The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1909-05-21


spring: At their feet is small building in which are
housed two great engines and mighty dynamos
full of powerful batteries lot of Instruments which
few people could understand
This is the high power station the Marconi wire
less-the station from which messages can be sent
1900 miles to sea- It matters not-press dispatches
commercial messages, love from a woman to her
sweetheart or husband far out on the bosom of the
ocean, stock quotations the business man; this is
the place from which they to the last limit
where the wireless from the shore be picked up at
sea- 1t is the jumping off place United States
In bungalow, in the shadow of the mighty towers
dwell five men-the me nwho make it possible reach
ships at sea, the who life by imparting
the information they have about and calling
other ships to the rescue.
Two of them are Observation-Disclosures operators-and
two of them electric engineers-Ginnan and Simpson:
Campbell and Nickerson. The fifth is the steward
VINO COOKS the meals for these lonely so from
home, and makes their beds. Thee is sixth man
H. c. Welby, who prior to this tmc was in charge of
the station but he is going to Seattle another
station there just as he went to Joo in the Philippines
several to up which the United States
needed to get in touch with Manila
But the chief of them there is Ginman-A H. Gin
man. the man who got the famous &C. O. D." from Jack
Binns of the Republic got to work to get helm from
ships far out at
Everybody takes his hat off Binns who stuck to his
snip to the last, calling for aid But had it been
for Gilman, who kept his WITS the news would never
have reached the land would the ships that started
at once to the rescue have heard the danger CALL &C.
@. D."
Mr. Gilman is just back from we'll merted vacation
In England whence he halls 1t who received the
famous &C. @. D." at siasconset, the end of Nam
tucket island which resulted in the saving every soul
aboard the Republic.
To him it nothing-it is his business To him
the mere sending of message out TO sea is nothing
more nor less than pumping at big telegraph key
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 him.-the first person
permitted within the bounds this station the big
gest in the United States.
What doing?" laughed Gilman "why, we are
manufacturing lightning that's all! That's what long
distance wireless really means"
And then he led the this little station on the
bleak confines of Cape Cod to show how it is done.
The big plant is surrounded by barbed wire fence
Nobody may enter except the employees. Summer Wis.,
ors may come to the edge of the fence nobody
can buy up the ocean front, but they can't in
Nobody can stop them from gazing at the big
ers which be for miles around the desoate
flat country, but there can they go and further.
How Marcon men send their short distance messages
$50 miles less-s That much of the pro-
cess Gilman could explain But what is done when
words are flashed to ships half the 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 One is filled
with engines and dynamos. Another Is crowded with
batteries third holds the long distance apparatus
and fourth Is where the sends his messages
and receives them
1T is strictly against the rules" said Ginman with
smile, Ito allow to how work the long
distance But let show you the short distance work
Well let you hear us work the long dsstancethats ALL
Here are!"
He led the way into tiny room with desk and
table. On the table was telegraph key. ten times mag
nided and a switch, just large. Attached to two
wires were two telephone receivers exactly same
things that any office boy might put his ears in an
office which had private branch exchange.
To the left induction coil eapable of a ten.
inch spark and mahogany box in which fixed a
small clockwork motor, surmounted by two small vul-
canite disks connected by band of iron wire
"Now" explained Gilman, this cur short distance
apparatus. With this send and receive for $50
miles in any direction. As matter of fact this is
long distance station, and ca::ed upon to send
very few messages short distance. business is
to reach ships far out 5atsse2. s.:
"Now, let show>you! will cali up Stasconset ON
Nantucket island, 60 miles away and get him to send
you the famous letter s. tie first ette which Mr. Mar
conf managed to send clear the Atlantic
coast of Ireland to the cdastf of Nova Scotia" :,
Gilman pulled down the switch, turned a lever Which
him lin tune" with Nantucket anc began to send.
The great induction coil shot out its spark in blue