St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1909-06-05

- wires interlaced like a gigantic bed
spring. At their feet is small building in which are
housed two great engines and mighty dynamos room
full Of powerful batteries and lot instruments which
few people could understand.
This is the high station of the Marconi wire
less-the station from which messages can be sent
$500 miles to It matters not-press dispatches
commercial messages love words from woman to her
sweetheart or husband far out the bosom of the
ocean, stock quotations to the business man. this
the place from which they to the last
where the wireless from the shore picked up at
sea- 1t Is the jumping off place for the United States
In a bungalow, in the shadow of the mighty towers,
dwell five men-the nWho make it possible to reach
ships at sea, the who life by imparting
the information they have about disaster calling
other ships to the rescue.
Two of them are operators-Marconi operators-and
two of them electric engineers-Ginman and Simpson;
Campbell and Nickerson. The fifth is the steward,
who cooks the meals for these lonely so from
home, and makes their beds There is sixth man,
H c. Welby, who prior to this time, in charge of
the station but he is going to Seattle to erect another
station there just he to Joo in the Philippines
several to put which the United States
needed to get in touch with Manila.
But the chief of them there is Ginman-A. H Gin
man, the who got the famous &C. O. D." from Jack
Bnns of the Republic and got to work to get help from
ships far out at sea-
Everybody takes his hat off to Binns who stuck his
ship to the last calling for aid. had not been
for Gilman, who kept his wits, the would
have reached the land would the ships that started
at to the have heard the danger CALL &c.
O. D."
Mr.. Gilman just back from well merited vacation
in England, whence he halls 1t received the
famous &C. @. D." at Siasconset, the end of Nam
tucket island which the saving of eyery soul
aboard the Republic.
To him it nothing-it is his business To him
the mere sending of message out to is nothing
less than pumping at big telegraph key for
few moments. To the layman it is marvellous mys-
terry.
representative of the press saw Gilman at work and
spent the night in the office with himthe first person
ever permitted within the bounds of this station the big
gest in the United States.
What we dong?" laughed Gilman "Why, we are
manufacturing lightning that's all! That's what long
distance wireless really means"
And then he led the way station on the
bleak confines of Cape Cod to show how it is done.
The big plant is surrounded by a barbed wire fence
Nobody may enter except the employees. Summer Wis
fors to the edge of the fence nobody
buy up the. ocean front, but they can't come in
Nobody can stop them from gazing at the four big tow
ers, which be for miles around the desoate
fiat country. but there they go and further.
How Marcon men send their short distance messages
ESQ miles ess-s secret. That much of the pro-
Gilman could explain But what is done when
words flashed to ships half way ocean
the Marconi men are the only who do it's
real secret
There four in this little building which has
much to do with the ways of the world filed
with engines and dynamos. Another is crowded with
batteries. third holds the long distance apparatus
fourth is where the operator sends his messages
and receives them.
ut is strictly against the rules" said Ginman with
a smile, ito allow any to how we work the long
distance. But let show you the short distance
Well let you hear work the long disance-thats all
Here are"
He led the way into tiny with a desk and a
table On the table telegraph key, ten times mag
nifed and a SWITCH just large. Attached to two
wires two telephone receivers-exactly the
things that any Office boy might put to his in an
Office which had private branch exchange.
To the left induction coil capable of ten
inch spark and mahogany box in which was fixed
small clockwork motor, surmounted by two small vul-
canite disks connected by band of iron wire.
Now" explained Gilman, "ths is short distance
apparatus With this send and receive for $50
miles in any direction. AS matter of fact this is
long distance station and called to send
very few messages for short distance. Our business is
to reach ships far out at sea.
.Now let me show you. / will cali up Sasconset on
Nantucket island, 60 miles away and get him to send
YOU the famous letter s. the first letter which Mr. Mar
conf managed send clear the Atlantic from the
coast of Ireland the coast of Nova Scotia"
Gilman pulled down the switch, turned lever which
got him n tune" with Nantucket and began to send.
The great induction coil shot out its spark in blue