The Washington herald., 1914-01-18
RADIO MESSAGES
] TO CROSS OCEAN
Series to Set Clock of World
Alright to Be Resumed To-
morrow Night.
PARIS TO BE DESTINATION
Instruments at Arlington and Eifel
Tower. and Men in Charge
Have Been Exchanged.

From the top of the great radio tower
at Arlington there will fash forth a mes
sage about 7:3o o'clock tomorrow night
that will herald the real start on the
second leg" as it were. OF the interna-
tional wireless. tests being made by the
United States and France to set the clock
OF the world Alright and to determine the
difference in longitude between Washing
ton, points on the Continent, and In the
Panama Canal Zone.
The flashes that will 60 out tomorrow
night will be directed to the station re-
Gently established in the Einel Tower In
Paris The experiments are being con-
Quoted in two periods because Of the
necessity of interchanging the elaborate
mechanism OF the two stations. The first
period has just closed.
The instruments formerly in the Elf
fel Tower have been set up in the Arling-
ton tower and those used here during
the first three months of the work have
been taken to Paris. Last night and the
night before the Arlington station was
in communication with the French sta
tion. but the real start cannot be made
until the arrival OF the transit that Is
to get to Washington tomorrow morning
and will be set up during the day.
Experts in Charge.
The work at Arlington is being done by
United States and French experts, who
work in connection with the government
experts of the Naval Observatory. The
difficult task really starts at the observa-
tory, for it is there that the observa-
tions are taken from the "clock stars"
that the wireless operators may be given
the exact time. The time determined. ii
is sent crashing across the Atlantic to
the station in Paris. The time re-
quired for this bit of information to
make its way across the Atlantic Ocean
is somewhere between one one-hun-
dredth and one two-hundredth of sec
ond.
Now one one-hundredth Of a second is
so minute and delicate a space Of time
that the ordinary mortal can hardly
think in such terms, but one one-hun-
dredth OF a second is gross, compared
with the terms in which the operations
of the experts are computed.
The instruments are of the most deli
cate construction and for the success of
the tests ii was necessary that they be
as nearly as possible identical. The re-
suits Of the scientists are reached
through a series of repetitions in which
the shades of difference in time are
gradually eliminated.
Other Stations .sDrop In.'
Since the start of the experiments a
number of stations have dropped in on
the messages. Twenty stations in differ
ent parts of the world have signified their
intention to pick up the messages. and
when the wireless towers of Arlington
flash twenty wireless receivers are wait
ing eagerly for the most nearly correct
tip on the time of day the world has
ever received. \
The idea of this comparison Of time |
between the United States and France
started at the international conference
held in October. 1872, to agree on some |
system of sending out time signals for
the adjustment OF difference in longitude. |
The preliminaries were started last April. |
Not only has it been necessary that the
instruments used be models of perfection, |
but that the men who conduct the expert |
ments work in both stations part of the
time, just as it was necessary that the
instruments be interchanged.
Some months ago several French scien- |
lists, working with experts of the United |
States, started on the first period of the
work. The observations Of that period
have been completed, the scientists and |
apparatus have changed place, and the
first serious tests of the second period
will be made tomorrow night
In connection with the work the ex-
perts also will endeavor to determine
the velocity of the Hertzian rays, a mat
ter of great Importance to science.
station to Be at San Diego.
The Navy Department has selected
site near San Diego, Cal, for the third
Of the giant wireless stations which are
to form a chain extending from WASH
ington to Panama, the Pacific Coast,
Hawaii, Guam, and the Philippines.
In selecting a site, suitability from an
electrical standpoint was the prime
requisite. but its adaptability for COM
munication with Hawaii, Panama, and
the Washington station also were consid-
cred, and on this basis the San Diego
property was decided upon. Arrange
neits are being made for a transfer Of
title. and construction of the station will
begin Immediately thereafter.
The Panama station soon will be put in
commission.