THE QUEEN'S SIGNAL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 10407, 3 April 1897, Page 1 (Supplement)

THE QUEEN'S SIGNAL.

[by colonos.]

There is something strikingly picturesque in tho idea of Her Mujosty giving the electric signal for the raising of the Hyuin of Praise throughout her wide dominions on the occasion of the commencement of the

Diamond Jubilee Celebration at St. Paul's Cathedral in London.

it is but; scantily outlined in tho cabl> message which appeared in the Uekald and which read—" TheGovornment is buiiij urged to arrange that tho Queen sliouli personally eive the signal for the beginninj of the Hymn of l'raieo at St. Paul's on tin occasion of lior visit to tho Cathedral ii connection with tho tecord reign celebra tions, in order that simultaneous rejoicing may take placo throughout tho Empire The cable companies declare that the pro posal is feasible." Probably fow of tlio readora of that brie intimation gave themselves tho trouble o realising all that this little iiitimatioi means, o>: have thought! of it, that Hα Majesty, by pressing lier finger on .1 buttoi in St. Paul's Cathedral, may, herself, tin tho guns in the Albert Park in Auckland and in Wellington, Christchurch, IHmedin Uobart, Sydney, Molbouruo, Brisbane Adelaide, Hong Kong, Calcutta, Bombay Aden, Capetown, Cairo, Ottawa, Quebec Toronto, Vancouver, and in all the piin ;ipal cities and towns of a dominion 01 which tho sun never sets, as an invitatioi :o Her loyal subjects to join in the hymn o rejoicing and of praise to God, at tha nstant swelling upward under tho domo o St. Paul's Cathedral in London. There is something so touching in tli< .bought of listening to Her Majesty's owi nessago sent by herself and sounding as il lelephonicully in our own cars, that tin lppermost thought in everyone , mind wil >e—" Oh, if it could only be done!" For o ill tho factors in tho great scenic represen .ation ol imperial unity, nothing elsi vould form such a sinking emblem of Hei Majesty's sovereignty and of the spon aneousloro that attaches us to the throne is this instantaneous son? of praisu ringing ound and round the world, and ascending .a with one voice to tho throne of tin Sternal. The cable companies declare that it i oasiblo, and there are few who will not fee hat at almost any coat and any troubli ucli a truly imperial and such a moviiif ncident should form a principal part in tin :elebration of imperial unity. It is not of course to be supposed that tbi mo electric impulse would have forco ti arry the message through so many thou and miles of wire : but by the autoraatii jroeess now so easily applied, tho self-saini nessage, reinforced by relay* of fresh olec rio energy, can convey itself to its utmosl lestination, It is not that it must be repeated at tht -arious repenting stations as tho oi'dinar] nessages are repeated, but with a "click' ind a waive of the magnetic needle as i >assoß, the message can speed onward o tself until it announces itself at tin emotest end of earth. It appears that in the present) cable tystein connecting these colonies will jondon there are about fifteen repeating itations on the route. These, by connect ng tho wires, can bo reduced to less thai ialf this number, and at each of thes '.even or eight stations the automatic nachinery can bo placed in readiness. On die message reaching one of thesi lutomatic movements it releases a littli jar, which falling closos a new circuit vhen reinforced by fresh electric energ; rora a battery, whose power it calls to it: iid, the message speeds onward to the next At any of these automatic stations th( nesaago can divide itself if requisite. A or example, at Aden ib can drop a littli jar and close a circuit, and the message peaks to Capetown while it continues it inward flight to Bombay. There dropping other little bars it dose •ircuits, and can speak to Calcutta am Hongkong, while it speeds across to Madra ind under the sea to Penaug and Por Darwin, giving a little click and a waivo o ,ho needle as it passes till it cornea b Adelaide. Then drawing fresh supplies of energyis the flying locomotive drinks up tho wato: Tom the channel stored between the rails— ;he message speeds its way to Melbourne ind Sydney, giving a click and a waive o ;he needle as ib goes, dropping little bar: ;hat open the way to all the principal citie: if Australia, then plunging again under thl iea it announces itself, at Wakapuaka, Drawing in fresh magnetic onergy it drop' ittle bars and closes circuits connecting ind speaking to Dunedin, Wellington, Jhristcluu'ch, and the rest, and announces teelf with a click and a waive of the needle n Shortland-streob about a second and a ialf or two seconds after it had been sped in its journey by tho pressure of Her Majesty's linger on the little button in St, Paul's Cathedral in London. Evoking a fresh relay of a moro fiery >lectrio energy, the samo message in the iame instant passes to the guns in the ilbert Park, which speak the Quean's nesssge to the people of-Auckland while ■he first two or three words of the Te Douin ire still swelling up to the dome of St. Paul's. When God said to Job, "Canst ;hou send lightnings, that they may go, ind say unto thee' here we are ?'" the poor jankrupt, broken-hearted squatter was iumbfoundered and answered never a word, jut it only shows that" they didn't know averything down in Judeo." But us can send the lightnings that they nay go, and from the utmfl9b ends of «rth they answer" Here we are." At Lord Kelvin's jubilee, , held at Glastow, in 1896, a telegram of 25 words was lent from the room via Newfoundland, Jew York, Chicago, Sin Francisco, Los Ingeles, New Orleans, Jacksonville, Vashingtou,.New Newfoundland, .nd Glasgow, 20,000 miles, in 7i minutes, ind the reply .sent : by the Mine rout* took .1 minute:. , '" : &:* '"'■ ' j '."

