The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1915-10-16

Voices From Wireless Tower at Airing
ton, Va, Heard Distinctly at Pearl
Harbor. Hawaii-Wii Be Great Boon
For the Small Vessels That Cannot
Afford Wireless Outfits.
Navy officials are enthusiastic over
experiments resulting for. the first time
In long distance wireless telephone
communication. BY this means the hu-
man voice has been successfully Trans.
mltted from the Arlington wireless
plant to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, a dis
lance Of 400 miles.
This achievement. together with the
successful operation OF o device for nu
tomatically transferring to the radio
telephone conversations originating on
metallic circuits, was accomplished aft.
err extended tests conducted by direc-
ton of Captain William III. G.. Billiard,
chief of the navy's radio service, in co
operation with the American Tele-
phone and Telegraph company and the
Western Electric company.
From the United States navy's radio
tower at Arlington, Va, John Mills an
electrical engineer, sent his voice west
ward through the mir over an ordinary
telephone instrument connected with a
powerful wireless telegraph apparatus.
At the naval station at Pearl Harbor,
near Honolulu, Hawaii. which Is 4,90O
miles away in a straight line, Lloyd
Espenschied. another engineer In the
service of the American Telephone and
Telegraph company. was waiting with
receivers at his ears for the message
that was to come through the ether
the message which was to be started,
at least, from Arlington In the hope
that It might reach the little island far
out In the Pacific.
IL did.
The fondest hopes of the hundreds OF
scientific experimenters In the compa-
ny's service bad been realized.
Espenschied had heard Mills count
ing, zone, two. three, four" and then
from one TO seven and from one to
nine and had reported back In his ca
blegram the exact numbers which his
colleagues across the earth had given
him as tests. He had heard Mills
speak several sentences, which he (Es-
penschied) copied down and sent back
In his cable message to prove that the
other engineers voice actually had
reached him.
Only the day before the world stood
astounded at the news that President
Vail of the American Telegraph and
Telephone company had talked by
wireless to San Francisco-about $500
his chief engineer.
Yet the later talk comprised a dis
lance almost twice as great. A voice
had sped through the air for nearly
5000 miles. When Mr.. Vail and the
other officers of the company and their
scientists got the glad tidings they
pointed out 4appily this vista OF the
near future:
Wireless telephone conversation be
tween New York and London, New
York and Paris, Berlin. Vienna, Madrid
lever P%etrograd!
Had the engineer in Hawaii been
equipped with a sending apparatus
such as the one at Arlington, he could
have made immediate vocal reply 60
his colleague. But. as was also the
case I'm the San Francisco test, the sta.
ton at Pearl Harbor was equipped only
with n receiving "set." When the next
long distance tests are made each sta.
ton win have sending and receiving
apparatus, so that a complete converse.
ton may be had.
Problem of Static Interference.
One of the big problems yet to be
solved In connection with wireless tie
lephony Is static interference. according
TO j. ]. Carly, chief engineer of the
American Telephone and Telegraph
company.
"As an extension of the regular wire
system Mr.. Carly said. "the field FOL
the wireless telephone is restricted. Al
certain times Of the year, particularly
in the summer. static conditions vii
make fts use uncertain. Static interfer
ence is something we know very littl,
about and Is one of the big problems
yet to be solved. We are going aft
err IL.
1.-The number of calls that can b,
handled simultaneously on the wireless
telephone is limited, but for emergen
cy use on long distances 1t win be In
valuable. and for use in limited areas
1t should prove a great boon. 1t will
be possible. for instance. for fshin.
smacks and other small boats, unabl,
10 afford a wireless operator. to carr,
a wireless telephone and be In immedi
ate communication with the shore ant
each other