Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1913-01-03
ROCKVILLE MARYLAND. FRIDAY MORNING. JANUARY g. 1913


Cape Cod and learned that was on
the Canadian shore at a latitude far
north. l reported the killing of the
operator either by lightning or other
wise and was directed to assume
charge Of the station, since 1t would be
impossible to send any one to me for
some time, the station being in a will
derness and very inaccessible.
After communicating with the man.
agement returned to my charge and
received from her an account of her.
self. She was an orphan and had been
on her way to America to take posi-
ton. Her name was Harriet Mainwar-
ing. While l was getting these facts
was examining her arm which had
been crushed, and I did not like the
looks of 1t. Since there was no surgeon
at hand made calls ON the wireless In
strument and received reply from a
ship some 800 miles at sea. l asked
the operator If there was a surgeon
aboard, and at his reply that there was
l begged him to call the doctor to the
wireless Office.
Upon being notified that the doctor
was present | described the appear.
ance Of Miss Malnwaring's arm, and,
after answering several questions ask.
ed by the doctor, was informed that
1t was evident gangrene was setting In
and II the arm was not amputated the
patient would probably die.
The situation was distressing
amputation or death and no surgeon
to amputate. After some further cleo
trical talk the surgeon asked me what
tools I had, and l replied that there
was chest containing carpenters
tools Of all kinds at the station, where
upon he gave me the process Of cut
ting Off persons arm. After famil.
iarizlng me with this he told me to
bring>the patient as near the wireless
instrument as possible and prepare to
perform the necessary operation under
his direction.
shall not describe the amputation,
which occasioned the most dreadful
strain ever endured. felt tempo.
rary relief when had secured the end
OF the severed artery, but feared to
see my patient collapse after had fin.
ished. made a frightful bungle Of 1t,
especially the administering of the
stimulant I'm lieu Of an anaesthetic,
which / did not possess. For days |
wondered II my patient would pull
through, though i confess she gained
strength rapidly.
She had come into a fair condition,
and still no one appeared ut the sta
ton to relieve me. l asked the super
intendent repeatedly how long ! was
to be left alone, but got only promises
that were destined to be broken. What
especially troubled me was that was
living alone with young woman who
was not my wife, and l knew that
when we returned to the world this
would DO reflection upon her. More
over, 1t was plain that she realized the
disadvantage of our position.
Nothing will so endear persons to
each other as suffering together. Miss
Mainwaring had an additional cause
for being drawn to mo in that had
possessed the nerve to perform a sur
gical operation that had saved her life
under the guidance of a man many
hundreds Of miles away. 1t was not
long before told her that for my part
desired our companionship should not
be broken, and she confessed blush
ingly that she would gladly consent to
be my wife were there any person pres.
ent to perform the ceremony.
To continue to live together, the only
two persons at the station, without
wedlock was neither practicable nor
proper proposed that wo should
marry ourselves by mutual agree
ment to be man and wife. This, she
averred, would DO no marriage at all
She considered wedl0ck to be reli-
giOus rite and would not think of mat.
nmony in any other form. | urged
that my plan was the best we could do
under the circumstances. but could not
move her.
Then suddenly an idea struck me.
II n surgical operation could DO per.
formed by wireless telegraph, why not
a marriage? ran to my instrument
and began TO call for ships, finally re-
celving a response from one that had
but that day set out from the coast
OF Africa bound for Boston. I inquired
II there were a clergyman on board
and was informed that tho bishop OF
Dahomey, n full blooded negro, was a
passenger.
I went at once to Harriet and told
her that here was an opportunity. She
gasped at the idea Of being married by
a negro some 1900 miles away, but
finally prevailed and, returning to tho
instrument, called for the bishop and
asked him to perform the ceremony.
He consented. and, Harriet standing
by me before the instrument, the 0p-
orator at sea sent the service read by
the bishop, and replied on my key for
Harriet and myself
Thus had n life been saved and two
persons made one by means Of force
operated through the afr. My wife and
I spent our honeymoon at the station
and did not regret that we were not in.
truded upon by others.
I think by my illustration l have
made plain that imagination is nothing
but the weaving together Of facts.
Moreover, the facts have stated could
not have taken place before the in.
ventlon Of wireless telegraphy. In 9th
er words, they could not have been Gre
ated by the imagination before they
had become real, which n not lima gina-
lion.