Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-04-09
UNIVERSAL SIGNAL
BY Professor Serviss

One of the objections offered by
those Hbo scout the byrp suggestion
of the possibility of inercommunica-
ton by signals between intelligences
inhabiting different planets is that
the electric waves diminish in in
tensity inversely as the square of
- distance, luS: - Int d., SO
that their power to convey imrrns-
sions must become almost infinite
sinai at distance of hundreds of
millions of 1liies. to say nothing OF
the trillions of miles that revresent
the distance not of the plants of
our system bat IF the stars whit h
are the suns of other systems.
But this objection ignores the con-
sideration that by depriying the
electric waves of their radiant scat
terinS, and concentrating them in
straight lines, like light reflected
from a parabolic mirror, the law of
diminution with the square of the
increased distance would be avoided
and the intensity at the reception
point would depend only upon the
absorption suffered in the course of
transit, and not upon the scattering
along diverging radical lines. Thus
the radiant energy emanatin from a
considerable surface could all be con-
densed into a more or less parallel
sided column. or cylinder, as Is act
ually done in lighthouse apparatus,
and elsewhere.
How much mechanical energy
would be required to generate cleo
trio waves which, if thus sent forth
in parallel beam, could still re-
tain readily perceptible force on
arriving, say, at Venus, when she is
between the earth and the sun, and
so not more than twenty-six or
twenty-seven million miles away
from us, is a question that Mr.
Marconi could answer better than
anybody else. 1t may not be sus-
ceptible of a definite answer. But
still fair idea of the energy that
would be needed could probably be
formed, and Mr.. Marconi, it would
seem, must have concluded already
from his experiences with wireless
apparatus that no lnsupcrable diff
Guilty would be found in that direc-
ton. What might be insuperable
for us would not be so for intelli-
Sence that have obtained. through
evolution and education, a greater
mastery than ours over natures
forces.
Another question is as to the de-
gree of sensitiveness required in or
der that electric waves that had trav
ersed millions of miles of either
should be recognizable at the place
where they finally impinged. Also,
SupposinS them to travel in parallel
columns and not along radical lines,
how much obstruction or ABSORPTION.
would they suffer? It is very easy.
and perhaps natural for scientists to
ge little h-bound with regard ia
such things. Not a great many years
ago, Lord Kelvin, whose academic
authority was so commanding that
whatever he said was generally ac-
cepted without question. Thought
that he had demonstrated the I'M
possibility that the sun could. bv its
electromagnetic disturbances. pro-
duce magnetic storms on the earth.
He also thought that it was scientific
ally demonstrable that a man could
never achieve mechanical flight.
Very suggestive in connection with
this subject there arc some thoughts
put forth many years ago by an un-
named writer, presented to the puh-
lie by Thomas Hill. who was presi-
dent of Harvard University. Saws
this interesting thinker:
The rays of sight diverge from
the eye so that in a very small body
close to the eye fills up the inter
val between two such rays, while
at greater distance a much larger
body is necessary to fill UP the
proportionately increased space
II we hold up quarter at arms
lengt hive may completely conceal
the sun with it. If, on the con-
trary, an organ of vision was con-
structed in such a manner that the
rays proceeded in parallel lines
every object would appear in pro-
portion to every other of its own
proper size without any reference
to the distance between it and the
eye.
1--WE should certainly not see
distant, bodies entire, but only such
small portions of them as are pro-
portionate to the size of the organ
of vision. constructed after this
but this little portion would
be visible with equal clearness at
every distance, and Il blade of grass
pon the most distant star could not
escape our sight.
Thi sis the principle that we have
already mentioned, viz: that of
changing radiant into parallel beams,
although the writer produces some
confusion of thought by supvosing the
change to take place in the eye in
stead of in the manner OF transmis-
sion of the light from the point of
beginning. For light, proceeding In
parallel lines from d blade OF grass
on a distant planet. substitute cleo
trio impulses conveyed in similar
mannLr from n tran InIttlng station
on Venus. and you have the other
side of The picture-that suggested
by Mr.. Marconi, viz: a wireless re-
ceiver on the earth responding to inn
pulses transmitted undiminished,
or not enough diminished to render
them imperceptible, from center
Of energy tens of millions of miles
away. The thing is certainly con-
ceivable. and in its essence it con-
Iradicts neither tho principles of
science nor those of common sense.
Can anybody be so blind as not to
see how the events of the last few
vaarg haVa hrolan TIE fences on |