The Washington herald., 1907-05-19
Homemade Device Catches
Navy Yard Messages.
UNCLE SAM IS P0WERLESs
PoIicemHn's Son Rigs Up Apparatus.
Interferes with Government Com
catiOns-OperatOrs Angry, but
Lad Continues Experiments-Crude
Affair Blocks Orders 10 War ships.

At an expense OF thousands of dollars
and with the finest apparatus procurabie
the wireless telegraphy outfit at the
Washington Navy Yard is checkmated at
times by another instrument-thc work Of
an ingenious sixteen-year-old boy. Official
messages of the departments. waves from
the Presidents private vessel, and flashes
from the battle ships at Hampton Roads,
are mixed up and put out Of commission.
Two years ago, Hugo Stahl, age six
teen, son of policeman, W. \. Stahl,
living at 252 Twelfth street southeast, be
gan the task OF rigging up "a wireless tel
egraph system. Several months ago his
dream was realized-he could send mes
Sagcs and receive them
The boys outfit is homemade. Piece
by piece he has gathered wires and bat
teIies and instruments and put them to-
gether in a back room At his home. lie
has an aerial or antenna-the high poles
with wires stretched between-and wires
running TO his sending and receiving in
struments on a little improvised table
in the small second-story apartment.
Young Stahl has not accomplished his
dream, however. without great eXertlon
and study. First he became interested In
the wireless. Then he set about to put
IL into action. He was inquisitive. and 10
d certain extent genius. He loafed about
wireless telegraph stations made friends
with the operators, some Of them even at
the navy yard. and then he began col
lecting his material
Finally Perfects Machine.
It was a long time before the machine
actually worked. For months the APP
paratus was practically idle. But not 50
with Young StahL Every day added
some little piece of copper or a span of
wire which eventually brought the home
made wireless machine 90 condition
where it would work Every few days
he would try to send or recclve-n0t a
letter-just a flash At last he put the
instrument TO his ear and he heard
sound. II was the lightning.
He continued his experiments He would
tick the key and wait for an answer.
The reply was long time in reaching the
youthful operator, but It came at last-it
was the wireless at the navy yard sending
an official message hundreds Of miles.
Stahl sat and listened 20 the tiCkiug-he
had not as yet learned The alphabet, but
he knew that his machine was a success.
Another boy. Harry Loveless. about the
same age. and living az Thirteenth and r
90 H.. o.. f|HHH.. al
wireless. Both got their machines TO
working and spent their leisure hours af-
ter school in experimenting and sending
messages back and forth
Now and then Stahl began receiving
messages-strauge words and all about
foreign questions and battle ships-aud be
knew they We're not from the other boy.
Il was the government Of the United
states. II was naturally interesting 20
the young fellow 20 hear what Uncle sam
had to talk about. All alone, night after
night, he sat I'm his little room. with the
receiver TO his ear and the apparatus Iu
receiving order, listening 20 the operators
at the navy yard. who We're in c0mmuni-
cation with Annapolis, Hampton Roads,
or some great war ship out at sea.
Navy Yard Has Troubles.
About the same time the operators al
the navy yard began enc0uutering diff
Culue5 that they could not understand.
There was some one evidently ION the
vine" Message after message was inter
rupted 10 such an extent that It could not
be understood. The matter was reported
to Capt. L.eutze, Commandant Of the yard
and an Investigation began
The Stahl machine was finally located.
Officers Of the navy yard called on him.
The case was brought % the attention of
the Navy Department. Through the Dis
trict Commissioners. IT was thought
something could be done TO put stop t.
the boys practice of "butting in" on
government messages. representative
Of the District visited the youth at his
home lie was shown the machine and
how 1t worked. but neither Uncle sam
nor the Commissioners could do any
thing TO compel him to cease operating
his own wireless.
Il is said that occasionally the boy has
represented his messages as coming from
naval ship or a distant naval station.
much TO the confusion Of the government
operators. This, however, is denied by
young Stahl.
BOY Knows of Happenings.
The boy admits that the operators are
hot at him for his interference He
says that he does not Intentionally break
any of the messages TO the navy yard.
It happens, occasionally, he explains, that
when his apparatus is ready to receive, it
catches the waves intended for yhe gov
ernment This causes confusion for the
navy yard officials. He has been able 10
catch traces of messages sent from An
napolis. and from Hampton Roads. and
vessels plying between Washington AMI
jamestown.
On one occasion, when the Mayflower
was en- route TO Washington with the
President on board, Stahl was listening
to the ticks out Of boyish curiosity. The
operators at the navy yard were con-
fused. Several wires had to be sent. and
eventually they had to recognize Stahl
and ask him to close his machine This
was done and the official wireless was re
ccivcG promptly.
Young Stahl was at home yesterday
afternoon experimenting.
''Wait d minute he said. to a re-
porter. "and I'll show you how the ap-
paratus works. Ny friend LOveless is
going to call me up"
He began pulling little levers and screw
ing down buttons, and getting ready for
an exchange of messages.
There he is now said the boy, and a
few faint ticks could be heard through
the receiver, which he placed to his ear
Stahl sent his 20. X" Then he began
sending.
a Washington Herald reporter is here"
said Stahl TO Loveless.
What's that about "a report?' came
back in a second.
a reporter is here-I am being inter
viewed" explained the boy TO his friend
in the northwest, nearly two miles away.
They talked about other questions and
L0veless quit to repair his tuning coil.
Room Full of Tools.
The boys room is full of tools. wires
n nd y-arfolrc other odds aud erTe c..