The New York herald., 1922-06-17
HERALD INTRODUCED
MARCONI TO AMERICA
Pioneer Demonstrated Wire
less Here Late in 1899.

AS Marconi, rich, famous. his name a
cles. sailed into New York harbor yes
terday morning he recalled that other
coming. nearly twenty-three years ago,
when he was obscure and struggling to
make the world believe in his discovery
that 1t was possible to send messages
without wires.
He came then, In September. 1899, at
the invitation of THE NEW YORK HERALD,
to demonstrate rather dramatically the
practicability of his new tangled wire
less contraptions. THE NEW YORK HER
AID engaged him to report the Americas S
Cup races of that year, the defence by
the Columbia OF the old international
cup against the first of Sir Thomas Lip
toms Shamrocks. The result Of the
demonstration was to prove to the world
that new agency had been discovered
In the field of electricity.
Marconrs system had been tried out
with the British fleet in August, 1899.
and that test, together with previous
trials, had convinced James Gordon Ben
nett and THE NEW YORK HERALD that
wireless communication was practicable.
Marconf agreed to come here and re-
port the Americas Cup races and the
announcement that he had been engaged
published in THE NEW YORK HERALD Of
September IL 1899, attracted immense
interest. He arrived on September 21
and told the story OF his discovery and
what had been accomplished expert
toI IIwg
made study of the city and of the
country over which his wireless mes
sages would speed when the races began.
On September 23 he visited THE NEW
YORK HERALD office in Herald square
and was photographed In the library.
few days later Marconi set up his
apparatus on board the steamship Ponce
and began tests between that vessel and
Navesink. On the day of the Dewey
parade he sent wireless messages ag-
gregating more than one thousand
words, some of them travelling more
than twenty miles," as THE NEW YORK
HERALD of that day mentioned with
proper pride and no little astonishment.
This was on September 80.
The first race between the Columbia
and the Shamrock. October 3, was no
race. because the vessels were unable
to finish within the time limit, but the
disappointment served only to demon
strate the signal success of the Marconi
wireless system. More than $500 words
were flashed from the Ponce to THE
NEW YORK HERALD office. and the news
was received sixty seconds after II was
licked off aboard ship.
From THE NEW YORK HERALD to Its
guests aboard the Ponce went In return
the important stock. market quotations
and the digest OF the Venezuelan
boundary decision. The next race, Of
October 8. also was fizzle. but once
more Marconis wireless reports were
swift, accurate and clear. and on that
day he was the first to reassure the pub
lie regarding a rumor that the Grand
Republic, excursion steamer. had sunk
When Columbia won finally, on Oc-
tober f6. Marconi's wireless reports dis
tanced all other reporting agencies, and
there was the same satisfactory story to
tell on October II and on October 20.
when the series was ended with complete
victory for the American defender.
The achievement of Marconi and THE
NEW YORK HERALD In covering" the
cup races by wireless was the first test
in the United States of the wireless dis
covery, and II was so emphatlcally sue
cessful that thereafter no doubt existed
as to its value and usefulness.