Evening star., 1920-01-18

Mshton Loomis, ~ dentist, whose
ofice back in the sixties and
seventies was located at ss7 Pennsyl-
stratett the feasibility Of wireless
teiegraphy many years before Mar
conf. the italian inventor Of present
day wireless, was horn,
There Is not the least doubt but
what. Loomis. the Washington in
vent9r, would today be heralded the
world over as the discoverer Of wire
less telegraphy. II he had received
proper financial support and fencour-
agement from the public at the time
he announced his discovery. Instead Of
receiving help. howevershe was looked
upon and characterized as q wild. i'm
practical dreamer. whose claims were
fidiculed and belittled. New York
newspapers printed editorials scolding
Congress for devoting it's time and ar
tention 10 the consideration Of such
an impractical proposition as trying to
telegraph from one place to another
without the aid of wires.
X X n r.
In addition to being subjected to all
sorts of rough jokes and ridicule from
all sections of the country. DIR. Loomis
was constantly pursued by the shadow
Of bad luck. For instance, in 1859 he
had succeeded. in prevailing upon a
number Of Boston CAPITALISTS to prom
.se to advance tha necessary money to
establish his discovery, en a ,conmerl
oiai basls, when along came that
,ever-tO- be- forgnttena "Blacls Friday
y Wall street, which proved to be the
.ost serious financial panic in the
history OF the country. His hackers
cost every dime they possessed.
Still undaunted, and with smile
on his face and determination in his
soui. this patient and cheerful man
,ttme hustling back to his dental Of
ice on Pennsylvania avenue. where
ne remained until he had extracted
enough aching molars and fitted the.
mouths of enough Washingtonian
With "store' teeth to supply him with
the requisite cash to go to Chicago in
81. where he talked his invention
30 the moneyed men of that city with
such success that they agreed to
finance him. But again did i'll luck
dross his path. The contented smile
of long g-deferred success was yet
fresh on his features when that per-
erse COW of Mrs. O'Leary's kicked
over the. kerosene lamp while the
:ady was doing the evening milking,
resulting in the great fire which re-
'iuced Chicago to ashes and his
hackers to poverty
DR.. T.oomis called his discovery
aerial telegraphy" His first public
demonstration was made in 1866 from
the peaks of two of the Blue Ridge
mountains in Virginia. located some
eighteen miles apart. From each Of
the two mountain tops an ordinary
Kite was elevated, connected with an
insulated copper wire attached at the
lower end to telegraphing appara-
Z tus. The operators of each party
were provided with telescopes. with
which they could sight from one sta
tion to the other and read the sig
mails. When all was in readiness. a
message was sent by the doctor along
( 49, ''iAN " A''o hltc, anu was re-
ceived at the station on the other
mountain top just as though the two
Kites had been connected with a
wire i'm the ordinary way In this
manner communications were kept up
until, the fact was thoroughly demon
strated that telegraphing could be
done as readily without as with con-
meeting wires.
Shortly thereafter DR.. Loomis made
successful experiment in commune
eating between vessels This demon
stratfon took PLACE on Chesapeake
bay. The vessels were stationed
about two miles apart On each ves-
sci was telegraphic apparatus. A
wire was attached 10 the instrument
and one end thrown. into the water
at q moderate depth. Another insulat-
ed wire of much greater length was
let down to a greater depth into r
colder stratum of water. The two
strata of water of. different tempers-
lures thus connected to the same bat
terry made complete circuit and en-
abled communications TO pass between
the two vessels without other con-
nections.. Thea experiment was q sue
cess. On the. same principle he ex-
pressed the belief that the warm cur