The evening times., 1899-11-02
THE HAReoNI TESTS At SEA.
Details of Operations on Board the
Naval Vessels,

Details of Operations on Board the
Naval yessels.
NEW YORK, Nov. 2.-The ofYiciai test OF
the Marconi system OF wireless telegraphy
as far as It applies to United States steam
| ships. was concluded yesterday afternoon
by the special commission appointed for
the purpose by the Navy Department. The
experiments began on Monday morning and
were continued up to yesterday afternoon.
The commission in charge of the test con-
sisted Of Lieutenant Commander j. T.
Newton. Lieut.. J. B. Blish, and Lieut.. F.
G. Hill. The warships used for the test
were the cruiser New York, Rear Admiral
Farquhar's flagship. and the battleship
Massachusetts,. Lieutenant Commander
Newton. the senior officer of the command.
and Mr.. Marconi were aboard the New
York and directed the experiments requir-
ed by the Navy Department for the test.
Lieutenant Hill was on the Massachusetts,
and Lieutenant Blish was at the High
lands Of Navesink, where wireless tele-
graphic apparatus was rigged for the pur-
pose Of interrupting the messages trans
mitted between the warships and also for
communication with the shore.
The apparatus on the New York con-
sisted of a vertical wire attached to a
wooden mast and spirit which was tryced
to the mainmast of the cruiser at an alti-
tude OF $50 feet. The wire, at an acute an
gle with the mast extended from the top
Of the spirit to the after gunroom OF the
warship. just over the propeller on the
gun deck. where 1t was attached to the
telegraphing apparatus. The. Massachu
setts was fitted with a similar contr1vance.
At the Highlands Of Navesink a 150-foot
mast was erected and a vertical wire and
electrical attachment of the same kind as
was Hsed by the warships was set up.
The electricity used for sending the
wireless telegraph messages was furnished
by relay of dry cells specially prepared
for the purpose. The voltage required to
transmit the messages was in the neigh
borhood of 10000 with an amperage OF
about L.2500.
Each one of the telegraph instruments
was equipped with Morse ink writer SO
that the messages received are recorded
on ordinary tape in the Morse code.
The two warships. after leaving the an
chorage at the foot OF West Thirty fifth
Street on Monday morning, made their
way to sea, where the experiments began.
On the way down the bay Mr.. Marconi
adjusted his apparatus and sent a few ex-
perimental messages to the Massachusetts.
The first few messages sent back and forth
between the two warships consisted OF or
ders to the Massachusetts as to the rate
at which she was to keep under way and
the distance she covered. The next des-
patch was sent from the New York to the
with the instruction that 1t
be repeated to the sender, word for word.
This message was sent and repeated with
out an error. Then messages were sent
ha oh yya nd fa Naras}nE
dering the operators there to send mes
sages simultaneously TO the New York.
The messages between the two warships
at intervals of ten minutes, with Interrupt
tions from Navesink at longer intervals
were kept up until the Massachusetts was
nautical miles from the New
York, when the wireless messages failed to
carry and the battleship put about to
where the flagship was anchored. The
anchored for the night |
within few hundred yards of the New |
York.