THE AEROPHONE.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VI, Issue 416, 22 November 1911, Page 6

THE AEROPHONE.

EVERY MAN HIS OWN TELEPHONE EXCHANGE. It is only a few years since Marconi taught the world the wonders of wireless telegraphy. To-day (says the Daily Telegraph Express) we are on the eve of the perfection of a new discovery which will almost pl.ice Mar coni's historic invention among the common-place—a system of wireless telephony by which men can speak to one another through the heart: of a great mountain, and the generals armed with the magic box can converse with officers at diverse parts of a field of battle, Mr Grindell Matthews is responsible for this system of talking at a distance without the aid of wires. When we speak, our voices are carried away on the wings of electricity. Mr Matthews has found the means of entrapping the sounds on their journey, and his discovery promises to be one of the greatest of our national assets.

Mr Matthews who gives the impression of a keen man of business rather than an inventor, told a pressman of these wonders after he returned from a long day's experimenting with two of the directors of the synd : cate which has been found to further the future of the "aerophone," as lie has christened.

"I have been making experiments now for many years," he said, "and some time back, in London, I showed that it was possible to talk through the substantial walls of a solid London business building. That, however, was child's play compared with the improvements that have been made during my stay at Chepstow, and the further improvements I hope to make before the system is absolutely perfected.

"For instance, I have managed to speak clearly and distinctly for a distance of six miles, which in these early stages is extremely promising. I am attempting a distance of 11 miles, and a little later 14 miles, but as time goes on, I do not see why the distance should have any limit." Mr Matthews pointed uut that one of the greatest advantages of his invention was the extreme compactness of the apparatus. He also stated that when wireless telephony was used by private individuals each man would be his own exchange.

" The apparatus." he said, "consists solely of a small box containing the battery, motor, and transformer, which can easily be carried about. Thus every man would carry, if he wished, his own telephone with him. "Say, for example, that he left for town in the morning, and wished later to inform his wife that he found it impossible to return for dinner. Even if he were, in the street and his wife out shopping he could communicate with her.

"At present, I must confess, if it was used to the extent that the telephone is used to-day, the voices would be inclined to become confused, although by means of my system it is absolutely impossible to tap a message. But there is no reason why this difficulty should not be shortly overcome."

Apart from private use, there is a factor of the greatest importance attached to the invention —its use in time of war would be of inestimable value to Great Britain. With no wires there would be no fear of communications being cut, and, what is more, it would be possible for columns tn communicate with one another when on the march, and it would be absolutely impossible for an enemy to tap these communications.

Mr Matthews was engaged with the electric engineers during the Boer War, and therefore is in a position to judge of its utility. The British War Office has already recognised this fact, and the aerophone will be judged by them in forthcoming tests at Aldershot.

"A direct and immediate means of communication between those in command," said Mr Matthews, "would almost revolutionise warfare. All the time during a large engagement the generals would be able to tell each other what was happening in their special sections, while those besieged in cities could communicate with the outside world.

"Another important use it could be put to is that of communicating from the lowest depths of mines. No rock is too solid, no wall too thick, for the vibrations of the voice to nass through and be caught up by the receiving instrument. In a mining disaster the entombed, by the aul of the instrument, could talk with the outer world and inform the rescuers where they could locate <hcm."

Mr Matthews has given practical demonstrations of this speaking through dense masses of rock. He has an aerophone installed on his motor boat on the Wye, and can order his boat from the bank when he requires it. Naturally the working of his invention is a deep secret, for if it once be came known every nation in the world would immediately be interested. Of this Mr Matthews would not talk,save to say that his invention is the outcome of a long study of air currents. The voice travels through the air in rippling waves, and what In: has achieved is the control of direction of these waves by means of electricity, so that they are attracted by the receiving machine wherever it may be. It. is very different, he explained, from Marconi's system of telegraphy. He hopes to shortly communicate between Chepstow and Cardiff.