The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1902-02-22
Plans ON Foot to Put Wireless
Telegraphy In Operation on
Passenger Boats.
SUCCESSFUL EXPERIMENTS
Recently Conducted In Detroit
No Longer Any Doubt or
Its Practicability.


telegraphy on the great lakes or con
Meeting rivers was made from the
steamer Promise, of the Detroit
Belle Isle and Windsor Ferry Co.
on her trip to Wyandotte Sunday
morning, says the Detroit Free
Press.
The fact that a test of the new
system of communication was to be
made was kept profound secret by
those interested in the enterprise
but so successful we're they in the
enterprise and SO thoroughly was il
proven that vessels away from port
may communicate with people
ashore, that the promoters are con-
vinced that it will now be but a
short time before the system OF
wireless telegraphy will be installed
upon many of the steamers plying
the lakes, particularly the large
passenger steamers.
For several weeks Manager Thomas
F. Clark, of the Electrical Supply &
Construction Co., of Detroit, has
been experimenting from two fixed
stations on opposite sides of the
river at the foot of Woodward
avenue. This has been satisfactory
and he decided to expand, the op-
portunity presenting itself when
the Detroit Shipbuilding Co. en-
gagged the steamer Promise tO
break the heavy ice between Detroit
and Wyandotte in order to make ii
passage for the new White Star
line steamer Greyhound, launched
at the Wyandotte yards of the com
pany Saturday afternoon and in
readiness to be brought to Detroit
for her engines, boilers and upper
works.
Through the courtesy of Manager
Walter G. Campbell, of the ferry
company, a transmitting device was
placed in the cabin of the steamer
and the large screen-like arrange
ment through which the electrical
waves are sent was suspended from
the flag staff at the stern.
The receiving instruments were in
the Woodward avenue pavilion ..
the ferry company at the foot OF
Woodward avenue. From the time
the boat left the dock at 70 clock
until she arrived at Wyandotte, a
distance on an air line of about six
teen miles, communication was kept
up at intervals of few seconds.
As the staunch steamer plowed
her way through the ice, which var
les ia thickness from IL to 18 inches,
the electrical waves we're sent out
from the boat and received at the
station at the foot of Woodward
avenue. AS the operator was not a
telegrapher, no code was used, but
pre- arranged signals were sent with
perfect success, the increasing dis
tance having no effect upon the ef-
fciency of the apparatus.
The test is a great source OF salts
faction to Mr.. Clark, who has de-
voted great deal Of time and at
tention to the study OF wireless tel
egraphy. The Marconi system was
not used, neither was any other sys-
stem applied, but Mr.. Clark has in
vented machine which he says will
in utility and practicability have
points which for commercial advan.
tages will surpass anything which
has yet been presented.
He says that it will be but ques-
tion OF time when vessels on the
lakes will be equipped with sys-
tenn Of wireless telegraphy by means
of which they may communicate
with each other and with their home
ports or stations erected for th,
purpose Of reporting the where
abouts OF vessels.
BY means Of this system an acci
dent aboard may be reported ant
assistance asked for or any news o
delay on account of weather o.
other conditions sent ashore 30 tha