The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-10-19
WONDERS Of
THE WIRELESS
How the Messages Are Received
and How Sent-''Tuner"
Is the Secret.

wireless telegraphy In and about Ho
Inolulu and upon steamers that visit
here, that the average person who
Idoesn t know whether or not the wire
LESS waves can be seen entering the
top wire on a ''Wireless - mast, will
be interested in an account of the
workings of wireless station.
A wireless telegraph operator is
rugged up like telephone girl. He
wears a headpiece with two ear pads
and, as he sits there waiting for mes
sages from the air, he has the faraway,
dre; my look of seer who is receiving
occult communication from the spirit
wcrld. Everything is as silent and mys,
ter.ous as though it Were a scene in
the chamber of clairvoyant.
Outside is pole, or mast, from which
wires sometimes grouped in basket
formation, and in some instances like
wire screen, reach to near the ground
and thence go into the station. Upo1
table are telegraph key, an, electric
lrrent switch and considerable electr+
cal apparatus eneased in polished Woo
cases. 1t looks simple, but then is
marvellous, too.
1t is interesting to watch the opera
tor sitting at his desk with PARKWAY
look in his eyes. Occasionally he picks
up a pencil and slowly writes word,
then another He hands it over to you
and tells you that somebody on a
steamer about 500 miles out, between
Honolulu and San Francisco, has Just
sent back word that he cannot find
his valise aboard. Then comes another
message, a fragment from a steamer
which is away up in the Boring sea
among the icebergs. Hardly has one
got his mind s eye adjusted to the great
ieebergs and cold weather, than his
thoughts are switched to the South
Seas reminding one of fans, sunny skies
and palms, and a warship dots and
dashes message to the effect that she
is on the way to Honolulu and will be
here on certain day and dock at
certain wharf. Then, suddenly, wrinkles
of perplexity mount to the forehead of
the operator and make circle between
the two bumps there. "That must be
San Francisco" And so it goes. Now
it is from one part of the ocean and
now another. Sometimes a steamer
wireless and then land station A
man on a steamer some hours after
leaving port finds that he has failed
to bring along business memorandum,
which he will need on arrival at
San Francisco. He sends a wireless !;
back to Honolulu that he has forgotten
it and viii they please send it on the /
steamer leaving for San Francisco the |
next day. That steamer is fast one
and the memo will be in San Francisco
when he lands from the slower boat.
lust a marvel, that's all.
Then the man at the switch reaches
nut his hand, pulls down a lever. and
irOps his finger to the key. What fol
ows is simply startling, a c-r-ra-a-ash-
ng, rending, ripping, scratching sound
accompanied by the most wonderful
yroteehnical display, binding to the
yes. But soon one becomes fascinated
With the methodical spacing of dots
nd dashes as they are cracklingly sent
y the key along the wires to the top
f the mast, where, like "a homing
igeon, they start straight and true
n their mission across seas and land
} another mast.