Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1909-03-11
MES FOR USE.
IN FOES At SEA.
WIRELESS COMPANY DECLARE
THE INVENTION is ABE
QUATE.
CONT RlVANCE FOR ERMiN.
ING DISTANCE FROM HORN
OR BELL ON OCEAN.

graph company, new invention,
known as the fog-phone, will afford
protection against collision between
ships in a fog. The inventor is Rob
ert H. Marriott of Brooklyn, one of
the company. Patents were granted
yesterday, and Mr.. Marriott recently
made practical tests which, he says,
proved the value of the continuance.
are being made for its
installation in a score of the ocean
going vessels.
The fog-phone is an amp1ifcation
of the present systems Of wireless
telephony and the submarine bell,
making use of all three of these
methods of communication. Mr.
Marriott described his device today
as follows:
The basic principle Of the fog
phone is the fact that sound travels
through the air at rate of approx
imately one thousand feet a second
or through water at a slightly great
er rate of speed, and that when
sound is reproduced at Assistance by
means Of wireless waves, Its velOc-
ity is practically that of light or
10000 miles a second.
This is how l have applied these
two Well-known scientific laws: A
bell ringing in the air, if the sound
waves are gathered by the transmit
ter of a wireless telephone, may be
heard distinctly in a wireless receiv-
er one mile distant in 1,1S6,000 of a
second, or instantaneOusly so far as
the human sense can determine The
same sound travelling through the
air will reach the same receiving
point just five seconds later
These two sounds are identical in
tone, and it is this fact which will
prevent any mistake on the part OF
the operator in picking out a par
ticular bell. The instant the sound
of the bell is heard through the
wireless receiver, the operator press
es a button which starts a device
similar to a stop watch, except that
the points around the circumference
of the dial. instead of representing
seconds, indicate distances in miles
and feet
The instant the sound of the bell
reaches the operator through the air
Or through the mechanism of the
submarine bell, he presses the but
ton once more. This stops the clock
indicates accurately the distance be
tween the point where the sound or
iginates and the point Of it's recep-
ton. For example, should the sound
be heard by means of the wireless
telephone, and arrive seven and a
half seconds ahead of the same sound
going in the natural way through
the air or transmitted through the
water by means Of the submarine
bell device, it is a simple matter to
calculate that the vessel is $500 feet
distant. OF not quite a mile and
half away. The indicator Of the fog
phone, however, gives the exact dis
lance in feet.
When the sound of the bell is
next heard, the operation is repeat
ed, and the dial of the indicator
shows whether the point from which
the sound emanates is nearer or far
ther away than before. This hnowl-
edge enables the man in the pilot
house to avoid all danger of COLI
sion. A bell ringing from a station
on a rock or other menace to naviga-
ton will accurately indicate the To-
cation Of danger and make it an
easy matter for the pilot of a vessel
to steer clear of it.
''In some cases it is desirable to
use a submarine bell instead Of the
ordinary fog bell This is made pos
sible by the fact that all vessels are
now or soon will be equipped with
the submarine bell apparatus, and
the wireless telegraph system is now
almost universally. used by al sea-
going ships.
"At the receiving station the OBJ
orator has a pair of telephone receiv-
ers held to each ear in the usual
way. One of these is attached to
the wireless receiver, while the 9th
err connects with the transmitter
rt1 tai 4 gy,rr
through the air or wafer
when it is desirable to reach out
D great distance for the sound
the warning bell, both receivers at !
he operators ears are connected
with the wireless telephone receiver.
When he hears the sound of the
BELL he presses the button, and this
not only starts the measuring device
going, but switches the telephone re-
ceivers fro.l The wireless receiver to !
he telephone transmitter used to
pick up the sounds from the air or
water. When the signal is heard by |
way Of the water or air, the press
ng Of the button registers the dis
ance separating the point of recep-
ion from the other vessel or dan [
,er point. and at the same time
witches the head telephone back to
he wireless circuit.
1T is a fact often stated by the
Ulcers of ships that it is next TO
10 calculate the distance
r direction of a vessel in a fog by