Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1909-03-18
HOW THE WIRELESS
TELEGRAPH WORKS
Scientific Explanation of Mar
coni's Great Discovery
Sounds Very Simple
Indeed.
BY Edgar Lucien Larkin.

low Conservatory. Echo. Mt, Cal.
Drop stone into the surface of a lake at
rest. Circular waves will expand in every
direction on the plane on flat surface. If
similar disturbance could be made in air
the waves would traverse every direction
and the complete wave front at the iml1
would be sphere Any light object on
the water or suspended i'll the air would
move slightly.
Suppose VIC fire revolver in still air
disturbance would be set up and waves
started that would be translated into
sound by q distant tympanic membrane
In an ear. Firing rifles or revolvers so as
to represent dots and dashes in the waves
thus established would not work So they
fire the giant force electricity across
marrow Al. gap hetN-nn cart On points. The
electri - % cry 81 nc
sure voiiak. ..pons. Finally the
pent up force becomes so great that 1t
breaks the resistance of the almost non
conducting air and PUSHES across the other
carbon with immense speed.
This disruption OF the air starts wave
as does a stone falins in water or the
discharge of a gun I'm air But the out
burst OF electricity is many thousands of
times more powerful than either The
sharp sounds heard by those neal n wire
less telcgraphc transmitter have nothing
to do with the message They are sounds
due to air waves. But wireless tele-
gram could be sent through space devoid
of air. for the waves are electro-nlagnetie.
not aerial. They move in either, supposed
To fiji all space and all matter Many de-
vices have been made 10 secure sparks
through ai1-gap CondenSers OF electric
1ty have been employed at high pressure.
Dynamos giving rise to different wave
lengths are in daily use. also, at lower
pressures. Wave characteristics are inodl-
fled in q number of ways, and also meth
f1t lola ~ Il
be set up whose lengths vary between on
inch and as much as thousand miles.
There is an incredible number of lengths
4 I'm between these, telegraphcrs 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 n wave-length of 100
feet; then others with Instruments attuned
| TO 80 or no 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 am ordinary telegraphic key,
| which makes and breaks the circuit
Suppose it is desired to typewrite IL tele-
| gram as received. Then the power is not
sent ON the magnetic waves from the send
1 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 n-
coming waves, turns on power from local
sources. and this actuates the printing de-
vices. Tho circumference of the earth mt
the equator is 24.SaS miles. In order 10
/ Telegraph "around the world 1t would be
necessary TO send through not more than
| half this distance from nation 10 nation.
And no doubt exists hut that it will be nc-
complished. Wireless telegraphy is one OF
the most impressive conquests of nature
i ever made by man.