The San Francisco call., 1910-12-21
BEACH THOMPSON is HEAD
OF GIGANTIC ENTERPRISE
Stations Are Already in Opera
ton in the South and
Nearby Cities
WILL OPERATE UNDER THE
PATENTS OF POULS sen

A S25,000,000 corporation, designed
"A to operate throughout the United
States in wireless telegraphy
and telephony, has been organized by
San Francisco miIIionaires. Already
they have expended approximately
$250,000 in the enterprise, and such is
their faith in the patents they have
| acquired that they are preparing to
finance the project along gigantic
lines Working quietly and keeping
their plans from the public, they have
erected and equipped stations in San
Francisco, Los Angeles, Sacramento,
Stockton and FL Paso. Tex.
Beach Thompson is the president OF
the new company. Thompson recently
sold the Stanislaus river power com
pany to the United Railways invest
ment company for s5.OOO,O0 Among
those associated witt Thompson are
the following well known local capi-
talists: E. W. Hopkins OF the Hop
kins estate, president OF the Union ice
company. and director Of the Bank OF
California; George A Pope OF the Pope
estate. member of the lumber firm Of
Pope & Talbot. and director in sew
eral local banks; Howard P. Veeder,
formerly interested with Thompson in
the Stanislaus river power company;
]. Henry Meyer of the banking firm of
Antoine Borel & Co. and director OF
Wells Fargo Nevada national bank
and the Union trust company. and S.
E, Slade of the Slade lumber company.
Incorporate in Arizona
Connected with the new company
are also Charles D. Marx. professor
of civil engineering at Stanford uni
versity. and C. F. Elwell, an electrical
engineer recently graduated from
| Stanford
While these constitute the main
financial and scientific personnel of
the company. it is understood that sew
eral other local businessmen are in
terested in the big enterprise.
1
Arizona under the name OF the Poulsen
wireless company. 1t takes it's name
from the Poulsen patent. which forms
the distinguishing feature Of the com
pany and the special element which it's
promoters believe will bring success.
A year ago C. F. Elwen the cleo
trical engineer. and some Of the pro-
fessors in the engineering department
at Stanford became deeply interested
| in the wireless device OF Valdemar
Poulsen, the Danish inventor Through
series of experiments they demon
strated to their own satisfaction its
value as a means of successfully COM
mercializing the wireless system. They
formed a little company. among them
selves. Later Elwell visited Poulsen
in Copenhagen. made an intensive
study of his invention and obtained
the American rights. Upon his return
he and his associates at Stanford in
terested Beach Thompson. who IN turn
interested his fellow capitalists.
Have Station at Beach
| 1t was not the intention OF the pro
moters to divulge their plans at this
time. but through the Incorporation in
Arizona their purpose was disclosed
1t was stated yesterday that the
company would not be ready to enter
the commercial field for some months
yet. Its work at present, it was said.
consisted of a series of experiments and
tests Communication. both by wireless
telegraphy and wireless telephone. has
been established between San Fran
cisco and Stockton. Messages have been
exchanged with the station at Ell Paso.
The local station has been estab-
| lished at the beach and has been an
object of mystery as we'll as interest
since its. construction a few weeks ago
1t consists of two mighty masts and
receiving apparatus.
The Poulsen patents have been ac-
quired in France and Germany by the
respective governments and installa-
tions have been begun. It's value. ac-
cording to the local wireless magnates.
lies In the fact that 1t has been able to
surrnount three obstacles that have to
the present hindered commercial wire
less. These three obstacles have been:
Inability to transmit messages during
the daytime, failure to transmit over
the land, and the openness or lack OF
privacy of communication Heretofore.
| II is said. the wireless system has been
successful only at night. and then only
over the water. The sun has exercised