The sun., 1908-08-16
USE OF WIRELESS OVER THE ICE.
Ships on the Northern Pacific to Have
wireless Telephones Next Year.

ships on the Northern Pacific TO Have
wireless Telephones Next Year.
This>year the ships that carried the gold
seekers northward battled with the ice oil
Bering Sea and some Of them had the most
severe experiences 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 Vic
toria, the Ohio is now on the way south
ward toward homo.
Next year the Nome feet will be equipped
with wireless telegraph apparatus to
vessel and even wireless telephones will
keep the captains Of the fleets In close touch
with each other throughout a hazardous
VOYAGE, according to the Seattle Times.
The wireless telephone is perhaps the
most remarkable Of all the modern devices
OF communication. BY the mere act OF
taking down q receiver and placing 1t to
his ear the master OF vessel is enabled to
communicate with similarly equipped yes
sells within q radius Of los 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
instruments.
Had the Ohio been provided with the
telephone apparatus the people OF Nome
might easily have sent relief party to her
aid but without 1t 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 commune
cation constantly with the Nome station
from the moment she entered Bering Sea,
and perhaps long before.
Practical use OF the wireless telephone
was made during the voyage Of the feet
north from San Francisco by the operator
at the new Westport station the United
Wireless Company at the mouth of Gray's
Harbor. As the hagship Connecticut came
In range the askes tS over he
He declares he could hear as distinctly the
voice from the ship far out at sea as IL he
had been talking between two downtown
once buildings In Seattle--ail the noises
After the feet had anchored at the Puget
Sound Navy Yard the telephone was again
put in service, this 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 instru-
The rapid spread Of the wireless system
upon the Pacific Coast IL an interesting
feature Of development. Thirteen stations
are now In operation from southern Cali
fornia 70 Alaska, according to George H.
Parker. Western agent Of the wireless con-
cerp.
St. Michaels, separated by Norton Sound.
los miles wide. are most successful In their
operations and have been working longer
than any other OF the northern stations.
Because Of ioe and other adverse oondi-
tons the Government was unable to lay a
cable aoross Norton Sound. 30 the wireless
came Into play.
Wireless stations vary greatly as to cost;
some can be built for as little as Ss 600, and
others require as high N 500 600. The In
struments and apparatus In general arc
costly. Each station includes generator