The Manawatu Herald THURSDAY, JANUARY 29, 1919. THE MYSTERIES OF WIRELESS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 2083, 29 January 1920, Page 2

The Manawatu Herald THURSDAY, JANUARY 29, 1919. THE MYSTERIES OF WIRELESS.

THE London Daily Alail gives publicity to a remarkable statement made by ’.Marconi, Hie purport of which is Hinl. for some lime past: wireless operators day and night have been . puzzled by interruptions,, of signals taking the form of meaningless combinations-of 'letters. The sounds are not con lined to any country or coiitincnf, and are heal'd simultaneously in London and New York. Alareotii describes Hie very queer sounds, which from indications might ■ come from ' somewhere ' outside Hie earth. Borne of the Idlers paWieularly occur with llm greatest frequency, and in no case yet has anylhing been picked up that is (Timslafahle as a ddiiiilc .message. The combine.lions are of identical intensity,' and seem _lo emanate from the greatest distances. We have not the slightestproof of their origin, and They’are possibly due to natural elect rival i disturbances such as eruptions in j the sun. Asked if it was possible another pland/was attempting to eommuniyale with the earth, Marconi replied; “I cannot rule out that possibility, hut there is no proof the strange sounds are not confined to any .'particular period, and are as frequent during the day as at night." The phenomena was first noticed in pre-war days, ami we suspended further investigation as to Hie cause.” The Daily Alail, di-cu-.-ing Hie sun theory in relation to Afarconi's statement, says it ds difficult lo see in that case why special letter-, -hould recur with special frequency. Regarding the oilier two possible ’ sources —the moon and Alar- —the paper l quotes Professor Soddy's ('aided theory tlnjl the 1 muon G not dead. Professor Pick- ; (.ring eau-ed extraordinary interest | in America by his recent announce- j ifieul that he saw signs of life in the j moon. Discussing Lowell’s and

other theories in reference lo the existence of lift in .Mar-, the Mail nhks: “Arc two on the threshold of a most tremendous discovery by the human? race ! That somewhere in what has .been thought of as a vast interminable emptiness and space other being exist.”