The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1913-12-24
~ USEFUL At LAST
ONCE USELESS EIFFEL TOWER IS
WIRELESS CENTER.
Vast NETWORK OF Wires
Several Years Ago About to be Torn
Down Eiffel Tower Has Now a
Splendid Plant Where a Maze Of
Machines Makes it the Worlds
Wireless Center.

The famous Eiffel Tower, Of Paris,
the highest steel structure of its kind
in the world, was about to be torn
down several years ago on account OF
It's uselessness To-day it is regard
ed as one of Frances most valuable
possessions. The French capital, be-
caue of the Eiffel Tower, has become
the wireless center of the world.
Underneath the Champ de Mars, IN
which the tower stands, a vast sub
terranean wireless plant has been
constructed. It's presence is scarcely
suspected by the passer-by, for its
only entrance is little more than a
trapdoor in the ground, partly con-
cealed by clump OF trees. But
should he attempt to approach too
near the little iron staircase leading
underground, he will find his way
barred by soldiers.
Below ground, amid a maze of
passages, gigantic machines and
continual cracking and flashing Of
the wireless, corps Of military engi-
neers and electrical experts are work
ing day and night to perfect instru-
ments on the accuracy of whose mes
sages in wartime may depend
Frances victory or defeat, and on
which also will depend the adequate
cooperation of the allied army OF
Russia. It was in his laboratory
there that Prof. Henry Abraham, Of
the Sarbonne, talked to-day Of what
his work as member of the French
Wireless Mission sent by the govern
ment to Washington, will be. Pro-
fessor Abraham will not join his col
leagues until late in October.
During our work at Arlington last
spring." said he, 1--WE succeeded in
cooperation with our American asso-
ciates in establishing the relative
time of Washington and Paris within
the tenth Of second. Since then we
have been able to improve greatly the
receiving and recording Of wireless
messages. We expct now to estab-
lish the time of Washington to within
the hundredth of second, and as a
part of this result the longitude Of
washington as related to Paris.
France will later send missions to the
other principal nations with the OBJ
iect of establishing similar accu-
racy in the relative times. Once this
work is accomplished, the world will
receive time signals from the Eifel
Tower and will be able to register
them to within the hundredth of
second.
"This effort for accuracy to within
the hundredth of a second has requlr-
ed a tremendous improvement in the
wireless apparatus and a great ad-
vance in clock-making. Two of the
most important pieces Of the equip
ment which We shall take to America
will be chronometers Of such extreme
precision that after being set before
leaving France they are relied upon
not to vary appreciably during the
whole of our time in America.
1--WE shall use photography in reg
istering EiTel Tower signals for fix
ing the exact loreitude Of Washing
ton. We a~-rn n"siiy at an accuracy
of a hund:cdth Part Of second by
means of ftn, revolving q: a fixed
rate of speed and luminous spot in
buenced BY the wireless messages.
In registering the speed of radio
waves. have succeeded in dividing
the second into 10000 parts. Expe-
riences so far on the speed Of wire
less waves tend to show that they
travel at the same speed as light,
from which We make the important
deduction that they are the same
thing"