The New York herald., 1922-06-29
JOHN FRITZ MEDAL
IS WON BY MARCONI
Honor Announced as Scientist
Inspects Worlds Greatest
Radio Plant.
MOTORS TO ROCKY POINT
His Prophecy of 20 Mile Broad
Casting Radius Years Ago
Is Recalled.
MOTORS TO ROCKY POINT

Guglielmo Marconi motored seventy
miles down Long Island yesterday and
inspected the worlds greatest wireless
station. Radio Central at Rocky Point
near Port jefferson, built by the Radio
Corporation of America last year and
opened on November 5.
While he was gone 1t was announced
in New York that the John Fritz Medal,
annually presented for achievement In
applied science, had been awarded for
the year 1922 to Senator Marconi.
THE medal Is awarded TO you for the
invention of wireless telegraphy." said
a communication from Prof. Comfort A
Adams of Harvard. chairman. and
Charles F. Rand of New York, secretary
OF the John Fritz medal board of award.
The gold emblem will be formally pre-
sented at a gathering of engineers In
the Engineering Societies Building, 20
West Thirty ninth street. on the evening
OF July g. 1t was first presented to
John Fritz. American engineer. Other
recipients have included Lord kel-
vim. George Westinghouse. Alexander
Graham Bell. Thomas Alva Edison
Charles T. Porter, Alfred Noble. Sir
William Henry White, Robert w. Hunt
John Edison Sweet. James Douglas.
Elihu Thompson, Henry Marion Howe.
J. Waldo Smith, George w. Goethals and
Orville Wright.
Marconf's Prophecy Recalled.
At Rocky Point Signor Marconi
walked beneath steel masts 4l0 feet high
between twelve of which are strung the
antennae that transmit the vibrations
caught By receiving stations all around
the world. He was reminded in
pamphlet published by the company OF
a remark he made In 1897.
How iar do you think a dispatch
could thus be sent?' he was asked by
an inquirer of those pioneering days.
Twenty miles, he replied. But he
added that as he was speaking within
practical limits and thinking of the
transmitter and receiver as thus far
calculated and not Of what might be
devised in the future, his prophecy could
not be raised to plague him yesterday.
The company's engineers. including
Roy X Weagant consulting engineer,
whose special problem is the elimination
of static" escorted Marconi through
the power house. where ne signed his
name in the guest book and tackled on
the words, stay too short" He ex-
poets to visit later the company's receiv-
ing station, which is at Riverhead, six
teen miles from Rocky Point.
To Replace Giant Alternator.
In the near future, 1t was announced
in Schenectady recently. the Radio Cor
poration Of America expects to expert
ment at Radio Central in the generation
of high frequency current by means
of the improved vacuum tube. II the
long series Of projected tests is success
full the little glass tube may replace the
gigantic alternator, but no prediction
on this point was heard yesterday.
He was asked IL the reflector which
he has invented and with which he has
succeeded In throwing short radio waves
in any desired direction could be adapted
to a powerful long wave station such as
Radio Central. He laughed and quickly
estimated that such a reflector would
have to be 1920 meters, or about ten
miles. high.
Now don't say that I'm going to put
up such a reflector" he said.
Wire Phones VIII Remain.
Inquiries as to whether radio tele-
phones would eventually supplant the
present system met a shake of Mar
coni's head. and he said emphatically
that he did not see how that could be.
Apparently there are too many sub
ScrlDerS ana TOO rev wave lengtns. he
remarked that the United States was
ahead OF the rest of the world in broad
casting and some other radio features !:
also that other countries had points OF
superiority too.
He said that he had not needed 10
visit Radio Central to know that it was
the most powerful American sending
station. for the strength of its signal.;
as received by him abroad and on his
yacht told him that. He spoke of this
station as "a monument to the skill ana
ingenuity of American engineers" He
remarked also that the installation OF
radio apparatus in an automobile so that
communication could be had while the
car was In motion was not new, but
had been successfully tried twenty years
ago. This was before the days Of
radio telephony. however.
The Radio Corporation Of Amerca will
give dinner in honor OF .Signor Marconi
In the Ritz-Carlton this evening
A suggestion made by Sir A. Conan
Doyle before sailing for home that Mar
conf might be able TO get into communi-
eaton with the spirit world by radio was
referred to the inventor.
Mr.. Marconi smiled and said II think
IL would take long "a waxe