The New York herald., 1922-05-28

IF the patience of the folk on Mars
endures little longer they finally
may succeed in their attempts to
get into communication with us. Mar.
conf of the wireless is coming here next
month to listen" in on the messages he
believes are being flung through the
ether from the mysterious planet of
canals and supermen.
What will be the first message from
Mars? Even the imaginations of the
stolid scientists are stirred by this fam
tastic attempt of Marconi. For wears
scientists have attempted TO nerfect
some means of interplanetary communi-
cation, ranging from immense rockets
to giant heliographs-and now radio
Prof. Goddard of Clark College.
Massachusetts, at one time put forward
the suggestion that giant rocket be
launched to the moon. But for the fact
that the idea appeared to be fatbered bv
the Smithsonian Institution il would have
met only ridicule in scientific circles
But given the Smithsonian dignity there
was considerable discussion of this n,an
until some one ventured to inquire what
was going to shoot the rocket off.
Projection of bright rays of light into
the sky either by powerful searchlights
OF tremendous power or by gigantic
heliograph system of mirrors placed IN
some such locality as the Sahara Desort
at one time appealed to science as the
most feasible way to establish commun;.
cations with Mars. Early in 1920 Pres.
ton b. Bassett research engineer of the
Sperry Gyroscope Company of BROOKLYN
asserted that there was no reason such a
method should not be entirely feasible.
Mr.. Bassett, one of many who backed
the light system of communication with
he other planets, proposed the concentra-
tion OF the rays of 12O high intensity
searchlights of 1,O00,0OO,O0O candle-power
each into single beam of 12O, ,OOO. 900 600
candle-power intensity which would re.
suit in signal which, he claimed. could
be easily read on Mars, provided that
planet was inhabited and that the inhabi.
tants possessed telescope instruments of
equal strength to those used on earth.
But all methods suggested have been
proved impracticable even before given
test. Radio seems to hold out the most
hope Radio, Marconi reminds, gave sci.
ence our first real hope of interpIan-
etary communication.
One night in January, 1920 Marconi
operators in several different wireless
stations, of which the most important
was the london station, were Startled by
a series of mysterious" messages of ex-
traordinary wave length which they could
not trace.
The operators wondered, unable to ex-
plain these strange signals Finally it
was observed that they were receiving a
series of SIS The "toc-toc--toc" was in
reality three dots which in Morse code
represents the letter S. Each message
consisted of a group of three SIS.
Later query was broadcasted to wire
less stations the world over ic an attempt
to find the source of the phantom signals.
1t was found the messages were of no
traceahle ORIGIN
Gould It be Mars?" a startled world
asked itself. And in answer a contro-
versy arose with one side defending the
Mars theory and the other bitterly OPP
posing it with explanations of "atmos-
pheric discharges" magnetic storms"
thunder storms on the sun" end other
natural phenomena.
Marconi at the time said: II would be
a bold speculator were to declare posi-
lively that one or more of the planets
are attempting to send us some kind of
but it is equally futile to deny
that such thing is possible, in view Of