Imperial Valley press., 1926-10-28
SCIENTIST FAILS
TO COMMUNICATE
WITH PLANET
Efforts to Get Spirits to
Carry Mars Message
Not Successful.
By CLIFFORD L. DAY
United Press Staff CORRESPONDENT


LONDON, Oct. 2S.-Inhabitants
of Mars, if any, remained silent to-
day while astronomers scoffed at the
effort of DR.. Mansfield Robinson, a
spiritualist, to communicate with the
planet by wireless.
At Il rate Of 30 cents a word. the
British government wireless at Rug
by accepted and sent the following
message to Mars last night:
NM NJ MMM NM. (Ninc NJ 81
"G. b. X. (Thc Rugby station
call.)
"Opesti nipitia socomba.'
The three words comprising the
text Of the message were repeated
six times, each repetition costing
Robinson 80 cents per word, which
is the commercial rate for transmit
ting messages to ships at sea.
Robinson, it was learned, believed
that his message was couched in the
language of the Martians, although
the cynical and many of the learned
pronounced the computations of
letters to be gibberish. Robinson in
formed a magazine, "Popular Wire
less, that he proposed to arrange
with the spirits for the Martlans to
send Il message in English to the
earth.
| Frank Pinkcrton, chief Of the
United Press cable department i'll
London, was at the magazine $ OF,
flee where the group was listening
for Mars with II valve super hctc.
rodvne set which would be equal to
Il 50 valve ordinary set. operating
on wave length varying from 80
TO 10000 meters.
Robinson expected his message
from Mars at 8 p. n. and at 3M
minutes past S-which would be the
proper time since message from
Mars would require 334 minutes to
reach the earth-Pmkerton heard a
series of "Mn and then ''CQ' but
a news bulletin broke in and that
was all.
/ The powerful set picked snatches
of messages from all over the world
and the usual gurgles, but there
was nothing that possibly could
have been attributed to Mars. The
message broadcast to Mars at mid
night was heard bv Pinkerton with
strong signals. The Rugby station
broadcast the message of an lS,24o
meter wave length.
The world, busy with its affairs,
is taking time TO explore the mys-
terry of another planet.
In the United States, fused up
over an election; in England, dis
turbed by Il coal strike; in Central
Europe, where intrigue goes on as
usual, scientific men spent last
night peering through telescopes,
while from laborer to millionaire
the rest Of them aIGHcd and debat-
ed over whether there is life on
Mars.
No concrete results have been an
nounced vet, hut there was a gene
raj feeling of expectancy. 1t has
been explained, moreover, that a
momcntous discovery may be made
but will not become apparent per-
haps Cor ,rceks, until calculations
have been uadc and measurements
verified.
In England, great interest was
aroused by efforts to communicate
with Mars by radio and to listen in
for possible signals from that plan
ct. London observatories were
handicapped by clouds, but were
able to study the surface and the
snow cap to some extent.
At the Yerkes observatory in
Wisconsin, where great hopes are
entertained of important discoveries,
conditions again were not of the
best, but the ice cap was studied
carefully and maps made Of the sur
face.
In Washington, Professor Asaph
Hall found conditions ideal ut the
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