The Washington herald., 1912-03-17

lectual progress must have been more or
less continuous.
As to the utilization of fuel energy, /
am glad to say that havs recently made
decided step forward through the perfec-
tion of my new gas turbine, or rotary en-
sine, which will permit a much more
use of fuel than heretofore
possible.
Improving the Telephone.
The energy supplied to the earth
through the suns rays is 50 great that if
it could be chesply stored and converted
it would meet all our wants. But al
though engines have already been oper-
ated By power 50 derived. all undertakings
to this end have proved practical failures.
chiefly because of the periodic character
Of the supply. 1 have long recognized
that TIE true solution lies in a different
direction.
'Telephoning through long submarine
cables is possible and would have been
accomplished long ago had the efforts Of
electricians been turned in the proper di-
rection. The trouble lies in the trans
mitting and receiving instruments, es-
pecially the latter, which are still crude
and require strong currents for operation.
entailing great loss in the wire. as wen as
the surrounding insulating medium, and
causing weakening and distortion of the
impulses Following the suggestion of
the great Mathematician Heaviside, the
telephone lines are now being made Of
heavy wire and provided with induction
coils, which have the effect of raising the
tension and reducing the frictional waste
in the wire.
"a further extension in the transmits
sion has been effected by the use of the
so-called phantom circuit, consisting Of
two separated lines This is an ingenious
and practical expedient, but the use of
induction coils is only necessitated By the
crudity Of the instruments. In employ
ing very sensitive receiving devices
speech can be transmitted distinctly
through the longest aerial lines and sub
marine cables without any change In
their construction"
How about the possibility Of making
that visible which is going on at the end
of a wire as We are now able to converse
over a wire?"
I'VE must distinguish between trans
mission of pictures and what has been
termed television. or seeing at distance.
The former is a comparatively old art now
well established. Some Of the early work
in this direction was done in this country
BY Mr.. Amstutz, an American engineer.
Quite recently Professor Korn, of Munich,
has perfected apparatus which is now
being used with success.
"As regards the transmissiou Of images,
it is ineomparably more difficult ehiedy
because of the complexity it involves By
The means which have been 50 far proposed
thouSands Of wires would be necessary be-
tween two stations. An invention Of mine
permits the reduction of this number to
but a few, or even to a single wire, %
that there is a fair prospect Of practical
achievement at no remote date. What
IS more, I believe that seeing at dis
lance viii be accomplished without wires
"will it be possible for electrical science
10 discover some means whereby such
accidents as that of the Olympic and the
Hawke can be avoided?'
"A perfect means for this purpose has
been afforded through the discovery Of
the stationary waves, but unfortunately
there is no plant as yet in operation. With
these waves. which, as have shown, pass
from one to the other end Of the globe
without diminution Of intensity, pro
ducins stationary loops and nodes the
danger Of collisions at SEA viii be srsatis