[LB055610], Letter from Alfred Ord Tate to Clara L Cooke, February 29th, 1892
https://edisondigital.rutgers.edu/document/LB055610
Transcription
Feb. 29, 1892. Miss Clara L. Cooke, No. 72 Addison Road, Heaton, Newcastle-on-Tyne, England. Dear Madame, Your letter of 8th instant addressed to Mr. Edison, suggesting as adaption of the phonograph for use at sea, was duly received. In reply I beg to inform you that Mr. Edison was granted a patent on the 29th of December last on a system for transmitting signals electrically between distant points, by induction, and without the use of wires, which would seem to accomplish all that is suggested in your letter. Mr. Edison discovered that if sufficient elevation were obtained to overcome the curvature of the earth’s surface and to reduce to the minimum the earth’s absorption electric telegraphing or signaling between distant points could be carried on by induction without the use of wires connecting such points. The discovery is especially applicable to telegraphing across bodies of water, or for communicating between vessels at sea, or between vessels at sea and points on land, and [it does this?] with the use of [submarine?] cables. I quote the following [illegible text] specification: “At [illegible text] an elevation of one hundred feet I can communicate electrically a great distance, and since this elevation or one sufficiently high can be had by utilizing the masks of ship signals to be sent and received between ships separated a considerable distance, and by repeating the signals from ship to ship communication can be established between points at any distance apart or across the largest seas and even oceans. The collision of ships in fogs can be prevented by this character of signaling, by the use of which, also, the safety of a ship in approaching a dangerous coast in foggy weather can be assured etc., etc.” Your will see therefore from the foregoing that the system referred to covers all the points raised in your letter. Thanking you for your communication and trusting that you will find the information contained herein of interest. I am, yours respectfully, A. O. Tate Private Sec’y. M.