The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-03-15
A WIRELESS MESSAGE.
Editor Howe Says One He Sent From
Sea Was a Success.

Atchison. Kas, March 15.-The
Globe says:
The wireless message lately. received
in Atchison is attracting good deal
Of attention A correspondent at
Pardee writes: THE wonder in this
neighborhood is, To whom was the
wireless message sent, and where was
it received? Was it sent east or
west2'
The message was sent westward,
and was received at the wireless sta
ton at Siasconset Mass and for
warded from that point by land wires
to the Globe, at Atchison. The mes
sage was sent about noon on Thurs
day, March 8, from the steamship
Baltic" at sea. The ship is provided
with wireless apparatus, and the mes
sage was sent to Siasconset, Mass.
where there is a wireless station.
From Siasconset it was sent to Atcfi-
son by land wires. To send wireless
messages between certain points wire
less stations must be provided: huge
masts are built into the air. and strong
batteries attract the sound waves or
whatever is used in the process of
wireless Biography. There is such q
station at Siasconset, Mass. and the
Baltic has q similar apparatus and
an operator. The message was re-
ceived in Atchison exactly as it was
sent, and arrived within few minutes
after it was sent. As near as can be
recalled the message was sent about
noon The Globe Office people saw it
was received about 1890 or II a. m.
The difference in time IS two hours
so that the message must have been
received within few minutes after It
was sent from the steamship a hun
dred and fifty miles from the nearest
land. The charge for the message
was 1915. It read. IS S. Baltic
March g. Globe. Atchison. Kansas. At
sea. VIII arrive in New York tomor-
row morning. Return home Sunday.
F. W. Howe"
AS is stated above, the message was
received in Atchison without single
error. Still wireless biography is not
an assured success. If conditions are
not right, It will not work at all: and
1t works much better on water than
on land. Most of the modern Atlantic
liners are fitted with the wireless ap-
paratus. These communicate with each
other, while at sea; the cOnnmunfca ton
is picked up, by chance-there is moth
ing reliable about it. For example, the
steamship Baltic" while in the middle
of the Atlantic, may pick up a message
sent by the ship Cedric stearnfng
between New York and the Baltic"
If the operator on the Cedric can
establish connection with the wireless
station at Slasconset, Mass, a passen-
ger on the Baltic may send a mes
sage home while in the middle Of the
Atlantic; or a message may be sent
from Atchison to q passenger on the
Baltic while in the middle Of the
Atlantic. But it would be a chance:
such thing might not happen during
an entire voyage. Likewise granting
the conditions stated above, a message
might be sent across the Atlantic by
wireless, providing the operator could
establish q connection with a ship 500
miles west of Queenstown.
wireless telegraphy has been known
several years. but practically no pro-
gress has been made. it is still Won
der, but it Is not used much practically.
On the Baltic when the operator es-
tablfshed connection with another ship.
notice Of the fact was posted in the
smoking room. This connection might
last an hour, or minute. When the
notice was posted that connection WAS
established with the wireless station at
Sfasconset Mass. the Atchison man
went down to the purser's Office. and
wrote his message Later, it turned out
that 1t was received promptly and cor
rectlv. being sent through the air with
ont wires. from the ship to the nearest
land: a distance of $50 miles. as near as
can be estimated. The ship had been
DELAYED by storms and head winds, and
the Atchison passenger was anxious TO
communicate with his friends; in this
case. wireless biography was Of practi-
cal value But It is not as reliable as
the system in use on land, and probably
never VIII be.