The Washington herald., 1909-01-25

New York. Jan. 24-Jack Binns, the
MsrconI operator on the Republic. who
sent out the distress signal. &C. Q. D.
probably was just as cool and deliberate
as the messages he sent would seem 10
indicate. Binns IS only about twenty-five
years old. but he is not easily excited.
Maybe that IS because he Is English
anyway. he has been so absorbed with
his work in his five years training as a
wireless operator. that that appears 10 be
The thing he does best
Binns knew tnat &C. @ D" signal by
heart; in fact. he praeueed Il II SPEAK
er Cannon viii brush I'D his memory q bit
he vii remember q Hght-c0mplexiOned
uniformed operator on the steamship
BlUecher. which took him. Representa-
tive James :. sherman. and a more or
less distinguished party 10 Panama, ex-
planning the working Of the Marconi sys-
ten, and Illustrating it by letting OF a
few streaks Of electrical FIRE. which
cracked SO that It made the Speaker
step a little sideways as being new
kind OF a blue streak.
That chap was Binns. and he told the
Speaker that down in the West Indian
waters there was really very little for
a Marconi operator 10 90. as systems
down that way were De Forest
shows Distress signal.
And the only time we tap in on the
De Forest system. Mr- Speaker Binns
said, rs when a general call for distress
comes Il IS known as C. O. D. and
goes something Ike this (some spirited
electrical sDuttering followed. Then all
operators on every system drop every
thing and fan 10 passing the word
around"
L vas the same Binns who received
the mysterious wireless 10 Mr.. Sherman
as the Bluecher was coming into New
York, which read: Avoid any political
interviewer and was signed y o"
This was Just the tine that Mr.. Sher-
mans name had figured frequently in the
Harriman-Rooseve letters, and there
had been developments during his alb
sence from the country No interviews
were forthcoming when the reporters
boarded the Bluecher at quarantine.
in crossing TO this country on the Ham
bUE-AmeTiCan steamship President Grant
after his trip around the world. AIr Taft
evidently took an interest in the work
Binns was mastering Mr- Taft had Occa-
sion 70 send several wireless messages,
and was SO pleased al the way the young
operator handled his stuff that he called
at the little cabin on the top deck several
times just 10 have a passing chat and
ind out what the news was before II was
printed in the ships little newspaper.
Gets Tempting Oner.
Binns got a promotion and had the
responsible position Of chief operator Of
The Kaiserin Auguste Victoria offered tc
him Here he did well. and through his
good work was offered very tempting
position on one Of the big land stations
in Ireland
His love for the sea got the better or
him and soon he got himself transferred
10 q ship again He was at Genoa al
the time Of the earthquake. and was able
10 be Of assistance with his apparatus.
This was rot his first earthquake expert
ence, as he was aboard the Bluecher
when she touched at Kingston at the
tine Of the catastrophe there.
The position Of the chief wireless ou-
orator aboard the ship IS well defined.
He takes orders from nobody but the
captain and ranks as an officer. messing
al their tables. Binns was rounding out
his fOrty-fiTst trip 70 New York from
Europe, though he had made many side
voyages, and. for a man of his age. he
Rad covered more territory than the aver
age.