The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-10-06
WIRELESS TELEGRAPHO.K.
Bulletins of the Race Flash Through
the Air From Ship to Ship.

New York, Oct. 6.-Professor Marconi
proved the practical value OF his system
of wireless telegraphy. BY it's use
messages telling the progress and
maneuvers of the racing yachts Sham
rock and Columbia were transmitted
from two steamers keeping abreast of
the rivals to the cable steamer Mackay-
Bennett, and by simultaneous action to
a land station on the Navesink High
lands.
Professor Marcoui was himself at the
sending instrument on board the gov
eminent transport Ponce, offered him
for the occasion by the War depart
ment which has been much interested
in the experiment. The instruments on
the Grand Duchess, the other MarcOni
vessel to follow the yachts down the
course, were in charge Of WI. Clarke,
one of the inventors assistants The
receiving operator on the Maekay-Ben-
nett was Professor BOWden, and at Ma
vesink Highlands w w. Bradfeld, both
of them close associates of the man
who dared the test
The Mackay-Bennett, which lay an
chored through the day close to the
Sandy Hook Hghtship, the starting
point of the race, was the chief med
ium in the transmission of MarcOni
messages to newspaper and telegraph
Offices ashore, although every message
flashed to it went also to the land sta
ton.
An ordinary telegraph cable ran from
the Mackay-Bennett to the shore, and
messages received one minutes through
the air were travelling the next through
the water. For the latter route in send
ing Morse operators were employed, but
not a man was allowed in the inner
cabin, where the mysterious spluttering
MarcOni receiver was engraving mean
ing dots and dashes on strips of paper
at the command of a force which leaped
through space at distances varying
from 500 feet to fifteen miles.
Only two messages of a total averag-
ing one in three minutes for a period
of five and a half hours had to be re-
peated. To all others the AIackay-Ben-
nett signaled o. K, Immediately the
instrument ceased recording the dots.
The story Of the yacht race was told
consecutiVely from start to finish, and
was bulletined in New York in a space
impossible under ordinary conditions,
the announcement being given the
crowd in some instances in three min
utes after the first transmission began.
The absence of fake" was demon
strated by the fact that official infOr-
ma alton, conveyed in slower and accus-
| toned fashion, was found to agree with
the statements telegraphed by Profess
sOr MarcOni.
Sending and receiving apparatus on
all three ships and at the Navesink
Highlands station We're essentially the
same A description of one will suf-
flee for all The Mackay- Bennett for
/ the occasion was furnished with an ex-
ira topmast. which was dashed to the
mast already in position. On the top
| of this dOuble-length mast was placed
I what appeared to be an arrow of metal
! A wire ran down the mast and into the
| cabin. where the receiving and trans
| hitting apparatus was placed. The two
| poles were plainly visible, and when
messages were coming the current
could be seen to pass from one to the
! other, the spark appearing to have a
| diameter of fully an eighth of an inch.
J The noise was like that of a good sized
electric motor in operation. No part of
I IA mechanism nf he
delicate order In fact, the general i'm
| preston was one Of clumsy strength.