New Britain herald., 1915-11-06
FIRST NAVAL ORDER
 BY WIRELESS PHONE
Daniels Talks With COmmandant
 at New York Navy Yard

Washington, Nov. 6.-Secretary Daniels transmitted the first naval or der ever sent by wireless telephone yesterday to Rear Admiral Usher at the New York navy yard. From his desk in the navy department the sec retary talked to the commandant of the New York yard by way of the big government radio towers at Arlington and ordered a report on repairs to the dreadnought New York. Navy of ficials say the achievement brings closer the day when a secretary of the navy may sit at his desk in Washing ton and talk to the fleet commanders all over the world.
 Secretary Daniels transmitted this verbal order, which was taken down by a telegrapher in Admiral Usher's office and acknowledged verbally by the admiral himself:-
 Rear Admiral Usher, Commandant,
 New York Navy Yard: Report as soon as practicable after the arrival of the New York how soon the repairs recommended can be com pleted.
 "DANIELs." Heard at Charleston. Navy wireless stations in all parts of the country were eavesdropping to catch the conversation. While Secre- tary Daniels was still talking with Admiral Usher, the Charleston. S. C.. station telegraphed that the order had been overheard and copied there. Assistant Secretary Roosevelt fol- lowed Secretary Daniels at the radio 1 telephone and later Mrs. Daniels was accorded the distinction of being the 1 first woman to converse by wireless waves.
 Naval Officers Present. l The secretary's office was crowded ! with naval officers and bureau officials 1 during the demonstration, which last
 ed half an hour. Many of them con-
 versed with Admiral Usher. Later
 Secretary Daniels and Secretary Lans- | ing of the state department went to l the radio room across the hall iron
 MT. Daniels office and there Listened in" on the departments radio sets They heard the voices of those at the
 radio telephone coming back to then
 through aerials on the state, war ant 1 navy building.
 l Admiral Usher said that the voice. l sent by wireless from Washington
 were plainly audible in his office, de
 spite a heavy static discharge whicl | sounded, he said, like stage thunder. Regular Desk Telephone. The instrument used was the reg
 ular desk telephone on MT. Daniels l desk It carried the sound to the great radio station at Arlington. Va, where the transfer was made automat- l ically by delicate mechanisms, and the voices of the speakers hurled out into
 the air to be audible thousands of
 miles away to any radio operator whose set was tuned up to the righ: l pitch and who was listening. Half l dozen extra receivers were attached | to the telephone instrument. In effect
 the conversation followed a loop, go'
 ing first by telephone wire to Arling | ton, by radio to the towers of the navy l yard station in New York, by wire tt ] the instrument on Admiral Usher | desk, and the rejoinders directly b. | wire from New York to Washington. To all appearance it was an ordi | nary long distance telephone conver sation. No effort was made to subdu the hum of voices in Secretary Dan
 iels' office, and apparently the nois'
 did not affect the clearness of thu
 voices as heard in New York, for re plies to questions came back instant! 1 and with little need of repetitions. Daniels Enthusiastic.
 Secretary Daniels was enthusiastic
 over the success of the test and pait | high tribute to the engineers or the | American Telephone & Telegrapt
 company who designed the 1nstru
 ments and arranged the demonstra
 ton, He declared it was the gfeates
 scientific achievement for the navy
 since the development and adoption 1 tI the aerOplane.
 l HONS TO ATTEND GAME.