On the occasion of Li Hung Chaug's visit to England he was entertained by the Cable Companies ab Greenwich, when the telegraph wires were cleared to Shanghai, and worked in three sections, England to Egypt, Egypt to India, India to China, 12,608 miles in all. The receipt of Li Hung Chang's telegram of 65 words wa9 acknowledged by Shanghai in uiinute9; the reply of b'4 words occupied 7 minutes in transmission. At the Electrical Exposition held in New York last May a telegram of 27 words was sent through the American lines, via 'Frisco to London, thence to Tokio and back to New York, 42,872 miles, or nearly twice the circumference of the world, with 20 re-transmissions; and in 50 minutes the lightnings answered " Here we are." These were lengthy messages, and all delayed by re-transmissions, but the flight of the unimpeded lightning message is at the speed ot twice round the world in a second; and with the wires braced up for work and tho automatic action supplying the place nt the clumsy re-transmission by hand,; and with the Queen's signal coded into a single flash, meaning "Sing'."Her Majesty's command would be ringing in the ears of the people of Auckland within a second or two—if so much—after its transmission by her from London. Tho cable companies say it is feasible, and there seems not a doubt that it is. Could anyone conceive of anything that would give a more thrilling interest to our celebration of tho Diamond Jubilee than such an instantaneous message from the Queen, accompanied by the thought that, us in obedienco to it, our citizens raised their

voices in the Hymn of Praise, the same song was being euug in the presence of the Queen, and was rising from every town and hamlet of the British Islands, and from every cluster of British people around tlje globe. , Of course, our astronomers and horologists would tell us at what time wo should expect the signal, eo that everything and every one could be in waiting. Supposing that the hour of the Queen's opening tho proceedings at St. Paul's is fixed for ten in tho morning, about halfpast nine at night we should be listening for the expected signal. In the Eastern Colonies of Australia, at Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Hobart, they should be watching for the signal at 8 o'clock in tho evening; in Western Australia and at Hongkong, at G o'clock ; in Calcutta, at 4 in tho afternoon ; at Bombay, at :); at Aden, at 1; in Egypt and Cyprus at noon; nt Capetown, at 11 in the forenoon; in the Weat Indies, at 5 in the morning; in British America from G o'clock in the morning in Newfoundland, 5 o'clock at Otawa and round about Montreal and

Toronto, to '2 o'clock in the short hours of thu morning at Vancouver; but the Canadians are ardent in their loyalty and would be prepared to bestir themselves at an early hour in their bright summer morning. Thus at every hour of the day of the QuoeiiN Diamond Jubilee, but at the same instant of time, tlio whole British race scattered far and wide over the surface of the "lobe, might be ongaged in singing the same song of praise and thanksgiving in which [he Queen's own voico would bo joining in St. Paul's Cathedral in London. No more striking expression than this coul.l bo given of the unity of race and sympathios and destiny, or of spontaneous and affectionate tribu to to a Queen who reigns in the hearts of her people as no British monarch ever did before. That this fcaturo of the programme may be carried through, should be the hope of every »uo that wishes that tho ceremonial should bo one enlisting tho affectionate interest ot every British subject, and at the same time be profoundy significant to all foreign nations. No Monarch that ever sat on a throno in past hi4ory could havo performod such a feat. No other ruler existing has tho territorial possessions that could make luch a world-wide demonstration possible. Picturesque and full ot pleasant sentiment ad it would be, it would have a practical value r>3 an object lesson, that \vpul(! impress itself on every subject of ljer Majesty, and for the wholo empire to have joined their voices with hers in singing n eons; of thanksgiving for her long and great and beneficent reicrn, would leave ail impression on tho mind, of the empire that would last as long us the empire endured.