The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-10-12
USE OF WIRELESS OVER THE ICE
Ships on the Northern Pacific to
Have Wireless Telephones Next
Year

This year the ships that carried
the gvld seekers northward battled
with the ice of Berlng Sea and some
of them had the most severe expert
ences of years, the Ohio being a
notable example. Forty days after
she sailed from Puget Sound the
Ohio struggled free from the ice,
with difficulty found her bearings
and made her way into Nome.
Crushed by the ice pack, as was the
Victoria, the Ohio is now on the way
southward toward home.
Next year the Nome meet will be
equipped with wireless telegraph APP
paratus to a vessel, and even wire
less telephones will keep the captains
Of the lieGls in close touch with each
other Throughout u hazardous voy-
age, according TO the Seattle Times.
The wireless telephone is perhaps
the most remarkable of all the mod
ern devices of communication. by
the. mere act of taking down a re-
ceiver and placing II to his ear tie
master of q vessel Is enabled to COM
municate with similarly equipped ves-
sells within radius OF 105 miles or
with wireless stations upon the shore.
So far the wireless telephone has
not been put into wide use, although
most of The vessels OF the Atlantic
squadron that visited Puget Sound
in May were equipped with such In
st:uments.
n Had the Ohio been provided with
the telephone apparatus the people
OF Nome might easily have sent Il
relief party to her aid, but without it
the COrwin twice went out upon
vain search for the lost vessel. The
wireless telegraph Instruments, how
ever, would have been OF greater
value, for the Ohio would have been
IN communication constantly with
the Nome station from the moment
she entered Bering Sea, and perhaps
long before.
Practical use OF the wireless tele-
phone was made during the voyage
of the fleet north from San Francisco
by the operator at the new Westport
station of the United Wireless Com
pany at the mouth OF Gray's Harbor.
AS the flagship Connecticut came in
range the operator asked over the
wireless telegraph for test of the
telephone. He declares he could hear
as distinctly the voice from the ship
far out al sea as II he had been talk
ing between two downtown Office
buildings in Seattle-all the noises
on shipboard could be heard plainly.
After the feet had anchored at the
Puget Sound Navy Yard the tels
phone was again put in service. thii
time with the wireless station at the
University of Washington. Those in
the. station say they could hear the
band playing on the Connecticut and
the sound OF voices through the in
struments.
The wireless stations at Nome and
at st. Mlchaels, separated by Norton
Sound, 1O5 miles wide, are most sue
NNooiui III NiNll anu nave
been working longer than any other
of the northern stations Because of
Ice and other adverse conditions the
government was unable to lay
cable across Norton Sound, so the
wireless came into play.
Wireless stations vary greatly as
TO cost, some can be built for as lit
tie as $4,000, and Others require as
high as 100000. The instruments
and apparatus in general are costly.
Each station includes a generator of
electricity with which to send the
messages. and this represents a
strength of from one to three horse-
power.
The operator is provided with an
ear receiver such as is worn by the
girls in telephone exchange and he
Morse code as they strike the sys-
TEN of wires above him. He sends
hy means of telegraph key.