126 
WIRELESS TELEGRAPHY. 
ment made in the Press that by means of this apparatus the enemy 
has the chance of blowing up your magazine at a distance without 
connecting wires to it, or there might be the chance of blowing up 
the magazine of a ship at a distance. I will tell you at once that it 
can be done; but it will perhaps reassure you to know that there 
would have to be some one—some traitor—who will put this Marconi 
apparatus into the magazine or into the ship, and it would be so much 
easier for him to effect his object by striking a match ! I can show 
you that it is possible. 
(Experiment shewn :—A Marconi apparatus connected to a fuze at 
the other end of room. On sending the wave, fuze explodes—Explo¬ 
sion and applause). 
I should tell you that although it would be difficult for an enemy to 
blow up your own magazine, this last experiment shows the possibility, 
does it not, of your carrying out a demolition at a distance without 
running wires. Suppose, for example, you have to prepare for demol¬ 
ition a bridge, or the outbuildings of a town or village, and your wish 
is to keep them standing till the last moment, it would be an advan¬ 
tage if you could effect their destruction from some central point at a dis¬ 
tance, and destroy them at a given moment. 
I must remind you in conclusion that I have been attempting to 
describe a system which is in process of development. A number of 
experiments are at present being carried out, the ultimate result of 
which must be to determine definitely what can, and what cannot be 
done, also to increase the certainty with which signals can be sent, 
and I must thank you also for the admirable patience you have shown 
under so heavy a bombardment of electric waves (loud and continued 
applause). 
DISCUSSION. 
MAJOR R. M. B. F. KELLY, R.A.—I have been very much 
interested in what Captain Brett said as to the military possibil¬ 
ities of this form of telegraphy, especially with reference to keep¬ 
ing up communication between forts on the opposite sides of 
rivers, which has presented very great difficulties, especially where 
those rivers are great highways. I am afraid that one of the 
difficulties in this kind of communication will be the liability to 
interference either from your own or from other installations, 
and I should like to ask if there is any possibility of this form 
of electricity being used in connection with submarine mining 
and thus get over a great many difficulties which rather inter¬ 
fere with the full development of submarine mining in our present 
crowded Highways and Harbours (applause). 
CAPTAIN BRETT—As regards the application to submarine min¬ 
ing, I do not think there is much chance of success, but I do not know that 
it has ever been tried. An attempt has been made to work Preece’s sys¬ 
tem through water in order to communicate to Lightships. The two par- 
