The Ordway new era., 1914-02-20


ment has been reached which works
admirably and incidentally subscribes
to the physical limitations OF height
imposed by structures along the road
way.
But while this placing Of the wires
sufiiced when running over open coun-
try, there was still doubt about what
would happen when the train skirted
along winding rivers with mountains
hemming in the view and seemingly
offering an obstacle to the sending
and the receiving of wireless impulses.
1t s-along parts Of the road of this
character that the wireless telegraph
would be of the greatest service. be.
cause the sinuous path OF the track
makes it impossible for the towerman
to see trains for more than a short
distance. and block signals worked by
track contacts are similarly obscured
by bends In the route. Would the
wireless waves rise out OF the depth
of the valleys and get beyond to re-
ceiving stations, or would the vibra-
tions started from distant points get
over the mountains and down into the
winding passes?
In anticipation OF probable dlfficul-
ties in this department Of the work
the Lackawanna railroad erected at
Scranton and at Blnghamton tall wire
less towers and these were expected
to Offset the lowness OF the aerialss
upon the train. Whether these tall
towers are actually necessary for the
immediate work cut out for them is
not OF present concern; they may be
necessary part of the system when
ultimately elaborated. But an inter
esting fact has developed: The mes
sages leaving the moving train are
unquestionably able to get past inter
vening mountains and to climb from
way to antennae Of the towers at
Scranton and Binghamton.
According to the experts. the Hert-
zian waves don't do this by climbing
the hills. but by actually going
through them. This is because the
earth Is a great magnet, and the wire-
less waves virtually wade along part
ly through the ground and partly
through the air.
Even wireless telegraph involves an
electrical circuit: the flow must even
tually yeturn to the ground. In this
case the ground is the track upon
which the cars move. What would
happen II the electrical discharge at
the instant of receiving a message
aboard the train should pass into the
rail? Wouldn't this interfere with the
current that already runs through the
rails when passing train causes the
automatic operating of some Of the
block signals? Wouldn't the two cleo
trical discharges cause signal trou-
bles?
The railroad electricians had their
doubts, but the wireless men believed
otherwise. and the tests have shown
that there was no reason for anxiety.
But why? you will ask. Just where
the Hertzian waves return to the earth
they have zero Of electrical energy.
or potential. as the expert expresses
1t. These points are the modal. or neu-
trail points. corresponding to the
places on vibrating string where the
double curves meet and cross and
where there is no motion. For this
reason the wireless discharge into the
track has no power to upset the reg
ular current which controls the oper.
ating of the, block signals.
Wireless telegraphy calls for good
deal of energy in the spark which
creates the Hertzian waves. AND the
question was: Where was this cur
rent to be obtained? In the present
instance 1t has been drawn from the
batteries supplying current for the in
candescent lighting system. An inde
pendent motor could easily be provid
ed for the sole purpose of furnishine
energy for the wireless apparatus. and
separate storage batteries could also
be Installed to hold enough energy in
reserve to do good deal of telegraph
ing after the train had halted for one
reason or another.