Evening star., 1926-12-14
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
BY PAUL Y. COLLINS.

instrument located in Europe. with
the speed Of light, set up vibration in
Washington? Twenty-Five years ago
any man who declared such a pos
sibility would have been incarcerated
in a padded cell. Today it is the
familiar knowledge Of the amateur
boy, toying with his wireless, or of
music of the antipodes. BY "tomor-
row" the Jenkins wireless glass disks
will enable our officials to wit
ness upon screens, similar to those
used with stereopticon or movie pic
lures, the actual progress Of battles
or other scenes in Europe or Asia,
while the original act is in process.
All this power comes from the Mar
conf discovery and demonstration of
the wireless transmission of the one
letter "s,' only 25 years ago last
Sunday.
Already, 1t has revolutiOnized the
science of navigation, with it's broad
casting of weather conditions and
representations, and with it's "direc-
ton finders" by which ship at sea
may get signals from stations on land,
of known location, and thereby.
through triangulation, fix with exact
ness it's own position, regardless of
clouds or fogs. With its use, the
ocean bottom may be surveyed accu-
rateIy and rapid4y-a great advance
over the old method of taking sound
ings with the lead"
The discovery has created new in
dustries In manufacturing radio in
struments and spare parts, and the
vacuum tubes used in receiving sets
are found of great value in other
scientific uses.
Above all, the intercommunication
by direct conversation, between men
of all parts of the world. Is wiping
out racial prejudices and will do more
toward the cultivation of international
understandings and fellowship than
all the diplomatic efforts-yes, also
the attempts of missionaries and
travelers-can possibly accomplish.
SO the last quarter of a century marks
a greater stride toward the fruition
of the brotherhood Of man." with
resultant peace and good will, than
many preceding centuries. And the
inventor whose science made all this
possible is still alive and active upon
improvements yet to come.
y X X
Yet, Nature is not Knocked. 1t
still says to man, THUS far shalt
thou come and no farther, and here
shall thy proud (short) waves be
stayed" The very success of Mar.
coni's long-distance transmission %
years ago opened up new fields of
inquiry. How could a straight beam
of radiation encircle the curve of the
round earth? 1t could not bend The
wave of radiation is sent out from
It's source in every direction, but in
straight lines--like the beams of light;
1t could no more bend around the ro-
tund earth than can beam of light.
Science has demonstrated that the
beam which goes straight out into
space, as the earth curves. away from
II, strikes a rejecting surface, about
100 miles up. made up of ''ions"-
electrified electrons--which both re-
tract and reflect 1t back toward earth.
The rejecting ioniZed layer is non
conductive, or nearly so. The radio
beam penetrates 1t little, hut there
is curved back toward earth. Thus,
in encircling the hemisphere, it may
zigzag, bouncing between earth and
the ion surface. 100 miles up, many
times before reaching the final receiv-
ing station.
The impenetrability of that ion cell
ing answers the query as to our ever
broadcasting up to Mars or to our
listening-in to Martian jazz by radio.
1t can't be done--not yet-until Mar
conf adds some penetrator of the
ions. which will break through the
scoDsrisSs. ieae. BY p.sAv, cssnn..,