The Washington herald., 1922-08-06
BELL MADE TESTS ONPHONE
INVENTION IN WASHINGTON
Showed Keen Interest in Development of Radio
Communication.
,-J Harris 4 Ewing.

iraham Bell. Just previous, to his
death DR.. Bell became a radio en-
thusiast.
Included in the great inventors
storehouse Of notes are pages de-
voted to the subject Of wireless
telephony. a subject which inter-
ested him after he gave to the
world the telephone forty-six years
ago. Observations made in the
year 1875 of the laws governing
equal potential lines enabled DR..
Bell to develop the telephone trans
mitter. Experiments along these
lines were carried on within a
stones throw of Washington, in
fact one boat used by the inventor
was in the vicinity of Chain Bridge,
another near Potomac Park within
the shadow of Washington Monu-
ment.
A nearer approach to wireless
transmission was made by DR.. Bell
when he began to experiment with
mirror attached to a mouthpiece
in such manner that fluctuations
in the voice caused the mirror to
vfbrate. Later these consequent
fluctuations in the light rays re-
Elected by the mirror were directed
toward receiving apparatus so de-
signed as to vibrate and reproduce
sounds corresponding to the light
reflections thrown upon 1t. Several
substances, one of which was selen-
ium. possessed the desired proper
ties for a receiver. Further ex-
periments led to the use of arc
lamps. Sounds were transmitted
into the arc. which then became
what Is known as the talking arc.
Fluctuations thus caused In the arc
vapor by telephone currents su-
perimposed upon 1t, produced audi
BILE sounds in a suitable receiving
device.
This was In reality a forerun-
ner of the radio phone, II was a
means Of communication eliminating
wires between transmitter and re-
ceiver. Its impracticability on the
large scale now common to radio
transmission was due to the fact
that the processes used are more
complicated aud require very skill
full operation. hence are less adapt
able to public use.
When the present radio phone
came into use DR.. Bell was one of
the first enthusiasts. He had his
own radio set and manifested keen
interest in tuning-in various BROAD
casting stations, 1t was not long
before engineers of the Bell Tele-
phone Company developed wired
wireless which employed the most
advanced practices in both wire and
radio telephony for the transmits
sion of sound over long distances.
The distinct advantage of this sys-
tenn is the fact that secrecy Is affec-
ted to some extent and the wires
serve as a more direct guide for
radio waves.
In a day when communication Is
the topic of the hour and Thousands
OF people are served by both wire
telephones and radiophones, il is
sad coincidence that the inven-
tor of the one system who i'm his
last years became devotee of
the entertainment offered by the
latter system should be called from
mis- sphere of activity to the great
beyond So soon.
Alexander Graham. Bell gave to
the world all his talents and en-
ergy. he led the world in establish
Ing a huge system of communica.
tion, yet he lived to see the day
when the result of his own per-
sistent efforts in the field of wire
telephony were given the widest
possible application by the adapta-
ton OF Identical principles to the
uses OF radio. M. d. NJ.