Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1922-06-21
THREATE NED STRIKE
HOLDS MENACE FOR MEN
RAIL UNIONS WARNED
WIRELESS WIZARD MARCON|
TELLS0F new SEARCHLICHT TO
OVERCOME MANY SEA TERRORS

New York, June Ex-senator Gug-
liclmo Marconi, wonder man of wire
less, tonight announced the invention
of what might be termed a radio
searchlight, by means Of which radio
waves, which can be reflected like light
waves, may be sent in a given direc-
ton in beam instead Of being scat
tered to all points Of the compass.
The famous Italian said he believed
this invention could be utilized in such
a manner as to rid the sea Of some Of
its terrors, for with a revolving re-
flector the transmitter would consti-
tute a radio lighthouse. capable of
flashing guiding beams nearly a hun
dred miles.
Addressing d join meeting of the In
stitute of Radio Engineers and the
American Institute of Electrical Engi-
neers on his latest discovery, the in
ventor said of the proposed radio
lighthouse:
"By means of the revolving beam of
electrical radiation it is possible for
Ships. when within a certain distance,
to ascertain in thick weather the bear
ing and position of the lighthouse.
1T seems to me that it should be
possible to design apparatus by means
of which a ship could radiate or pro-
jcct a divergent beam of the short
wave rays in any desired direction,
which rays, if coming across metal
lie object such as another ship, would
be reflected back to a receiver on the
sending ship and thereby Immediately
reveal the presence and bearing of the
other ship i'll fog or thick weather.
One further greater advantage of such
an arrangement would be that it would
be able to give warning of the pres
ence and bearing Of ships, even should
these ships be unprovided with any
kind of radio"
Marconi's radio searchlight bears
little resemblance to the battleShip
searchlight. 1t is rather special ar
rangement of wires on towers or
masts. During his lecture, Marconi
exhibited pictures of re1lectors re-
sembling the weird apparatus pictur-
ed in imaginary tales of the conquest
Of the world by Martians. Through
the use of these reflectors at both
ends, clear speech was exchanged
during experiments over a distance
OF 80 miles, between London and Biz
mingham, he announced, establishing
a record in long distance radio trans
mission and reception with short
waves.
Marconi stated that the rcfectors
make it possible for the receiver to
reproduce radio telephone song or
speech about 200 times louder than
is ordinarily possible. What is more,
speech IS transmitted practically
without distortion, and the transmit
ting aerial can be used both for send
ing and receiving at the same time.
I'm these days of broadcastng. it
may still prove to be very useful to
have a practically new system which
will be to a very large degree secret
when compared to the usual kind Of
radio" he added.
Marconi expressed belief that in
the development of radio communi-
cation the longer wave lengths have
SO much absorbed the attention of in
ventors and engineers that the time
has come to conduct research in
short wave lengths radio.
OF around the world wireless, he
said, he had obtained results which
go far to show the relative facility
with which radio signals can now be
sent from England to Australia and
seem to indicate that there is some
thing in the idea Of the wireless
waves travelling around the earth by
various ways and reuniting at the
Antipodcs."