The times., 1899-04-16

vile, installed the instruments at Bally-
castle and at. Rathlin Island. The distance
between the two positions is seven and a
half miles OF which about four are over
land and the remainder across the sea, a
high cliff also intervening between the
two positions, AT Ballycastle pole sew
enty feet high was used to support the
wire, and at Rathlin vertical conductor
was supported by the lighthouse eighty
feet high. Signaling was found quite pos
sible between the two points, but it was
thought desirable to bring the height of
the pole at Ballycastle to leo feet, as the
proximity of the lighthouse to the wire at
Rathlin seemed to diminish the effective
ness of that station
Following this in July we were re-
quested by a Dublin paper TO report from
the high seas the results and incidents Of
the Kingstown regatta. In order to do
this we erected land station, by the kind
permission of the harbormaster at Kings
town, in his grounds. where pole 10
feet high was placed. A steamer, the Fly
ing Huntress, was chartered to follow the
racing yachts, the instruments being
placed in the cabin. The height of the
vertical wire attainable by the mast was
seventy-fiye feet. telephone was fixed
from our land station at Kingstown to the
newspaper Office in Dublin. and as the mes
sages came from the ship they were tele-
phoned TO Dublin and published in sue
ceeding editions OF the evening papers.
THE relative positions of the various
yachts were thus wirelessly signaled while
the races were in progress sometimes over
distance of ten miles, and were published
long before the yacht had returned to har-
Dor. During the several days the system
was in use between the tug and the land
station over 60o messages were sent and
received. none requiring to be repeated.
On trying longer distances it was found
that with 4 height of eighty feet on the
ship and the same height as already stated
on land, II was possible 10 communicate up
TO a distance of twenty-five miles, and it
is worthy of note in this case that the cur
vature of the earth intervened very con-
siderably at such a distance between the
two positions.
On tl,c Royal Yacht.
Immediately after finishing at Kings
town had the honor Of being asked TO in
stall wireless telegraph communication be-
tween the royal yacht Osborne and Osborne
| house Isle of Wight, in order that hei
Majesty might communicate with II. r. II
! the Prince of Wales. from Osborne House
TO the royal yacht in Cowes Bay and DUR
| ing the trips His Royal Highness frequent.
| ly took. On the royal yacht Osborne the
| top OF our conductor was suspended to the
mainmast at height OF eighty three fee
from the deck. The royal yacht was moor
| ed in Cowes Bay at 4 distance of a mil,
| and three-quarters from Osborne House
| the TWO positions not being in sight of eacl
other. the hills behind East Cowes inter.
vening. Constant and uninterrupted com
munication was maintained during the six
1 teen days the system was in use, no hitei
| whatever occurring
.'One hundred and fifty messages were
sent. being chiefly private communication.
between the Queen and the Prince Man!
of these messages contained over $50 words
and the average speed OF transmission was
about fifteen words per minute. The fol-
| lowing telegram was sent during cruise
and while the royal yacht was under way
as you VIII see from the context:
| 10th August-From H. r. II. the Prince OF Wales
to Duke of Connauglir:
viii be very pleased to you on board any
time this afternoon when the Osborne returns.
This telegram was sent when the yach'
! was of Bembridge at distance of seven
| or eight miles from Osborne. On August
| u the Osborne steamed to the Needles and
communication was kept up with Osborne
! House until off Newton Bay. distance of
seven miles, the two positions being COM
| pleteIy screened from each other feven to
! between. AT the same position We found
! il quite possible to speak with our station
at Alum Bay. although Headon Hill, Col
/ den Hill and over five miles of land lay
! directly between. The positions were eight
and a half miles apart Headon Hill was
/ forty-five feet higher than the top Of our
conductor at Alum Bay station and 3l4 feet
higher than the vertical wire on the os-
| borne. Another day the yacht went on a
cruise round Bembridge and Sandown,
communication being maintained with 0s-
borne House. although more than eight
miles Of land lay between the two posi-
| tions. The Prince of Wales and other
members OF the royal family. especially
the Duke of York. made much use Of the
system and expressed themselves as high
ly satisfied with its practicability.
Between Lightships and shore.
I'm December of last year my company
| thought 1t desirable TO demonstrate that
the system was quite practical and avail
able for enabling telegraphic communiea-
tion TO be established and maintained be-
tween lightships and the shore. This. as
| you are probably aware. Is matter OF
much importance. as all other systems