The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1902-03-03
WIRELESS MESSAGES
UNHBARD BY UMBRIA
Passed the Vessel Without
Being Intercepted.
CONFIRMS MARCoNl'S CLAIM
No Return Signals Because Installation
Of Powerful instruments On the Ship
Would Be Costly.

NEW YORK. March 3.-Further interest
is added to the remarkable triumph which
wireless telegraphy scored during The voy-
age Of the Philadelphia to this port by
the arrival here yesterday morning OF
the Umbria. the CGnard liner. which fol-
lowed close behind her
Daniel Collins. the wireless telegraph
operator on board the Cunarder, express
ed great surprise when told that the Phil
adelphia. which had arrived on Saturday.
had received daily messages from the
P0ldhu station, Cornwall. the last signal
being recorded by the receiving instru-
ment when the Philadelphia was 2.Osg
statute miles distant from the sending
station. A statement made by him seems
fully 10 substantiate Signor MarconTs
claim that wireless messages cannot be
Intercepted or read by any station or ship
except the particular one TO which they
arc being sent.
Messages Passed Him By.
Mr. Collins asserts that. while the I'm
bria was travelling over the same route as
the Philadelphia and close behind that
vessel he had rever received any intima-
tion whatever that wireless messages
were continually flashing by bis ship, al
though his instrument was In perfect or
der and the receivers kept constantly
open. That there was nothing wrong with
the instrument is shown by the record Of
numerous signals which IL sent and re-
ceived from the Campania and the Etru-
ria.
81 did not expect. said Signor Marconi
at the Hoffman House last evening. Ito
receive any messages beyond 500 miles. 90
AS a message was received on board the
Philadelphia at a distance Of 1.551Ik miles
mis- expectations were more than realized
Signals LenOting the letter s. made ia
nous by the frs. trans Atlantic wireless
signals from Cornwall 90 Newfoundland
having been received at 2.OJ9 miles he
Was asked whether he had expected to
receive these ; signals all the way across
the Atlantic.
Reason for No Return Messages.
No / did not. he replied. "ses'ng
that We had on board the Philadelphia
four wires only $50 feet high In New
foundlaud my wire was attached to a
kite and was 40 feet high. Our last re-
corded message on the last trip was at
about $50 miles. We may have received
others after that but I'm not the kind
Of a man TO stick by the receiver for
twenty-four hours. When We waited for
a message at 1000 miles none came. The
operators at Cornwall we're instructed TO
send messages which should reach US at
about each fve-hundred-mHe stage
You Americans" he continued. ought
to be glad these things were done on an
American ship. The ceptain and crew
were most enthusiastic
Signor Marconi was asked why he had
not attempted TO send messages back TO
England from the steamship. and replied
that there would be no utility in such ex-
periments-
such powerful sending instruments. 70
he said are very expensive. and 81 would
not be commercially profitable to install
them on board a steamship. The insula-
tion would be very costly. To put sucu
instruments on a ship would be no joke. 30
Signor Marconi added that The sending
Instruments such as are now in use at
Poldhu. Cornwall, would be installed at
the Cape Breton and Cope Cod stations.