The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-03-13
Plans to Telephone
 Across the Ocean
Ky HOLLAND

New York, March 12.-(Special.)- )-When Dr. Leo Hendrix Baekeland undertook to discover the means whereby new material could be created through the utilization of carbolic acid and formalde hyde, he labored for many months with out success, although he was faithful to all the precedents chemistry taught and to the instruction given by the text books. At last he determined to cast precedents aside and to pay no heed to text books. He worked along new lines established by himself. At last he realized that he was on the way to discovery and in a little while brought forth an absolutely new material which is now of a worldwide commercial inn portance. He received honorable recog- milton from various scientific societies and has recently been recognized by the United States government as man who can give material aid to the government at this time. He has become member of one of the important government commissions.
 So also Dr. Lee deForest .some years ago, when seeking to discover some method whereby adequate telephone serv-
 
 by means of relay, at last abandoned the precedents. Other inventors, some of them men of the highest ability, who had been occupied for long time in an attempt to discover a successful tele- phone relay followed the precedents. They consulted the text books. They bound themselves to certain established fac tors i'll the telephone, well enough in their way for the short distance tele- nh hut fal,1 ;o1, would make telephoning practicable and at fairly reasonable price from the At lantic to the Pacific, Many patents were issued thousands of dollars were expended in the various attempts to solve the problem. And yet the research based upon the precedents was unsuc- cessful.
 PROF. PUPIN'S DISCOVERY
 At one time it was thought that Pro- lessor Pupin of Columbia University had discovered a means by which it would be possible to convey messages intel ligibly, through telephone wires for a distance of 1000 miles or even more and over cables for at least 20 miles. Prcfes- son Pupin discovered the so-called in- ductence coils. Much was said about this discovery and invention at the time announcement of it was made. It was regarded as one of the great wonders associated with the improvement in the telephone service. It did do precisely what Professor Pupin claimed for it. but nevertheless 1t was found to be commercially impracticable. The reason for that was that the cost of installing the Pupin system of coils upon a long distance telephone wire stretching across the continent was so great as to be absolutely prohibitive.
 Dr. deForest some years ago, while engaged in laboratory experiments. dis covered that a certain heated gas was sensitive to the weak wireless waves and could constitute new detective for the use in radio telegraphing He also discovered that this unique, absolutely original device, could, when properly connected in the line between a trans hitter and a receiver, greatly amplify the voice currents or. as was said of 1t, give a reproduction of perfect fi- delity without trace of lag or dis tortion, yet with an increase in volume or in tendency"
 This apparatus was adopted by the telephone company so that as recently as 1915 the announcement was made that the long-hoped for transcontinental line was to be realized. It was realized and today New York and San Francisco are practically brought into the same telephone booth It would be useless to attempt to explain to laymen the technical details of Dr. deForest's ap- paratus They deal with fons.' gas atoms, or sumatoms-matter in it's most tenuous form-or what Professor Crookes has termed the fourth state of matter" But for the layman and for the world. it will be of great interest to learn that announcement iss now made that the time is undoubtedly near when trans oceanic wireless telephoning will be achieved. and as successfully as tele- pEonic communication between New York and San Francisco has been achieved. That has been one of the ideals ever ever since the transmission of intelligi- ble signals through the air by means of the Hertzian waves was made com mercially practicable.
 Already wireless messages are received in New York and at the great naval station at Arlington, Va, to the great