Evening star., 1920-01-18


mountains. that Marconi sent his first
wireless message in England, only
distance of nine miles.
'ss'in' addition to endeayorins to secure
financial. backing from Boston and
Chicago. DIR. Loomis made constant
appeals to Congress for assistance In
making it possible for America to be
the first country in the world to estab-
lisb ,teleeraphy without wires. He
worked with that body of legislators
from.is TO. 1873, when they passed
bin Incorporating the "Loomis
Aerial Telegraph Company" which
was signed by President Grant. Con
gress. however, overlooked the it,
tie. matter OF appropriating the $780,
600 asked for and naturally the cor
poration never got anywhere without
funds
The incorporation act by Congress
mentions the following as members
Of the company: Mahlon Loomis.
Alexander Elliott and William N
Chamberlain of Washington, ID. c.; p.
r. Ammidon of Boston and Isaiah
Lukens of Delaware, and stating the
purpose of the company thusly: "The
business and objects. of said corpora
tion shall be to develop and utilize
the principles and powers of natural
electricity to be used, in telegraphy
generating light, heat and motive
. power, and otherwise make ands
operate any, machinery, run by elec-
tricity for any purpose" .,e.aw = -'''o
Senator Sumner Of Massachusetts
introduced the first bill for Loomis in
January. 1869. The senator straddled
the proposition and passed the buck
to his colleagues in this brief speech
Il present the petition of Mahlon
Loomis. Mr. d., of the District Of Co
lumbia, who believes that he has in
vented new mode of telegraphing.
which he submits as great and val~
liable improvement upon any former
mode known or discovered. He
briefly says: The nature of the dis
covery or invention In general terms
consists in establishing an electric
current or circuit for telegraphing
without the aid of wires or cables to
form such electric currents and cir
suits. AS in dispensing with the dou-
BILE wire (Which was at first used)
and using but one. allowing and rely
ing upon the earth to form one half
OIL the circuit, so now ! propose to
dispense with both wires and all artif-
cial batteries. using the earth as now TO
form one-half of the circuit and the con-
tinuous element far above the surface Of
fn,.f ha OF al
cult
After setting forth at some length
MS invention of his theory, he asks
Congress for an appropriation Of
$4,000 under such restrictions as
Congress may impose, to enable him
during the next year to complete the
demonstration. In presenting this
petition / desire to say that ] per-
form duty, and | content myself
with remarking that 1t is either a
great case of moonshine or it marks
great epoch in the progress of in
vention. / do not undertake to ex-
press an opinion upon 1T. ] ask the
reference of the petition to the COM
mittee on patents"
On the night of May 21. 1872. the
House took whack at the bill in
quite interesting fashion. The bill
had been introduced by John \. Bing-
ham of Ohio. it was reported that
night by Omar ID. Conger of Michi-
gan, chairman of the committee on
commerce. In making his report
Mr.. ConSer took an oratorical fight,
as follows:
"Ths theory assumes that the earth
itself, the atmosphere surrounding it,
and the infinite depth of space en-
comprising this aerial world, contain
r. succession of concentric circles or
planes of electricity, of which those
nearest the earth are perpetually dis
turbed by oceanic currents, atmos-
pheric changes, alterations Of day and
night, and the ever-vsrying effects of
solar radiation and lunar influences:
but that above these, pierced, per-. !,
haps, by. the tops of the leftiest noun
tains. are concentric circles. or vast,
surrounding seas of .undlsturbed eiec-
-tr.city.< which may. be affected BY any
interpenetraung gSlvanic force from
beneath. causing electrical vibrations
sor waves to pass from that point
Within sucIi electrical vOla,iA arouud