The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1909-05-21


spring. AT their feet is small building in which
housed two great engines and mighty dynamos,
full of powerful batteries instruments which
few people could understand
This is the high power station of the Marconi wire
less-the station from which messages can be sent
$500 miles to 1t matters not-press dispatches.
commercial messages, love words from woman to her
sweetheart or husband far out on the bosom of the
stock quotations to the business man; this
the place from which they the last limit
where the wireless from the shore be picked at
1t is the jumping off place for the United States
In bungalow, in the shadow of the mighty towers,
dwell five men-the me nwho make it possible to reach
ships at the who life by imparting
the information they have about disaster and calling
other ships to the rescue.
Two of them operators-Marconi operators-and
two OF them electric engineers Gilman and Simpson,;
Campbell and Nickerson. The fifth is the steward
who cooks the meals for these lonely far from
home, and makes their beds. There is sixth man,
H. c. Welby, who, prior to this tmn in charge of
the station but he is going Seattle another
station there just he Joo in the Philippines
several to put up which the United States
needed to get in touch with Manila.
But the chief of them there now is Gnman-A H Gin
man, the who got the famous &C. O. D." from Jack
Bnns of the Republic and got to work to help from
ships far out at
Everybody his Binns who stuck to his
ship to the last. calling for aid had been
for Gilman, who kept his WITS the news would never
have reached the land would the ships that started
at to the have heard the danger CALL &C.
@. D."
Mr. Gilman is just back from a we'll mered vacation
famous &C. @. D." at Siasconset, the end of Nan
tucket island which resulted in the saving of every soul
aboard the Republic.
To him it was nothing-it is his business To him
the sending of message out 10 is nothing
less than pumping at big telegraph key for
a few moments. To the layman it is marvellous mys-
terry.
representative of the press Cir work and
spent the night in the Office with himthe first person
permitted within the bounds of 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 to this little station 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
iors may the edge of the fence nobody
buy up the front, but they can't come in.
Nobody stop them from gazing the four big tow
ers which be for miles around the desolate
fat country, but there they go and further
How Marconi men send their short distance messages
$50 miles less-s secret. That of the pro-
Gilman could explain But what is done when
words flashed to ships half way the ocean
the Marconi men are the only who do it's
real secret
There are four rooms 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
fourth is where the operator sends his messages
and receives them.
at is strictly against the rules" said Gilman, with
a smile, "to allow any to how the long
distance. But let show you the short distance work
w
Here are!"
He led the way into tiny with desk and
table. On the table telegraph key ten times mag
nifed and switch, just large. Attached to two
wires two telephone receivers exactly the
things that Office boy might put his in
Office which had private branch exchange.
To the left induction coil capable of ten
inch spark and mahogany box in which fixed
small clockwork motor, surmounted by two small vul
canite disks connected by band of iron wire.
"Now," explained Gilman, this is short distance
porotuc hiS send and ocoiv for
miles in any direction. AS matter of fact, this is
long distance station, and called upon to send
very for short distance Our business is
to reach ships far out at
"Now, let show you. / will call up Stasconset,
Nantucket island 60 miles away, and get him to send
you the famous letter s. the first letter which Mr. Mar
conf managed clear the Atlantic from the
coast of Ireland to the coast of Nova Scotia"
Gilman pulled down the switch, turned lever which
got him Gin tune" with Nantucket anG began to send
The great induction coil shot out its spark in blue