THE OPHIR'S CRUISE.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXVIII, Issue 9143, 10 May 1901, Page 4

THE OPHIR'S CRUISE.

THE WIRELESS MESSAGES.

It will have been noticed that during the voyage of the Ophir considerable use has been made of wireless telegraphy, although, according to a recent telegram, the interchange of messages was spasmodic, "communication was lost at intervals, and sometimes was only partial," and messages were mixed' up and rendered unintelligible when more than one were transmitted simultaneously." A Daily Mail representative had an interview with an official of the Marconi- Company with respect to these strictures, and gathered some interesting information. "First of all, said the Marconi representative, "it must be remembered that the Ophir herself is not fitted with wireless instruments. Consequently all the messages she has received have had to be semaphoned, or otherwise signalled, from the nearest warship of the escort, all the ships of which are supplied with instruments. This may account for some of the irregularities. "But the chief reason why the results have not been entirely satisfactory is that the warships Diana, Andromeda, Vindictive, etc., are only using the. earlier instruments invented by Mr Marconi. The 'tuning* apparatus by which all confusion of messages is rendered quite impossible, and which, fitted to receivers, renders them incapable of recording any signals but those sent out by a similarly 'tuned' transmitter, is not fitted on any of the ships m question. Hence the confusion, of which the correspondent speaks . "By the way," continued the Marconi representative, "the case of the Ophir and her escort furnishes a most interesting demonstration of the uses of wireless telegraphy. From the somewhat meagre reports received here, it appears that the Ophir was 'talking' to Malta at a distance of 100 to 150 miles by means of two intermediate wireless-fitted stiips and a semaphore." ' We understand that m a short time the vessels of the Canard line, and also those of the Newhaven -Dieppe service, will be fitted with wireless instruments, and that many coast stations will be established both here and m America.