New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-01-04

patcher to hand his orders to the
conductor while the train Is in mo-
ton just as effectively as If the train
had stopped at a station and he had
climbed on board to deliver the in
structions in an envelope" said Mr..
Graf.
Before the United States took over
the railroads and automatically
halted their experiments in tho field
of wireless installation more than
1000 patents covering devices for
use in that and kindred fields had
been filed at Washington. Virtually
every telegraph superintendent of
every railroad in the United States
was investigating the subject with q
view to adopting some kind of mech
anism if the trials were successful.
| David Sarnoff, of New York,
commercial director of the Radio
Corporation Of America, was one
of the leaders in the tests the.
being made. During the war the
radio engineers devoted themselves
to assisting the government in per
fecting devices to be used in the
war, but now that the fighting is
over and industry has resumed its
place Of first prominence in the life
of the nation, they have returned to
their activities in private fields.
The mechanism used by the Lacka-
wanna Railroad was installed by the
Marconi Company, which has since
been united with the General Elec-
trio Company under the new name
of the Radio Corporation of America,
with offices in the Woolworth
Building.
A Matter of Technique
"Yes, telephoning by wireless from
2 moving locomotive to another NOV
ing locomotive is entirely possible
now. said Mr.. Sarnoff "The com
mercial development of the wireless \
telephone is matter entirely Of
technique, and there is no longer any
reason why this development should
not go forward.
"The question of distance over
which conversation can be carried
en- is largely question of the
amount of power used. think with
the proper apparatus distance OF
about one hundred miles could be
covered now.
"Wireless installations on trains
are bound to come. Before the war
the possibilities of wireless tele-
graph in this field were recognized
to some extent, but not SO much
was being said about wireless tele-
phones. Now we know that both
are practicable.
Before the war this subject was
continually being discussed by the
radio engineers of the country, in
the Institute and elsewhere, and my
experiments were being watched
with close attention. Now that tho
roads are to go back 10 their own
ers many of the companies have
resumed their Investigations, and
the American Railroad Association
is displaying much interest in tho
subject.
"As there is virtually no other
way of getting in touch with "A
moving train than by wireless, this
form of communication is bound to
come into use, and, believe, in the
near future"
Mr.. Sarnoif and other engineers
are of the impression that the Sig
nal Service Department of the Fed
eral government will do what it
can to assist in making the installa-
tions possible. The Signal Service
came into possession of much val
liable information during the war,
as all the best brains of the coun-
try were placed at its disposal. and
enormous strides were made.
81 have no information as to
what the government intends to
do said Mr.. SarEoff, shut | am