New-York tribune., 1902-07-16
a MARITIME OUTPOST.
THE NEW FLOATING STATION IN THE
CHOPS OF THREE CHANNELS-AN IN
TERESTING AND PROMISING
EXPERIMENT
London, July >.
EXPERIMENT.


the British Islands and Western Europe is now
assured by the organization Of the Southwest
wireless Telegraph Ship Company. The pros
pectus boldly proclaimed "a monopoly, with
every prospect Of a substantial dividend" and
as the capital required was a moderate sum
EDS 600. with an issue Of 1900 ordinary pound
shares-there could be no difficulty in carrying
out the contract for the construction and moor
ing Of a floating postal and telegraph ship and
IN bringing into operation new system Of
maritime reporting. By the end Of September
an iron bark Of 500 tons will be moored in
seventy fathoms Of water about 10 miles west
Of the Lizard and sixty-six miles west Of the
gciIiy Islands. where II will be in uninterrupted
communication with the mainland by the Mar
conf wireless system. Owing to the depth Of
water. the vessel will not be moored in the usual
way with great weight Of chain dragging the
bow down in heavy weather. but by Captain
waIters's patent arrangement, by which the
cable is brought through a hawsepipe in the bot
torn about the heel Of the foremast and the
strain is carried smidships. the bow being left
free 70 rise and fall with the seas. The pro-
sectors ere confident that the ship can be kept
81 her moorings, and this seems a reasonable
assumption since the Seven Stones Lightship
on the rock bound Cornish coast. has not been
displaced, although lying in strong tideway.
The Seven Stones Lightship is. however in
It viii be necessary TO double the weight and
strength OF the fastenings Of the floating tele-
graph ship. Otherwise the commercial success
Of the new enterprise depends upon the patron
age Of ship owners. since the carrying power Of
the Marconi apparatus for the distance landward
has been amply demonstrated.
The signal station will be in the open sea in
latitude 40 degrees 40 minutes almost due south
from Queenstown, and 315 miles from Liverpool
n-r y,xyxr- a+A-
Il viii offer facilities for communicating with
outgoing or incoming vessels, and transmitting
orders to captains as well as obtaining the
earliest possible shipping intelligence from them
AS the floating station will lie in the chops Of
the English, the Irish and the Bristol channels,
II Will be ct the centre Of three converging
streams OF ocean traffic and will be favorably
situated for reporting arrivals and communicat-
ing orders.
Sailing vessels and cargo steamers from Tor
eign countries, instead OF calling at Queens
town. Plymouth OF Falmouth for instructions,
can receive them 10 miles from the Lizard by
wireless teIegraphy and alter their courses tor
their destinations without the risks OF making
land In foggy or stormy weather. or the expense
and delay OF running into a port OF call 1hls
viii be q great gain for shipoWners since lhe
destination Of the vessel and cargo can be regu-
lated toward the end Of the Inward course Oy
he
~ securing freight for the outward voyage
p,,o+ogs nor and towage dues viii be saved,
.-5 +be dangers Of approaching the coast Ior
+ss,,zs Of ultirnats destination will be aVoloeo'
7resA considerations have special weight WHEN
the values OF cargoes are not intrequentIy sPecu-
lz-fvs and when the best markets are LouHu
for them after the vessels have gone TO sea
7-re renortinx station VIII be equipped WIN
searchIights and powerful syren' or 1os L futI
pet. and being IN the open sea over Sky Hl47s
r-or, +he nearest land-Bishop Rock, scilly-
-, - s,,-oacbed with minimum risk by out
going and incoming vessels. It will be al once
N ou-nost for the collection Of ship news
r.s+o%Hce where letters can be received ana oe-
Ifverea. and salvage station Of marked utlnIy-
The shin will have all the ordinary riding hghts'
and. IN addition, a vertical electric peah oI
high power for playing on the under surface o.
cIou6s on dark nights. and system OF Search
lights which can be read and answered at loiis
distances. For toggy weather there VIII De
2owerful apparatus for automatic slgha1llils'
zrassasae from vessels equipped with the Mar
ooni rransnitters will be received and repeated
70 +he Lizard. or will be collected by a launch
80, -seeinq sbips which are supplied with the
electric mechanism. Absolute privacy can De
sec,,re5 in the transmission Of messages, since
the 7,nright wire Of the floating station can De
sv,+onized with the wire at the Lizard Ihe
rses Of the ship as a postofhce and savage
station will be incidental; but there VIII De an
ir7nortant gain for the weather service OF the
Tinted kingdom in having an outpost Where
changes and the advance OF de-
nressions from the Atlantic can be systeInau-
caIIv reported. The chief utility Of the hoAI-
Ing station will be its adaptabillty as d con-
,enIen+ base Of communication between passing
shins and the centres Of commerce Nessels
which cannot AFFORD the Marconi apparatus or
the men TO operate il can approach thls Aghl-
shin in any weather and be brought into tele-
r-anhje communication with the malnlano
,rbsn they are over three hundred miles from
T5ver-oo1 and more than four hundred and nIty
niles from London
The projectors of this enterprise are looking
in many directions for commercial returns IN
me form NJ dividends They find the largest
margin ~ pro6t in the transmission Of ships
orders They propose a charge Of threepence
for every registered ton in place Of the slxpence
involved in entering Falmouth or Queenstown
for the recent Of orders. They contemplate a
fee Of ter shiIIings for reporting vessels nome
Wa I'd bound and seven shilings and slXpence
for registering the passage Of outward pound
craft They also count upon having a steady
revenue from the news service for shipping IN
telligence. and considerable profit from the col
lection and delivery Of letters for shllIlhg
each the sale of ships stores, fees from tow
boat owners and occasional salvage The charges
for messages received from vessels having wire
less instruments viii be shared with the Mar
conf conpany In order 10 bring every passing
vessel 70 the station the managers propose 10
report Rratuitously one inward bound and one
outward bound vessel day and to give one
1rUaG