According to late newspaper accounts, one of the most striking efforts in the direction of wireless communication is that of Mr. Nathan Stubblefield, residing near Murray, in the State of Kentucky.
Mr. Stubblefield holds the theory that sound waves, as well as vibrations of ether, can be conveyed from one point to the other without the use of wires. To prove this, he has invented an apparatus of apparently simple construction, consisting of a transmitter and receiver. Its only metallic contact with any solid object is by means of a wire rod, which is sunk into the ground at the desired point. Through this the waves of sound are conveyed from the transmitter to the ground, and from the ground to the receiver of the other station.
To show that water as well as land will conduct these vibrations, Mr. Stubblefield established communication between a boat some distance from the shore and a station on the land. From the boat, the strains of a musical instrument playing on the shore could be distinctly heard and recognized.
Mr. Stubblefield believes that it is only upon the question of obtaining a high voltage that the unlimited application of his system depends.
The many persons who have viewed his experiments are fully convinced that Mr. Stubblefield will do much toward furthering the possibilities of wireless communication.
The Oxford Scholarships
In the will of the late Cecil Rhodes, provisions were made, setting aside $10,000,000 for the founding of free scholarships for the benefit of students from the British colonies, Germany, and the United States. Of these, the United States is to have two for each State and Territory. The conditions of these scholarships are that the candidates must possess the necessary educational qualifications, manly qualities, a fondness for out-of-door sports, and an “exhibition during their school days of moral force of character and instincts to lead and take interest in their schoolmates.”
Mr. Rhodes’ purpose is to concentrate the scattered forces of the Anglo-Saxon race, which, he believes, contributes the greatest influence for good upon humanity.
Terms of Peace in South Africa
The Edinburgh Evening News of April 12 has stated that Mr. Kruger, in behalf of the Boers, desires peace on the following conditions: