Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1905-03-15
WAR NEWS BY WIRELESS.
Exciting Adventures OF an English
Newspaper Correspondent
at Port Arthur.

1t was an exciting story which Capt.
Lionel James, London Times war
correspondent, told at the Society OF
Arts few nights ago. 1t showed how
useful a servant OF journalism wireless
telegraphy may be made in warfare.
and 1t also. provided instances of the
dangers incurred by the correspondent
in making use of it, says the London
Mail.
Capt. James. giving a. history of his
experiences while sending news from
the Times dispatch boat by means Of
the wireless system, described how he
witnessed a naval attack on Port Ar
thur, and how he found his boat in til e
middle of Japanese torpedo tiotilla.
I'VE determined to give the system
real trial." he said. I'VE commenced
to send the message, which was 1900
words in length, to station 1870 miles
away. The message was sent in four
sections. At the end of the first Sec
ton the operator ON the ship listened
In vain for reply.
"All excitement. was waiting in the
operators room to see il there was
any result. For about five minutes the
operator: remained with the telephone
receivers glued to his ears, and then /
saw light CLEAN in his eyes. He was
getting something. At last he took off
the telephone and said in his quiet.
quaint American way: Captain, we
will deliver the goods. Weihaiwai
says that it is coming in like a drum.
Then knew that the system was a
success"
The Times dispatch boat. the Hal
nun, was fitted with the De Forest
wireless apparatus. and receiving
station was erected near Weihaiwei,
the first message sent being in rela-
ton to the landing of Kurokis army.
Capt. James sent it from a distance
of 80 miles, and when he reached the
station found, to his joy, that it was
on it's way to London. Then he went
in quest of further adventure.
Arriving in the neighborhood of
Port Arthur, he saw three battleships
and two cruisers of the Russian feet,
and Immediately sent a wireless mes
sage to Weihaiwei, IS miles away.
After this came run to Chinampo
and a dash back to Port Arthur, where
important events were pending. The
dispatch boat arrived there just in
time.
"Just as day was breaking the chief
| officer on the Haimun wo.<e me to say
that the Japanese feet was on our
starboard beam. We had hit it off ex-
actly. and keeping abreast of Togo's
squadron, we witnessed the operations
which cost the Russian cause a first
class battleship and Admiral Maka-
rotf.'
Here is a passage telling of the perils
of the war correspondent: THE yell
low sea, and especially that portion of it
which it was our custom to patrol, was
alive with floating mines. Moreover. the
Russians, no doubt irritated by their
misfortu tunes, had threatened both my
self and my operators with a violent
death if we should chance to fall into
their hands.
THE reason why the Times system
ceased was because the japanese naval
| and military authorities recognized that
the existence of a possible channel of
leakage Of military secrets presented a
| flaw in their plan of campaign
Summing up. the lecturer said that he
thought wireless telegraphy, in conjunc-
ton with journalistic enterprise, had
demonstrated its uses too we'll, and that
the success OF the system had assisted in
its downfall