Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1910-05-30

Cd Its Signal Told at Once-Captain
Of La Provence Located Vessels
Which He Passed, Even In Thick
Weather.
Captain Poncelet Of the French liner
La Provence, swiftest Of Gallo mer-
chantmen, arrived Mt New York re-
Gently after foggy and rough passage
from Havre. France, jubilant over
new wireless contrivance that he de-
clnres enabled him to find out in the
fog the exact position relatively of any
ship with which he could get into
wireless touch and also to get his bear
ings with greater accuracy than he
could when In touch with the subma-
rine bells Of lghtships.
The apparatus is the invention of
two Italian naval officers and Is called
the Bellini-Tosi system of radio telcg-
raphy. The French government has
equipped a station with this system at
Boulogne, France. and while the Pro-
vence was less than half Il day out from
Havre she communicated with the
Boulogne plant and got her exact bear
ings from it and it's bearings from her.
Positions Of Ships Easily Located.
The recording device consists Of a
dial with all the points Of the COM
pass. An indicator manipulated by
the thumb and forefinger Of the skip
per by little knob Is turned until the
sound that comes by wireless is strong
est. Where the indicator resembling
the compass needle points shows the
direction from which the wireless mes
sage comes. OF course the indicator Is
connected with the wireless plant, and
the skipper or whoever has charge of
the apparatus has receivers at his ears
to judge when the sound Is strongest.
Captain Poncelet said that he had no
trouble in locating the exact positions
of the Potsdam, which he passed go
ing east in thick weather; the Chicago,
also bound the other way, and the Lor-
raine. for IIavre Captain POncelet
said he believed that the new system
would be adopted finally by all lines.
as it had been proved all right by the
exhaustive experiments he had made
with it on the Provence. He said thr
line had made Il previous experiment.
with the system on freighter and
had been convinced that the apparatus
would be an acquisition to the passeE
ger ships. adding enormously to til,
safety of liners in time Of fog. par
ticularly off the banks.
Preventer Of Collisions.
He had no trouble getting the exact
bearing of Sable island and satisfied
the wireless operator there that the
apparatus was success. He had prac-
tically the same experience with Cape
Race. AS these stations are not fitted
with the apparatus they could not tel
his direction from them.
The captain said he believed the con.
trivance told the direction Of station
or ship equipped with wireless within
a point and that he believed collisions
at sea between vessels fitted with su h
direction finders would be impossible
in fog or shine. He looks on the sys-
TEN as likely to revolutiOnize trans
atlantic navigation. already made safe
except in thick weather by the ordi-
nary wireless, not to mention the sub
marine bell system. This new inven-
ton has an advantage which hither-
P'to has been one of the greatest prob
lens to solve in wireless telegraphy-
namely, it makes wireless message
secret. Heretofore wireless messages
have practically been public property
that is to say, Il message sent from one
station could be read by any station
within the radius Of the message.
This new invention makes it impos-
sible for any station but the one the
message is intended for to understand
it.
Further tests will be given the new
system, and if it still proves its eff
cheney it will be installed on the large
ships. Its cost. it is said, is not very
great.