The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1920-01-30
Scientists Differ
OUer Phenomenon
One Calls Message From Mars
"SCandalous";; Another,
"Above RidicuIe."

Rome, Jan. 30.--Interplanetar
communication as suggested by mys-
terious waves recently caught by
wireless plants throughout the world
Is not a subject for ridicule, says
Prof. Domenico Argentiori, the widely
known scientist. He asserts it is
possible to send messages from the
earth to other members of the sun S
family because ether will convey
electric waves as readily as air.
THESE mysterious communion
tions.' he Caid todays make one
think of spiiftraEiS phenUthena
which have been commonly believed
to be due merely to natural forces.
Because of the regularity with which
they have been observed, scientists
believe they are due not to mechan-
ical but to intelligent force"
Absolutely Scandalous."
Florence, Jan. 30.--Father Alfani,
director of the Ximenian observatory
in this city, said yesterday that to
spread rumors relative to the inter-
change of messages between planets
W IS absolutely scandalous."
What has been observed at wire
York." he declared, has been caused
by atmospheric discharges which
have always interfered with radio
communication"
He added that William Marconi,
inventor of the wireless telegraph
system, should "sue for libel" the
man who interviewed him recently
and quoted him as believing that
faint signals picked up by wireless
stations might come from some
sources outside the earth.
London, Jan. 30.--At the Imperial
College of Technology. South Ken
sington, Prof. A. c. Rankine is per-
fecting an instrument which shoots
messages as gun shoots shells.
A person talking into a trumpet at
tached to a minute mirror, rejecting
strong light, can send a message
TO any distance reached by the light
without fear of the words being in
tercepted, it is said. The words
spoken can be heard distinctly half
mile away and are tran smitted |
through projectors TO an electric bat
terry attached to a piece of selenium |
htted to an ordinary telephone re-
ceiver. The larger the receiving bat
terry the greater distance can the |
be sent
Cost Billion Dollars.
New York, Jan. 30.-The cost of |
sending a wireless message to one of |
The other planets will probably be a |
billion dollars in the opinion of DR.. |
Charles =. StelnmetZ, noted electrical |
inventor. DR.. Steinmetz said it would |
be necessary to consolidate all the |
electrical power in the country and |
send the waves from a wireless tower |
1000 or more feet high. He believes
t possible TO communicate with an |
planet, IL the world put the |
same energy into the attempt it put |
nto the war.
May Be From Venus.
Washington, Jan. 30.-If wireless
are being received on the
Earth from some other planet, as
by William Marconi, 1t is
lot Mars sending the signals, but
most probably Venus. says DIR. c. B.
Abbott, director of the Smithsonian
Astrophysical observatory and assist
mt secretary of the Smithsonian in
titute. DIR. Abbott makes no claim
hat the mysterious wireless signals
10 come from another planet. but
ays If they do Mars is eliminated
IS possibility, because known con- 4
Iitions on that planet probably would
lot permit the existence of any form
4 living creature. The planet We
us, on the other hand, shows every
ondltion necessary for maintaining
lte II Is nearly the same size as
he earth and is even nearer the sun
han the earth is.