The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1912-11-01
NAYY'S WIRELESS PLANT
AT ARLINGTON OPENED
MOST POWERFUL STATION IN THE
WORLD.
First Message Sent to Colon, 1875
Miles AWay-Plans to ERcircle
Globe.

Washington, Oct 28.-Crackling and
sputtering with life, the navy's new
wireless station at Arlington Va the
most powerful plant in the world to-
nlsnt flung from its lofty aerials thel
first message which signaii:ed the
completion of an important step IN
the building of a globe-girdling wire
less system which will keep every
ship of the United States navy ana
every insular possession within in
slant communication with the capital
Wireless operators, professional and
amateur, on one side of the globe prob
ably had their instruments at their
ears straining to catch the faint buz-
zes as the powerful apparatus suptter-
ed out it's calls for Panama, Colon
and the Atlantic coast navy stations.
Down in the sound-proof operating
room, windowless and protected by
double doors, some of the navy's most
expert operators directed by Lieut..
Wordsworth, sent out the first
flashes. N. A. X. t(he call for Colon,
1875 miles away was ent hurting
through the ether At intervals the
instruments sparked off N. A. R. (the
call for Key West, 975 miles away No
official messages were sent but the
results of the test were noted at all
stations on the Atlantic coast.
Covers 5000 Miles.
The radius of the new plant will be
about 5000 miles. This range prob
ably the acme of wireless operation,
will be attained gradually and it may
be weeks before the big plant is 'tun-
ed up to it's highest efficiency. Com
munication with the Pacific coast will
be attempted only at night for
the present. Later on throughout the
day, the secretary of the navy at his
desk in Washington will be within
instant communication with Key West,
Guantanamo, Colon, the naval coaling
station, the winter manoeuvre grounds
and all Atlantic stations. When the
system is work perfec&y and the chain
of stations is completed. Washington
will be in touch with Hawaii, Samoa,
Guam, the Philippines and Pearl Har-
bor. The completed system will cost
about $1,000,000. The seas will not
longer be a wilderness for the navy.
Ships, because of weaker equipment,
can not talk with the. powerful plant at
Arlington, but they may relay mes
sages to the various stations for trans
mission to Washington.
Three Huge Towers.
Three huge towers on the brow of
a hill overlooking the Potomac and
dwarfng the Washington monument
hold the aerials. In their construc-
ton some skilled iron workers who
had braved death on many skyscrap-
ers declined to work at such dizzy
heights. One tower is 800 feet above
the hill, where its base rests, and that
is 200 feet above the river. The others
measure $50 feet.
At the base Of the towers are the
sound proof worNoomst quarters for
operators and barr1cks for the ma
rines who will guard the towers.
Within year the towers are expected
to be talking with the Philippines by
relays through Guam and Hawaii.
Within the next few days the station
will attempt communication with the
powerful station at Clifden, Ireland,
the nearest working plant on the other
side of the Atlantic. officers are hope
full Of the outcome.
To Bridge Atlantic.
Constant communication is now be-
ing maintained by a commercial COM
pany with Clifden and Cape Race,
New Foundland, and other stations are
being constructed for the purpose of
bridging the Atlantic with aerial in
telligence. A commercial company
virtually has completed the erection
of powerful plant at Sayville, L. l.,
which will have as its European ter
minus a station of similar design in
the vicinity of Berlin. Still another
near New York is projected with its
sister plant in Norway.
The Arlington station, however,
marks, the most advanced step thus
far taken in the establishment of reg
ular and steady communication by
wireless over long distances, although