Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1917-11-02
GAINS fame HERE
Serbian Immigrant Now One of
Worlds Greatest Scientists.
New Discovery to Add to Wealth Of
Man Who Came to the United
States PenniIess in 1874.

The man who made transcontinental
telephony possible announced recently
that he had completed an invention
that would free wireless telegraphy
from static interference, much the
same trouble that so long hindered the
transcontinental telegraph. He is
Prof. Michael /. Pupin, who came to
America in 1874 a penniless Serbian
immigrant, according to the Kansas
City Times. His inventions already
have Melted him $1.OOO,OOO and his
most recent one probably will bring
him in a sum running into the hun
dred thousands.
Wireless transmission has heretofore
been subject to one serious handicap,
composite Of atmospheric and phys
ical troubles known to scientists as
static interference. Under such con-
ditions 1t Is often impossible to get
wireless message through for days
and during portions of almost every
day transmission is out Of the Ques-
| ton.
Professor Pupin announced a year
ago thet he believed he had solved
the problem. Recently he stated that
he had perfected his device and now
knew that it would meet all require
ments. The value Of his invention in
time of war is tremendous, as it would
give the side possessing 1t great ad-
vantage over its foes. For that rea-
son Professor Pupin asserted that he
would not make public the secret Of
his invention until the close of the
war, and that the United States
should be the first to possess it.
This one-time Serbian immigrant
also is the inventor of the present sys-
tenn Of ocean telephony. He received
S2OO,OOO for that invention. The same
loading" coil that rendered ocean
telephony possible also put an end to
the difficulties of transcontinental tel
| ephony. He is rated as one of the
worlds foremost electrical scientists.
It was to escape service in the army
that Pupin fed to America. He had
no dream Of becoming a scientist
then; he wanted only some peaceful
occupation. When he landed in New
York he did not have a cent. Drifting
from one job to another, he finally be-
came a farm hand in New York state.
The daughter of the farm owner inter-
ested the Serbian lad in education;
and Pupin went back to New York city
determined to acquire learning. He
worked as q masseuse In q Turkish
bath shop and in his spare hours stud
led at the night school Of Cooper
Union. He progressed so fast that
when a friend obtained for him
scholarship In Adelphia college he was
able to hold his own with the other
students. From Adelphia he went to
Columbia university, then to Cam
bridge and finally to the University Of
Berlin, where he studied under the
German master scientists.
He came back to America as q pro-
fessor at Columbia university, but he
was not content merely to teach; he
his scientific knowledge. So valuable
as an inventor Is he that the Columbia
authorities have an arrangement with
him that when he wishes to devote his
time to some invention he Is not re-
quired to give any attention to univer-
sity work.
The Serbian government several
years ago acknowledged his services
to humanity by making him honorary
consul general to New York.