The Alaska citizen. (Fairbanks, Alaska) 1910-1917, 1911-10-30

There's a man named Parker down
Neil's Island. in the state of Wash
ington, who was so thoroughly i'm
bued with the Seattle spirit that he
claimed to have a monopoly on the
atmosphere. and he was so success
full in selling stock in the enterprise
that he soon acquired a fortune.
But, while he prCspered in selling
his worthless stock in the fake wire
less company. the real use of the
wireless system kept steadily increas
ing in usefulness until today it is OBJ
ligatory on almost every vessel that
puts 10 sea TO be equipped with the
very necessary machinery for com
municating at distance
Early in it's existence as a dis
covery OF invention the United
States government adopted the wire
less system as an adjunct to its sig
nal service and has consistently
since that time extended its re-
search for improvements to the same,
and at the same time extended the
use OF it.
Whatever tlSe lIlt government
has failed to do. or has done badly
for Alaska. no complaint of ser,
ious nature can be made against
the telegraph and cable service.
which is under the direction of the
signal service of the war depart
ment There is enc feature of the
telegraph service in which Alaskans
may take pardonable pride and this
10 the wireless system which the
government has established
While created ostensibly for the
benefit of the war department as
were all the other Alaska telegraph
systems, including land lines and
cables, it is given over TO CONNER
cial uses when not in urgent de
mand BY the government.
Rufus Rhodes Bermann, wireless
expert and constructing engineer for
the government, was in Fairbanks
ten or twelve days ago, having
come back from Nulato where he
had been sent to establish the last
link in the line of wireless com
munication between the eastern
boundary OF Alaska. at Eagle and
Nome, and the most western city
OF America.
TO the representative of the Cit
izen who called upon Mr. Bermann,
he stated that with the completion
OF the staten at NulatO there
should be assured communication be-
tween Nome and Eagle at all lines
and in all seasons of the year.
This Will make the system in Alas
ka the largest commercial wireless
system in the world according to
Mr.. Bermann.
The wireless system in Alaska
is extraordinarily successful in its
actual working, Mr.. Bermann stat
ed Just why this is so, has
not as yet been definitely settled in
a scientific way 1t is accepted as a
fact alcng with other facts which
have been demonstrated in the use
of wireless. For instance. wireless
waves and light waves are iden1i-
cal. except that light waves are
faster vibrations. The fact that
wireless messages are sent more
successfully at night time than in
the day time, would indicate that
the light waves are a deterrent to
the action of the wireless waves.
This would in measure account for
the better action of the wireless in
northern latitudes than elsewhere
in America. This is further empha-
sized by the fact that the wireless
in Alaska works better in winter
time than in the summer, 1t is ar
gued that at all times the light
waves as we approach the poles
strike more obliquely and are there
fore not so strong. Another curious
feature about wireless waves is the
fact that messages are sent with
better success north and south than
in an easterly or westerly direction.
Numerous private experiment sta
tons are scattered over Alaska and
some of them are meeting with re-
markable success At Skagway Post
master Kindel has installed plant
for his own pleasure. being an ex-
pert telegraph operator. He often
picks up messages from the Japan
ese liners as they swing along the
northern route between Seattle ana |