Los Angeles herald., 1909-08-22
WIRELESS TO GET
CHAUFFEURS QUICKLY
EQUIP CARS WITH OUTFIT TO
CALL FOR AID
Camping, Prospecting and Survey Par
ties Soon to Be Furnished with
Operators Practical Use
of Wireless

When the Southern Pacific company
founded it's school of telegraphy in this
city it's one purpose was to fit young
men for It's exclusive service, but un-
der the dictatorship of it's efficient
head Professor Mackay, the school
bids fair to outstrip all others in orig
inality along the wireless lines, for at
its commodious quarters on Central
avenue working models are being per-
fected that when patented will speed
lily find their way into everyday use
fulness.
A small Buick auto has been
equipped with friction gear to gener-
ate the juice to operate a "wireless"
outfit which is to be attached to the
auto, enabling the chauffeur, in the
event of a breakdown or accident at
distance from habitations, to get
quickly in touch with some one of the
wireless stations scattered over South
ern California. The mechanism is
simple, compact and practical. The
electricity generated while en- route
charges a series of batteries of suffi-
cient voltage that when called into
use, should the auto be altogether out
of commission, could be used inces-
sanity forty-eight hours in efforts to
communicate with some station. The
sending and receiving instruments. to-
Secured Secure in ~ a portion Of She machines
tool box, and the aerial" which is a
series of collapslble hollow tubing OPP
Grated similar to a fire water tower,
and a folding triangle to which the
wires are attached, are securely
strapped to the bed of the auto when
not in use; but a complete working out
fit can be ensembled in five minutes.
One of the best known local garage
men has already made arrangements
for equipping his rental autos with
these wireless plants when the pat
ents have been perfected, and for some
weeks four of his experienced chauf-
feurs have been taking daily lessons at
the Southern Pacific school to be able
to operate the wireless outfits. So in
few months we may look to see the
business man while speeding over the
desert keep in constant touch with his
office; or pleasure parties that are un-
fortunate enough to have a breakdown
in some isolated locality calling quick
ly upon civilization for assistance.
With the inception of the idea for as
ssting autoists Professor Mackay will
also put these services to other uses.
similarly constructed portable
wireless" outfit depending entirely on
storage batteries for electric current Is
being put in operation for the practical
uses of camping, prospecting and sur
Ney parties WHO 80 OuI llLO Niit NiidSl-
ness, and nearlS a dozen young men
are in training Tor the service to go
out as guides or to use their knowl-
edge for their personal interests.
Professor MaCkay, with five stu
dents who are enough advanced in
wireless" are spending Saturday and
Sunday at the "Espee's" wireless sta
tion on Mount Wilson deplOying into
the numerous Canons to set up their
portable outfit and get in touch with
the larger camp which, by the way, IS
the loftiest known station in the world,
and, with it's improved equipment, has
| enabled the eXperimenters to read sig
| nails from the Hawaiian islands, 1000
miles away and to get into commu-
nication with nearly $50 amateur sta
! tions along the coast, and to speak q
number of vessels at sea. This camp
is located on the Mount Wilson trail
midway between Martins camp and
the hotel near the peak; and, while 1t
will not be a commercial station, 50
satisfactory have been the results OBJ
tanned that it will probably be kept
open as an auxiliary to the Southern
Pacifcs telegraph school in Los An
geles. Of such practical use is Profess
sor Mackays portable wireless outfit
that railroad officials will eventually
send out an operator with each of its
survey parties; and as the atmos-
pheric conditions on Mount Wilson are
excellent for the transmission of mes
sages during the day, it is proposed to
keep an operator at the camp perma-
nently for experimental purposes.