The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1914-06-04

OF WIRELESS
IS WONDERFUL
Every Vessel in Navy Equipped
with Apparatus though Un-
known in 1893.

cay AsseeArEo PREs0
WASHINGTON, D. c., June A.
Captain w. H. G. Billiard, U. s. N,
who is in charge of the naval radio
service, and who has his headquarters
under the shadow OF the three great
steel masts which form the center Of
the naval wireless system at Airing
ton, Va, seven miles from Washing
ton, has just presented to the Naval
Institute an interesting review OF the
development of naval wireless teleg-
raphy.
Great Development.
| The leaps and bounds of this de-
velopment are brought to pointed no.
tice when it is recalled that during
the Spanish-American war such a
thing as wireless telegraphy was I'M
tried in the United States mayor
any other navy. 1t was during 1899,
the year after the Spanish-American
conflict, that the British navy became
the first of all the naval powers to
try the new means of communication
upon the three NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.,
Europea and Juno. These ships sue
ceeded in communicating up to a dis
lance of seventy-four miles.
Today practically every vessel in
the United States navy is equipped
with apparatus for this aerial COM
munication, and 1t is so successfully
| operated that there is scarcely point
In the seven seas at which the bigger
battleships would be out of touch
through relay, with the three great
masts towering over Captain Billiards.
headquarters at Arlington.
| The first trial of wireless on Amer
lean warNlips was made late in 1899,
directly after the British ships had
proved its possibilities. The armored
cruiser New York NOV the Saratoga),
the battleship Massachusetts and the
torpedo boat Porter were the first to
be equipped. At about the same time
the Highlands Light Station in New
York harbor was established as the
first shore station of the naval radio
system.
Storm Signals.
Within six years more than thirty
more ships were equipped, and some
fifty shore stations established or pro-
jected Almost every other vessel in
the navy was then placed on the list
for wireless equipment and the work
went forward just as fast as possible
The scheme included both the Atlantic
and Pacific seabords, Alaska, the Mid
way islands and remote points.
Meanwhile, in the spring of 1905,
the naval system inaugurated what
have proved valuable daily features of
its service-fashing the noon time
signal, warnings and other meteor
illogical observations.
In 19O7-08 the development of the
wireless seemed to warrant the cree
tion OF high powered stations at Wash
tngton, on the Pacific coast, at Hawaii
Guam, Samoa, and the Philippines, so
that wherever it might be, the United
States fleet would at all times be in
communication with Washington. The
| success Of long distance communica-
ton was established during 1908, when
the Hawaiian Islands exchanged mes
sages with Farallon islands, Calf.
and later during the cruise of the At
lantic feet around the world, when
messages were received across Cen
trail. America by Pensacola and Wash
ington. By system OF relays the
fleet was in touch with Washington
practically every minute during the
trip across the Pacific until after New
( Zealand was reached.
/ At that time also the high-powered
naval station near here. to be the CEN
trail point OF the Navy Department
system, was prejudiced. The station
was to have radius of 5000 miles
both by day and night; to be capable
of overcoming interference from stat
ic disturbances and to equipped with
apparatus to secure secrecy OF opera
ton. Later developments disclosed
that this could not be entirely ac-
complished as to static disturbances
and complete secrecy of communica-
ton.
Congress Acts.
Congress for the first time took no.
tice of wireless In the Act of June "a
1910, which was amended by the Act
of July %, 1912. The Titanic disas-
ter OF 1913 riveted the attention
of lawmakers anew to the necessity of
/ government control over radio appa-
ratus and its operation. Further
laws we're passed, and the President
proclaimed the Berlin Wireless Com
vention, since succeeded by the London
Wireless Convention establishing gen
eral rules for wireless as to ships
throughout the word.
Some of the later extensions of
wireless were the establishment of
the station on the ground of the Am
ercan legation at Pekin, China. for
communication between officials of