The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1920-03-25

Marconi Believes he Receiving Signals from Other Planets
Nikola Tesla and Edison give Affirmative Views.

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ter and can record one personal experience
which may or may not have bearing on prov
ing that Mr.. Marooni is right. l was seated
on the peak of great pile of iron ore near
the reduction plant at Orange one day, when
I noticed that the magnetic needle was jump
ing about in astonishing fashion. The
thought Immediately popped into my mind
that static signals from some other planet
were probably responsible. This idea took
suggestion that there be established in the
ore fields of Michigan station where scien-
tifc vigil might be kept, in the hope that the
great masses of ore in that region would at
tract magnetic signals from interplanetary
space.
If we are to accept the theory of Mr..
Marconi that these signals are being sent
out by inhabitants of other planets, we must
at once accept with it the theory of their
advanced development. Either they are our
intellectual equals or our superiors. 1t
would be stupid for us to assume that we
have corner on all the intelligence in the
universe"
Nikola Tesla, the famous Serbian in
ventor and electrical expert says: "Mar-
conis idea of communicating with the other
planets is the greatest and most fascinating
problem confronting the human imagination
today. To insure success body of competent
scientists should be organized to study all
possible plans and put into execution the BEST
The matter should be directed probably by
astronomers with sufficient backing from men
with money and imagination. Supposing
that there are intelligent human beings on
Mars, success is easily within the range of
possibility. In March, 1907, I stated in the
Harvard Illustrated Magazine that expert
ments looking to communication with other
planets should be undertaken.
I'm 1899 l built an electric plant in
Colorado and obtained activities of 18,0OO,-
600 horsepower. In the course of my exper-
iments employed receiver of virtually un-
limited sensitiveness. There were no other
wireless plants near, and, at that time, no
other wireless plants anywhere on this earth
of sufficient range to affect mine. One day
my ear caught what seemed to be regular
signals. knew that they could not have
been produced upon the earth. The possibili-
ty that they came from Mars occurred to me,
but the pressure of business affairs caused me
to drop the experiment.
''The thing, I think, that we should
try to develop is plan akin to picture trans
mission, by means of which we could convey
to the inhabitants of Mars knowledge of
earthly forms. This would enable us to ex-
change with them not only simple primitive
facts, but involved conceptions. To talk to
Mars seems to me only matter of electric
power and perseverance"
Frank Dyson, British astronomer royal,
believes we could get Hertzian waves from
other planets. Prof. Edward Branley, Paris,
inventor of the coherer, is sceptical. Prof.
Domenico Argentieri, Rome, says the sup
posed signals are worthy of careful observa-
ton.
Prof. Albert Einstein, the German as
tronomer and author of the theory of "Rela-
tivity" that is apparently upsetting all ac-
cepted doctrines, believes that Mars and other
planets are inhabited, but if intelligent crea-
lures are trying to communicate with the
earth he should expect them to use rays of
light, which could much more easily be con-
trolled.
Are there inhabitants on Mars? That's
question on which scientists differ.
Among scientists who have won the
right to speak with authority the foremost
was the late Professor Lowell, director of
the observatory at Flagstaff, Ariz. Not only
was Professor Lowell convinced that Mars
was inhabited, but he believed the people
had much higher degree of intelligence
than those on earth. He dwelt particularly
on their inventive genius
In 1914 he found new opportunity
for strengthening his pet belief by announc-
ing that instead Of losing any of their canals
the Maritans had built two new ones, which
could be seen plainly through the telescope.
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