Wireless Telegraphy

New Zealand Tablet, 2 August 1906, Page 34

Wireless Telegraphy

Out in Uie middle of the, Atlantic Ocean the wireless telegraph operator on board ' La Provence,' of the French Line, accomplished the other day the hitherto unrealised featot communicating: with both Europe and America. .Spanning 1800 miles of water to the eastward and 1700 miles to the westward, the wireless operators talked through the night in fogs and storms and winds, and over the mighty swells oi the ocean, to stations at Poldhu and Uape Cod. r l hey accomplished what'has bee n striven for by inventors e\ er since the wonders of wireless telegiaphy hist crystallized into established fact. The wireless telegraph feat accomplished by ' La Provence ' came as a surprise. The ship was plougfiing steadily westward when, at 2 a.m., the wireless operator was startled by discovering thai he Had both continents at his command. Just rre.\iously the operator at Poldhu had been sending the latest news ot the San Francisco disaster, as received in Europe by cable. The dots ami dashes were snapping and crackling briskly and the message was flowing smoothly. At the end of a paragraph the 'instrument paused and there was a minute's silence. When the cheerful crackhne; of the instrument began again it spelled out an account of manhole covers being blown off the sewers in the garage district of New York At first the 'La Pro\ence' ope-ator did not realise the truth. lie thought Poldhu had begun sending another message. 1 What do 5011 mean by switching t o New York mews ?' he asked Poldhu. 'Go-ahead \iith your San Francisco stuff ' Then the -answer came back : 'This is Cape Cod in America. "lUio are you '> ' In the excitement of the moment the operator found it difficult to control himself and reply : 4-n V'^ a ? rovt '!V"«", , Xe I)oltI )olt us> all weil. Wait a minute till I finish with Poldhu.' The Cape Cod operator kept still, and as the shin ploughed along through the darkness 'La Provence' talked again with Poldhu and told the wonderful story of 1 spanning 3€oo miles of ocean almost as easily a s a boy might shout across a river. A few minutes later the ' La Provence ' operator called Capo Cod, and for a n hour the ship talked alternately, with fcuronc and America. Then the Poldhu messages became indistinct and the "La Provence ' operator wired- ' Good-night.' Wireless t-el-egraahy is now "bein<r used for the first time in connection with the Polar expedition as we were informed by cable last week that Mr. Walter Wellman has established wireless communication within a distance of 600 miles of the Pole, via Hammerfest. The Ihalloonhouse is in course of construction, a nd the aerial expedition, to the Pole starts in the middle of August Mr Wellman, who hores to reach the Pole by means of a dirigible balloon, together with automobile sledees and a metallic boat, s a ys that it is his intention to carry wireless telegraphic apparatus' with him, so that the instant the PoTe> is discovered the news will be flashed trfthe outside world. ■ Mr. Walter Wellman is himself a very clever Marconi operator, and he sees no difficulty in sendng a message from the Pole (should he reach it) to Spitsbergen 'where arrangements will be made to receive it. From Spitzbergen to the Pole is only about 600 miles, and Mr. Wellm. a n declared that he and his party will be in constant communication with that place during the whole of their trip and that information regarding his .movements will re a ch Spitzbergen .almost hourly. During the time Mr Wellman is ' dashing ' towards the Pole by means of his fh Q n nn ? f° GS n , Ot int^ d to r - ise ~to~ t0 a hi £ her elevation than 300 feet and, as the air in the Arctic regions is particularly favorable for wireless messages it will be possible to- follow Kis movements, almost from hour to hour, with the greatest ease.