Martinsburg statesman-democrat. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1906-1921, 1913-02-14

Experts Believe Messages viii be
Sent Distance Of Three Thousand
Miles and Station May be Able to
Exceed That-AIready Paris Has
Been Communicated With.
WASHINGTON. Feb. 11.-On next
Saturday there will occur in Washing
ton a test of The wireless telegraph
station which has been erected for
the navy department on the heights
near Arlington cemetery just outside
the city Of Washington This wire
less station is intended to be the most
powerful station of its kind in the
world and the contractors for the sta
ton evidently expect that the test to
be inaugurated this week will prove
it to be all that has been expected of
it.
AS showing what is to be expected
of the new station it may be explained
that for the purposes of the test
cruiser from the United States navy
will be started eastward and the test
will be to see how far it may sail
without losing communication with
| Washington. The cruiser Salem,
which has the most powerful equip
ment for wireless service of any YES
sci in the navy, has been selected for
the test. The Salem will start at
Gibraltar, more than three thousand
miles from Washington and will
steam to the east, passing through
the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian
Ocean on its way to the Orient, The
fact that the vessel will start from
Gibraltar indicates that it is conceded
that the new station will commune
cate a distance of more than 5000
miles without question, How far it
will reach beyond this station remains
to be seen, but the contractors who
have erected and equipped the station
believe that il viii be able to com
municate with the vessel far on its
course through the Indian Ocean.
When not more than half the
power. with which the station is to
be equipped, had been installed, the
Washington station was in daily com
munication from San Francisco Co
ion. Panama, and stations in England
With the remainder Of the equipment
installed, it is believed that the Wash
ingtou station may reach, under IA
vorable circumstances, almost any
part of the world
The contract for this station was
awarded several years ago, but delay
was experienced because OF the in
ability OF the navy department to
agree upon a site. A period of only
a few months was required after the
selection of the site for the compile
ton of the towers at the top of which
are the wireless instruments. One of
these towers is 600 feet high, about
so feet higher than the Washington
monument The other two towers are
$50 feet high each. From the tops of
these towers the messages are sent
which have tlready reached many
thousand miles and which are expect
ed to exceed all distance records for
wireless telegraphy hitherto made
The British Government has sent a
committee to be present at the begin
ming of the test to be made next week
In England the postofice department
handles kilograms as well as letters
and it has recently made a contract
for Is years for the handling of wire
less messages. This contract has
not been ratified by parliament how
ever, because the British parliament
desires to see what may be accom-
plished by the American systm which
will be employed at the Washington
station before binding itself for any
long period, to different system.
Final preparations have been made
for the test and the contractors ex-
press themselves as fully satisfied
that this station win prove to be by
all odds the most powerful ever erect
ed