Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-10-26
SPEED OF VOICE
CITY CLUB TOPIC
49, 100000 Times Faster on
Wire Than Through Space,
Says John Mills.

The human voice. transmitted over
the most highly developed telephone
system, travels 100000 times faster
than it does through space, John Mills,
director Of publication of the Bell Tele-
phone Laboratories In New York, told
the City Club Luncheon Forum today.
Mr.. Mills said If it were possible for
man standing on top Of the Washing
ton Monument to talk to another In the
tower of Westminster Abbey, London,
it would necessitate the use Of 100000
900 kilowatts of power and would re-
quire about 10 hours for the sound Of
the voice to travel in either direction.
But by talking normally into tele-
phone transmitter, he said, ones voice
would travel between Washington and
London in fve-hmdredths of a second.
During the past two years, he said. a
number Of developments have been
made in television, notably the projec-
ton of scenes in colorS by wires or
through the air for considerable dis
tances. Television research in the
laboratories Is being carried on under
supervision Of DR.. Herbert E. Ives. A
short time ago DR.. Ives and his assist
ant transmitted scene In monochrome
|
lamp.
More recent developments, Mr.. Mills
said, have made 1t possible to reproduce
scenes with their true color values.
Color Projection Difficult.
The effective projection Of colors,
however, is far more difncult than the
Errors Of quality which would be TN.
noticed in an image Of only one color
may be fatal to true color reproductions
where three such images are super-im-
posed and viewed simultaneously. In
thfee-color television, Mr.. Mills said.
any deviation Of color tones throws
out the balance Of the colors.
Mr.. Mills said television is one by
product of telephone communication
which will demonstrate its usefulness
to the general public in the years to
come.
Something of the complex and highly
organized equipment by which the hui
man voice Is transmitted back and forth
across the Atlantic was related to the
meeting by Mr.. Mills. A voice from
| Washington goes underground to New
York, thence to Lawrenceville, N. j.,
| where q short-wave transmitter flashes
ceiver at Baldock, England. for trans
hAAoSAOA W SoAASA R1@ ~ - @@~A9AS~A@~ sSA@N~
the Continent.
Route Of Return Voice.
The answering voice Is similarly
radioed from Rugby, England, to Net
cong, N. j., and from there to New
York for distribution.
Mr.. Mills also explained the pro-
posed transatlantic telephone cable, the
development of which is now being
rushed in the laboratories. He pre-
dicted that the cable will be put In
service as early at 1882. This cable
would connect New York and London,
and from these terminals branch con-
nections would be made, linking 21,00o,-
600 telephones on the North American
continent with some 100000 In Eng
land and Europe.
Great care has been exercised in the
design Of the cable to prevent diminish
ing Of the voice vibrations in transmits
SION. The. cable, wire will be insulated
with q new material known as para
gutta, also development Of the labora-
tory.
The cable plays an important part
in telephone communication, Mr.. Mills
said, and perhaps no city in the world
has a higher cable development than
Washington.