The Washington herald., 1912-09-11
WIRELESS STATION
NEAR COMPLETION
Arlington Plant to Flash Messages
Three Thousand Miles About
October /.
COMPLETE COST ABOUT 100000

From present Indications, the gigantic
! wireless telegraph station now under
construction near Arlington. Va, on the
heights overlooking the National Capt.
| tal. Will be in operation by October 1.
1t is impossible for the naval officers in
charge of its erection and operation to
forecast at this time the exact date of
completion.
The three gigantic steel towers have
been completed. except for the applica-
tion of a coat OF paint at the upper part.
The tallest Of the structures is 900 feet
high and the other two towers $50 feet
above the knoll on which they are situ-
ated.
The antenna or wire network which
radiates and intercepts the electro-mag-
netic waves is now being erected. This
network Is being stretched between the
three towers. The station will have one
OF the longest wave lengths either In
this country or abroad.
The buildings in which the instruments
are to be located are now practically
completed. Workmen are now engaged
in putting on the finishing touches. Ar
thur Cowsill, who has Offices in the
Hibbs Building, is the contractor. The
buildings are being erected at cost of
about $4,000. The entire cost Of the
station is about 10000. The towers
were erected by the Baltimore branch OF
the Carnegie Steel Company.
To Test Apparatus.
Part OF the transmission instruments
have already been installed and the
work is being pushed forward rapidly.
Work on the installation OF the receiving
instruments Will soon be started. OFF,
GERS In charge of the station will spend
the greater part Of this month testing
out the apparatus. 1t will be fully the
nrst OF october before the station will
be ready to handle official messages.
The station will be the largest in the
world. 1t Is expected that the working
radius will be 1900 miles. The contract
calls for the transmission of messages
1900 miles under any conditions It
Is doubtful as to whether these specih-
cations can be fulfilled in the day time
and in the summer as the solar rays en-
countered in the day and the static or
atmospheric electricity met with in the
summer interfere with the electro-m mag
netic waves
With the completion OF the station,
communication will be established with
all of the naval stations along the At
lantic Coast, with the big ratio station
at Clon. Panama. with Great Lake sta
tons. and with ships thousands OF miles
at sea.
Each day, precisely at noon. the big
station will flash the time out into space
for the use of any stations which may
desire the service This is not a new
idea by any means. For several years
the wireless station at the Washington
Navy Yard has been sending out time
signals. The range of this station is
rather small, however. because only sta
tons within radius of several hun
drei miles nave been able TO get the
benefits Of the service. The powerful
set at Arlington will be able to send the
signals to stations thousands of miles
distant.
The wireless station has a wire running |
to the United States Naval Observatory. |
where the standard time clock is located. |
Several minutes before u the observa- |
tory begins sending out flashes over its |
lines. The radio station sounder Is con- |
nected with the transmission key, so as !
to relay every signal from the station |
out into the ether. Precisely at noon |
there Is a long dash.
Every morning at 1880 o'clock the |
Arlington station will send out the |
weather forecast primarily for the in
formation Of naval land and ship sta
tions. This service Is not sent out by |
the Washington Navy Yard. The navy |
yard station will probably be put out of |
upon the completion of the
Arlington station.