The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-05-14
WIRELESS ON LAKES
De Forest Wireless Company
at Work on System
R0BS FOG OF TERROR
Nowhere on Earth Is 1t Needed
More

Chicago, May 1S-The Great Lakes COM
prise the greatest field for wireless tele-
graph service. and the De Forest Wireless
Telegraph company is occupying the field
now and intends to extend it all around
those great inland seas. BY reason Of
the enoromus shipping interest on these
lakes the proposition is. from a wireless
standpoint. as if they We're oceans.
Nowhere on earth could an equal
amount of marine commerce be covered
so effectively. so thoroughly, with so lit
tie cost. The erection of six or eight
land sections of high potentiality and the
equipment of the lake boats with a sys-
tenn of wireless stelegraphy would make it
impossible for ship to be lost from the
zone Of communication.
The government summary for the sea
son OF 1902 on the Great Lakes showed
an unusual and appalling total loss, beth
financially and in human lives, due to
storm and weather conditions.
The total for the Great Lakes for the
vessels damaged through weather condi-
lions of storm or fog, twelve vessels be-
coming total losses.
The estimated money loss was 81, 365, 300.
Of which $4,000 was in total losses; S331.-
500 We're losses dut to fog conditions,
which amounted in July alone to $121, 90
from fog
The average yearly loss for the last
eight years has been s1.063 734. which IS
$780, 2s less than the total loss last sea-
son One hundred and eleven lives were
lost through stormy weather. By the
laundering of the steamer Bannockburn
alone twenty-eight lives were lost.
In the above figures the proportion Of
losses which occurred in time Of fog has
been pointed out, because it is conserva-
tive to say that at least half of these
accidents could have been prevented had
suitable wireless stelegraphy shore sta
tons been in operation. Fog, storm, snow
and rain have no effect upon the trans
mission of wireless telegraph signals.
A reduction of insurance rates viii come
in time upon the general introduction
OF the wireless system to lake shipping,
but what owner can predict that install
lation now even upon a few boats will
not pay for itself many times over? The
cost Of installation is slight.
The De Forest company is now erecting
o 20O-foot tower, to be equipped with a
ten horsepower plant at Cape Hatteras.
N c.: another at Block Island, 800 miles
distant. Communication is TO be estab-
nsned between these two points
At Chicago the company has begun the
erection of a 2OO-foot tower near Evan
ston. The plant connected with the tower
will be of twenty-horse power. 1t will
BE able to operate as far north as Mack
inac.
During the Worlds Fair two towers will
be added to this particular outfit, and
the intention is to establish communica-
ton with the exposition grounds at ST.
Louis. This will be devoted to CONNER
cial use, and will give a practical illustra-
ton of the value of the wireless system
in public manner. The fact that mes
sal es can be sent from the metropolis of
the Louisiana Purchase to the Great
Lakes, will show better than anything
else, in all probability. the giant strides
made by science in the century that has
elapsed since the first great expansion of
the United States.
The cost of operating wireless tele-
graph stations, as well as of installing
the system on shipboard or on land. is
small. Where there is a dynamo, the
cost for power is practically nothing.
Good operators can be procured for from
$40 to $50 month. with board. \ good
Morse operator can learn to use the sys-
tenn in a few days practice, and other
Int no in
structed sufficiently to send telegraph
messages with few weeks practice.
TIE Difficulties surrounding the first
attempts of wireless telegraph to enter
the commercial field have been overcome
one by one. First. the argument that
any one could steal message was knock
ed out by the simple plan OF tuning; then
came the assertion that the wireless was
not speedy enough. This latter charge
fails fat before the De Forest system.
which has defeated rival systems in speed
tests.
In a short time wireless telegraph viii
be so common that it will be accepted as
quite in the ordinary nature OF things.
and past generations viii be called slow
for not finding it out before.
The De Forest Coney Island station has
been in operation for more than year,
and on frequent occasions messages have
been received here from vessels 200 miles
distant other stations are being erected
at Providence and Newport, r. l. One
is now at Fortress San Cristobal. San
Juan. Porto Rico. and others are project
ed for Key West and Havana.
The United Fruit company has given
the De Forest Wireless Telegraph COM
pany a contract for connecting TWO of
their plantations In Costa Rica. which
will be followed by installation upon the
vessels Of their fleet. which now num-
bers some seventy-seven vessels.
on the Great Lakes. the De Forest
Wireless Telegraph company Of Canada
has now In commercial operation stations
at Hamilton and Toronto. on Lake on
tario Land has been secured at Buffalo.
Cleveland and Detroit. and ten-horse-
power stations are now in process OF
erection at each OF these three cities. At