Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1909-03-26
HOW THE WIRELESS
TELEGRAPH WORKS
Scientific Explanation of Mar
coni's Great Discovery
Sounds yefj bifGple
Indeed.

Low Conservatory. Echo, Mt, Cal.
Drop a stone into the surface OF a lake at
rest. Circular waves will expand in every
direction on the plane or fiat surface. II a
similar disturbance could be made In air
the waves would traverse every direction
and the complete wave front at the limit
would be a sphere. Any light object on
the water or suspended in the air would
move slightly.
Suppose we fire a revolver in still air, a
disturbance would be set up and waves
started that would be translated into
sound by a distant tympanic membrane
In an ear. Firing rifles or revolvers go as
10 represent dots and dashes In the waves
thus established would not work. So they
FIRE the giant force electricity across a
narrow air gap between carbon points. The
electricity is stepped up to very nigh pres
sure-Yoltage in the caroons. Finally the
pent up force becomes so great that Is
breaks the resistance OF the almost non
conducting air and rushes across the other
carbon with immense speed.
This disruption of the air starts "A wave
as does a stone falling IN water or the
discharge of a gun in air. But the out
burst OF electricity is man thousands or
times more powerful than either. Inc
sharp ind heard by those near a Wire
less Geographic t~ransmitter have nothing
to do with the message. They are sounds
due to air waves. But a wireless tele-
gram could be sent through space devoid
OF air. for the waves are electromagnetic,
not aerial They move in either, supposed
to hlI all space and all matter. Many de-
vices have been made 90 secure sparks
through air-gaps. C0ndensers OF electric
ity nave been employed at high pressure.
Dynamos giving rise to different wave
lengths are in daily use, also, at lower
pressures. Wave characteristic are modi-
fled In a number OF ways, and also meth
DDS OF receiving. Waves OF electricity can
be set up whose lengths vary between on
inch and as much as a thousand miles.
There is an incredible number of lengths
in between these, so t~elegraphers will have
little trouble In selecting any length and
making sending and receiving instruments
in tune as agreed upon. Suppose these
should he tuned to a w~aye-length of 100
feet; then others with Instruments attuned
TO % or 10 feet could not cut the others
message out of space and hear what was
being sent.
The electricity, from whatever source.
IS turned into and cut out OF the sending
apparatus by an ordinary telegraphic key,
which makes and breaks the circuit.
Suppose II is desired to typewrite a tele-
gram as received. Then the power is not
sent on the magnetic waves from the send
ing station. This would require enormous
supplies OF electricity. waves are sent as
usual; these are received by delicate mech
anism wholly unable TO print anything.
But sensitive apparatus receives the in
coming waves, turns OF power from local
sources, and this actuates the printing de-
vices. The circumference of the earth at
the equator is 1888 miles. In order to
telegraph around the world" it would be
necessary to send through not more han
half this distance from nation TO nation.
And no doubt exists but that 1t viii be ac-
complished. Wireless telegraphy is one OF
the most impressive c~onquests of nature
ever made by man.