The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1909-10-21
Wireless Is Explained by an Expert
Operator.

Altogether Richmond is experience
ing its first professional demonstra-
ton of wireless telegraphy, at sta
tons at the fair grounds and in The
News Leader Office, yet it seems that
it will be only a question of time
until the wireless will supplant to a
great degree the present method Of
telegraphy.
The system which was installed be-
tween the fair grounds and the News
Leader building with the opening of
the fair has been successful from a
semitic and spectacular standpoint.
Bulletins of the worlds doings are
being sent from The News Leader
to the fair grouds station and the
public is kept in touch with the
events of the day while it was being
amused and instructed at the big
fair. Likewise The News Leader
received bulletins Of the racing
events and of other features of the
fair from time to time.
w. w. Perry, of Scotland Neck,
expert operator in the employ of the
United Wireless Telegraph Com
pany. which company is in charge of
the local station, is receiving and
sending from The News Leader sta
ton. ]. E. Henry, who is in charge
of the regular Baltimore station of
the United Wireless Company, is in
personal charge of the local system
and is located at the fair grounds
station.
Mr.. Perry, who has been in the
service OF the company for two years,
has bean stationed all along the At
lantic coast at various times. His
present permanent station is at Nor
folk. Last fall, when the steamer
Republic sank out at sea and the
heroic Jack Binns, sent his famous
&C. @. D." message which saved hun
dreds of lives, Mr.. Perry was wire
less operator on a coast steamer
and he recorded this message as his
steamer was off Cape Henry. 1t was
far from the Inflated Republic and
Baltic to attempt to reach them in
time to give aid. but his steamer ar
rived in New York just before the
rescued passengers from the sunker
liner were brought safe to shore.
About two years ago, Mr.. Perry
was wireless operator on the Clyde
Line steamer Arapahoe when it lost
its propeller between Cape Hatteras
and Charleston, about seventy miles
at sea. The sea was rough and the
big steamer was as helpless as a fish
ing smack tossed about at the mercy
of the waves, but Mr.. Perry calmly
sent in wireless appeal to the near
est station at Hatteras and in /:
short time help arrived and thu
steamer was towed to shore.
Another time Mr.. Perry perform
ed a similar service when operator
on the Clyde steamer Comanche. TIL,
steering machinery of the Comanch'
was broken in a storm and the boa
was powerless, as in the other case
Aid was quickly summoned by tn
wireless from a station on the Flori
da coast. the steamer being STRANDED
about fifty miles out fro them St
Johns river.
The only permanent stations il
Virginia are at Norfolk and on Tan
gier island. in Chesapeake bay.
The stations located at the fai
grounds and The News Leader offic
are equipped to send messages from
$50 to 200 miles in any direction
The working of the wireless tele
graph was outlined by Mr.. Perry to
day:
"The easiest way to explain HOY
the current carries through the al
is to liken it to the ripples when
stone is cast in a body of water. TIL
instrument sends the electrical wave
radiating in every direction from tn
connected with the sender and tn
instrument which is tuned to receiv
it will record it as fast as it is sent
By being tuned, l mean that eac
station must be tuned to receiv
from or send to another before tn
message can be accurately recorded
We sometimes call it the meter O
the instrument; for instance, set O
stations tuned to 900 meters will no
be interfered with to any extent b
another set of stations tuned to 40
meters. This is the means we hav
of preventing interference by on
set of stations with others as O
course the currents of electricit
are radiated in all directions and ar
bound to conflict if not tuned differ
emily.
Any instrument tuned according
ly can record a message sent b
this instrument here, if placed with
in the proper zone. The 'continen
tai code is used and unless pr