The Somerset reporter., 1903-08-13
Wireless n essages.

The Portland Press OF recent date has
description Of the wireless telegraplic
Apparatus thar has been established al
Cape Elizabeth for use Ia the war demon.
STATIONS in Portland hsfbor and along
coast III THAI vicinity, from which ne
following is clipped:
In general way Portland people ny
have read something about the plans aUd
| arrangements for Two Lights Cape
Elizabeth, but sgain II Is safe To assUmr
hat there are very lev y no know any
q iug about what has been and is being
done there.
For the pas week th- b9ld prom9a-
tory which Is known To mariners By IT'S
Two big lighthouses aad which is ususl Y
~ quiet place a. can b. found within
miles Of Portland has been a bee hive.
+, a least hundred men. soldiers, civiIlln
| laOorers, artisans Of all kinds have been
busy at this point. While they have cot
made much OF a change IN the APPEAR
ance OF the place a. lar as outward ap-
pearances 90, still they have accomplish O
great deal. A big power station for h.
| generation of electricity has been erected
back in the grove, well screened from
view on the water side, four or five small
sh DIS have sprung up here ard there,
TWO immense masts tower skyward auu
through the ledge deep trenches have
| been eXcavated In the bottom Of which
are laid the snake like cables.
Since week ago Monday there has
been established at this point one Of the
| few wireless telegraph stations along
this coast and the only one this side OF
| Thatcher's island, or Cape Ann so far
erected. AT that time Chief Electrician
Russell Burbank of the U. S. Navy az
rived at Two Lights from u. S. 5. Prairie
accompanied by two men also electrcians
who have been trained for this wireless
telegraph WORK. At that time nothing
had been done at the Two Lights Ia the
way OF establishing telegraph station
but for the first time this station has
sent and received messages to and from
some ship or ships at least 80 miles Of
this coast. What ships were communi.
Gated with and what messages were
! transmitted the chief electrician did not
and would not say.
The towering masts are 40 feet high
sixty feet apart and cost the government
81, 900 without being wired. They are
In two parts. The lower mast is OF
Oregon pine, Il feet in circumference al
the base. Ii Is suDken six feet in the
solid ledge and The hole filled with Port.
land cement, making it as solid as the
ledge itself. This lower mast is also
well stayed with wire rigging. On top
Of this is the topmost which is 60 feet in
length and is of spruce. 1t is set as The
topmast of ship would be and is sup
ported by hemp back stays as we'll as
other stays which run down in four d.
rections and are anchored into the solid
ledge. Between these two masts and
| from their top is stretched what looks
from the ground to be two large wires
with sort Of loop In the center. These
wires are not tight but sag in the center
little. From the loop two smaller
wires run down to the ground and in the
roof of the operators little house which
is located short distance from the base
of the poles.
All Of this is very simple, but as has
been said the masts because Of their
height and method of construction would
interest almost any one. They are painted
white and are placed at the extreme edge
easterly Of the big lighthouses is located
and on the southerly side Of it.
But it is the operators house which is
by far the most interesting portion of
this station. There is nothing pretentious
to this little building, which is built Of
pine boards, well put together and APP
parently tight. 1t is perhaps 20 or %
feet in length and half rs wide. Here is
gasoline engine supplied from a large
tank and this is connected up with a
small dynamo of corresponding size.
Connected with the dynamo and the con-
troller and switch board is the trans
mitter and the coherer and connected
with this instrument is the Morse re-
ceiver.
Anyone may speculate as to the va
rious uses this station may be put to and
some of its possibilities is what the Navy
is now definitely ascertaning.
Supposing 10 war time there is hostile
fleet approaching this coast. One hun
dred miles out at sea a line of ships is
cruising back and forth. They are all
in touch with one another by wireless
telegraph and at some time in their
cruising radius are in touch with the
wireless shore stations which will be
located at Cape Elizabeth, Portsmouth
Navy Yard, Cape Ann, Cape Cod, etc.
The outside guards sight the hostile fleet.
They inform the stations on shore and
another fleet may be at once modified
to meet that of the enemy. Something
OF this kind is now being worked out eff
this coast.
Save the ChIIdran