recognizable signals more than 600
miles. Several devotees Of wireless telegraphy
believe that after going onequarter of the way
around the globe in any directionl Hertz waves
Will increase in strength. Apparently they foi-
low the surface of the earth instead of flying
off on a tangent into space. Should they do SO
during the second journey Of 5000 miles only
energy enough To send them the first 6.tsD0 might
he required and they might concentrate at the
antip0des Of the generating station. If this
pectatiOn should he realized, England would
probably be tempted to try 10 reach New Zealand
ana Australia by wireless telegraphy.