Los Angeles herald., 1909-04-16
NEAR SOLUTION
OF MYSTERIOUS
WIRELESS CALL
COMMUNICATE With STRANGE
"SPARK"
OPERATORS ANSWER SIGNAL
FROM UNKNOWN
Men of United Concern Prepare Their
Apparatus to Catch Messages
Evidently Sent by Expe-
rienced Telegrapher

IN HE mysterious long distance
spark" which has puzzled Wire
II less GENERATORS on the Pacific coast
has been communicated with by the
limited Wireless operators at the Los
Angeles station, who are determined 10
solve the mystery connected with -
They are far enough along so they dle
convinced that improvements IN appa,,
ratus which they have under way VIII
enable them to learn definitely "heFe
it comes from.
At 10:17 D. m. and at 2:17 a. m. reg
1,larlv the peculiar signal-so distinct
w different from any other ever hearo
on the coast that IL. l.. Bleakney'
Southern California manager Tor the
United Wireless company, Jumped out
of his chair the first time he heard IL
comes in on the receiving Instruments
at the Chutes park station. SeVeral
weeks ago it was heard by the aiHerenC
Pacific coast stations. Most OF them
gave 1t up as a bad job or ascribed 1t
to static conditions. Just as Mr..
Bleakney determined to his satisfaction
that "static," as the wireless trade talk
terms it, was not the cause, the mys-
terious call ceased. A few nights ago
It started again. Mr. Bleakney Attached
a second receiver so that he and Night
Operator Prank Reinhart might listen
at the same llIilt, anu ivy HN'S $500
patiently studying it since.
The signal consists of three dashes
and then one dash, and this is repeated
three times The listeners at Chutes
park found that if they responded with
the same signal it was returned TO
them rapidly; otherwise the mysterious
sender was quiet. They asked MN
what he wanted in both the Morse and
Continental codes, but had no response
Tint thew could hear.
Comes from Distance
"It must come from great dis
lance" said Mr.. Bleakney last night.
"It is a curious spark, coming from
source making the signals with a prac-
ticed hand, but unlike anything ever
heard in wireless before. The uni
forrnity of the spark is marked by
degree of precision seldom heard even
when transmitted by the hand of an
expert.
punches, and it. is likely to occur at
any hour of the day. The stranger is
certainly not static we are con-
WINGED of that The regularity with
which the signals are being heard eX-
plodes that theory. Unless We answer
back with the same signal they are
not continued. Whoever he is, he must
have an extremely sensitive receiver.
weird and ghostly. The most that we
can make of it so far is that 1t is a
direct appeal from some far-away place
to make us hear and understand in his
peculiar language, which is different
from any alphabet or code known in
this country San Francisco thought
at first it might be Japanese, but that
we do not consider likely. Mr.. Reinhart
has worked with Japanese vessels, and
they and their government use the con-
tinental which this stranger does not
apparently understand. 1t is not Hon
olulu, for we know Honolulu's spark;
nor is it any nearer station.
1--WE know there is something to it,
but Just what we cannot say. But we
are going to keep at it until we get
line on this mysterious stranger. 1t
has put the powerful government sta
ton at Point Iona out of business sew
eral times"
The mysterious call came at the regu-
lation time as usual last night. 1t will
be several days before the operators at
Chutes park have their add d apparat-
us ready by which they hope to get
longer message.