The Dillon herald. [volume] (Dillon, S.C.) 1894-????, 1919-01-16
RADIO MESSAGES GO THROUGH
WATER AND UNDER GROUND.
Government Gives to the Public An
other OF its Great War Secrets
-iioGers Discovery Put i'll
TO Practi;al Use.

Washington, i'm. 11-liow under
ground aid thrOugh-water wireless
was pat mIo prac .lcal use during the
war was disclosed today by Navy De-
partment officials, giving TO the pub
lie another of its wur secrets. Gov
ernmenC officials regard this develop
ment, originated in private research
by James II. Rogcrs, a scientist, OF
Hyat.sSIile, Md, as one of the wars!
major scienIlIic ad isors of the kind.
In practical use, the new system soI
far is employed only for receiving
radio messages sent cut from power
full stations IN Europe. They are now
being read at underground receiving
stations III the United States, and III
some cases better than when caught
by the elabol ate and epensiye air
stations.
IN addition, it was revealed at the
department, through an adaptation of
The Rogers theory, that submarines
under water are intercepting radio
signals sent from shore, and with
crude apparatus, the scientist has
succeeded in transmitting signals two
miles from submerged wire, simulat-
ing submarine.
Great Department Possible.
Officials say it is possible, although
not yet an accomplished fact, that
ground or water sending can be de-
yeloped to a considerable extent. They
do not anticipate, however, that the
present method of sending from high
towers will be superseded except for
limited special purposes.
The theory most generally held un-
iii i..svIs demonstrated the correct
ness of his views, was that impulses
hurled into the air from a radio
transmitting station and deflected
earthward became dissipated as does
lightning when striking the ground
OF M.Ler. The Maryland scientist,
however, believed that the impulses
lloNed tnioGgn the earth as through
the air and that it was only neces-
sary to trap and measure them in
the ground. He had been at work on
MS theory before the United States
entered the war and already had in
.terested naval experts. He offered
the results OF his work to the navy
without restriction and officials say
he was with difficulty persuaded to
accept even remuneration for actual
time. One of the first steps taken
was the request of the Navy Depart
ment, under war legislation, that his
application far patents be expedited.
This was done.
Cost Almost Negligible.
Some of the main advantages Of
the Rogers system, as developed so
far, according to experts, are almost
negligible cost of construction, the
intensifying of signals by pointing the
sending apparatus toward the receiv-
ing station and reduction of static
interference. Because of the latter
ad, antage the navy's receiving sta-
ton at New Orleans, where communi-
cation with ships in Southern waters
swept by frequent electrical storms
is maintained, uses the underground
apparatus with marked success.
In war a great advantage is that
submarines receive messages while
submerged. This is being done by
wires trailing in the water. The
Rogers development aroused electri-
cal experts of the government to new
efforts to expand and improve radio
transmission facilities. Out of the ex-
perimental work done with this and
other ideas steady advance has been
made under war pressure and Rogers
theories are interviewer with those OF
other men in the results being OBJ
Lained