Evening star., 1924-06-23
IN TODAYS SPOTLIGHT
BY PAUL y. COLLINS

Last Saturdays cables brought from
Paris report that the first photo
graph ever transmitted by radio was
printed today in the Matin.
The picture was sent by the process
of Edouard Belin, the inventor of "a
method for transmitting pictures and
photograp phs by wire. The first
from Malmaison, "A few miles outside
of Paris, TO the Matin Office"
Some three years ago the New York
World bought American rights to use
the Belin method-both wireless and
by wire-of transmitting pictures.
After three years OF experiment. the
World announces that it will soon be-
gin to send pictures from New York
to its st. Louis paper, using not the
wireless, but wire leased from the
Postal Telegraph Company.
Maxi ing allowance for the enthusi-
aSm OF the French press. it is due to
history to record that the first wire
less or radio photograph was sent
from Washington to Philadelphia by
the inventor, Mr.. {. Francis Jenkins
of Washington, in March, 1923. The
picture was an excellent likeness. per-
fcctly transmitted, as may be OBJ
served in the reproductions publlshed.
without retouching. on the day of the
transmission. in both the Philadelphia
Evening Bulletin and The Washington
Evening Star. This American dem
onstratiou thus antedates that in
France by fifteen months.
The same issue or some pa perS. IN
which the Paris experiment was re-
ported. last Saturday. also stated
that last October the portrait OF Gen.
James Harbord was sent by wireless
n
back to Washing Ston. The transmitted
picture. however has never been
published. and it is stated that it
was so indistinct and confused at its
practical value. and the inventor is
hoping to perfect his method.
The first partially successful efforts
for the transmission Of pictures by
wire date back nearly fifty years.
When Narconi announced the discov-
cry of wireless telegraphy and teie-
phony inventors turned their efforts
10 adapt the radio TO transmission Of
waves Transmission by wire is al
ready 50 old that it is no longer pat
entable for basic principles.
Not only may pictures be sent by
wire. but similarly through the rails
Of railroad. To thus pick a picture
from the end OF steel rail, in d irac-
tion of second after it had Deee sent
from a point d thousand miles away,
beats the familiar trick Of the magl :
clan who finds rabbit in his hat.
The process of sending pictures
! through a Wire ." rail is comparative
( " expensive for general broa dcaStins
since eacn route requires separate
connecting wire. with its upke. p.
! whereas the radio wireless requires
! but one sending station 70 supply
/ thousands Of receiving stations with
! instantaneous duplicate pictures. with
! no added cost Of upkeep. From ono
| sending station millions OF lockers
! in may see the same picture. just as
. millions OF listcnerS-In now hear ths
! same broadcast speech or concert.
I :: =
! The greatest speed of telegra phlc
| transmission by hand is at the rate %
, about twenty FIVE words in two OF
| three minutes. or by the automatic
! process-se nding by means OF per
! forated strips which have been pre-
! pared in advance--a about twenty five
I words can be sent in one minute. ac-
| cording to the authority of the West
! ern Union telegraph company. The
! Jenkins radio photography Will take
/ an endless strip Of paper, the width
! of ordinary typewriting. and transmit
| its message any radio distance at the
rate OF 1000 words minute. This
! transmission will extend a. : far as ia
! do waves travel or may be relay ed
to extend around the world instan-
taneously. and may be picked up any
where by innumerable receiving in
~
the sending apparatus Every news
paper in the world could thus be sup
piled with copy" sent from one sta
| tion.