Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-11-30

Aetnoo OF turning Oot operators u
Send Government Messages - Good
Positions For Young Men In the
Navy-OnIy Electricians, However,
Are Employed.
For six hours every day q class Of
twenty-five young sailor men in the
navy yard at Brooklyn delve with
wireless telegraphy, says the New
York Post They report for study from
stations the country wide and from
warships all over the seas. When their
course is finished they are sent wher-
ever there Is government wireless
plant in want OF an operator. and here
they serve out their enlistments either
shooting government messages through
the atmosphere or alert to catch stray
sound currents looking for n receiver.
This means that messages will be tax
en- from vessels other than warships
and transmitted for them at CONNER
cial rates to their proper destinations.
1t also means that the government is
going to keep other wireless plants
from getting anywhere near its sta
tons.
The government system Of wireless
communication is going TO be n big
one. and the demand for operators is
larger than the supply. Already sparks
can be transmitted from Maine to Pan
ANA. which places the navy yard ut
Brooklyn in close communication with
all the stations up and down the coast.
Soon the Pacific coast line will be har-
messed. and then the government will
have a chain connecting United States
forts and naval stations from Vancou-
yer to New Brunswick.
The wireless school in the navy yard
is close by the steel sides of the I'M
finished battleship Connecticut and in
the shadow of the immense travelling
crane. Straight into the air overhead
sticks the big white pole with its
streamers OF steel. This indicates the
wireless station, and under il six hours
at a stretch the trim figures in blue
plug" away ut the art of sparkling"
That's what the sailor lads call il.
Some in steel helmets are busy at ere
ceiving." others are at the key send
ing" and the rest are taking apart and
putting together the electrical and me-
chanical appliances that make the bat
terry and apparatus.
The spark from wireless plant
sounds like the cry OF a gigantic 10
Gust in summer time. only il Is not so
long and drawn out. 1t comes sharp
and distinct like the click of tele-
graph instrument. Add this racket 10
the rat-a-tattat of the workmen's ham,
Iners aboard the Connecticut, the hum
of tine travelling crane and the CON
tinual hiss Of escaping steam. and one
has the atmosphere of the navy's wire
less school. Occasionally the band OF
warship breaks loose In honor OF
somebody's coming aboard. small but
important tugs are necessarily wills
Ting hOarscly. and the noise OF the
shops close 10y never ceases.
II would seem as IL the sailor man
could make little progress in n school
OF such surroundings. but he does.
Moreover. lie finishes his course in
thirty days and Is ready to be put on
: station by that time. IL must he re-
meInbered that lie comes to the school
an electrician Only this class of
sailor man can apply for the instruc
ton. When he enlists he passes an
examination and Is rated as an cleo
trician-that Is, he gets $50 a month
pay. where the landsman, which is the
lowest class Of recruits, gets only SIG.
IL the electrician is steady and shows
n desire for work he is showed ahead.
and each higher grade brings more
pay. a chief electrician" gets as high
rs So. All wages. OF course. include
a. liz ....I s.-at
Such wages bring better class OF
recruits into the navy than ii ever had
before. and the men one sees around
the school I'm the yard are a bright.
clean looking lot of men whose general
makeup is above that of many of the
best trades schools In the country. They
are sent TO all parts OF the world and
are the governments workmen and op-
orators aboard all manner Of craft.
Their work is congenial; they are well
kept and receive fair pay. IL Is not to
be wondered ut. therefore. that few OF
them leave the navy after they once
get in. They are instructed by gradu-
ates OF the United States Naval acad-
envy and have every opportunity for
in their work TO the end
that IL they do leave the governments
service their papers find them good en-
ployment Immediately.
The United States navy was the last
to take up wireless telegraphy, and. al
though much progress has been made |
with the new system OF communion |
ton. we are. it is said. still far behind !
the other powers in both construction |
and operation