The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1915-11-11
Established 1891.
NAVY USES WIRELESS PHONE.
Secretary Daniels Transmits Order to
Admiral Usher at New York.

Washington, Nov. 5.-Secretary
Daniels today transmitted the first
naval order ever sent by wireless
telephone to Rear Admiral Usher at
the New York navy yard. From his
desk in the navy department the
secretary talked to the commandant
of the New York yard by way of the
big government radio towers at Ar.
lington and ordered report on re-
pairs to the dreadnaught New York. \
Navy officials say the achievement !
brings closer the day when secre-
tary of the navy may sit at his desk
here and talk to the fleet comanders
all over the world.
Secretary Daniels transmitted this
verbal order, which was taken down
by a stenographer in Admiral Ush-
er's office and acknowledged verbal .
| ly by the. admiral himself:
Rear Admiral Usher, command
antant, New York navy yard: Re-
port as soon as practicable after the
arrival of the New York how soon
the repairs recommended can be COM
pleted.
"(signed) DANIELS"
Navy wireless stations in all parts
of the country were eavesdropping
to catch the conversation. While
Secretary 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
telephone and late1-Mrs Daniels was
accorded the distinction of being the
first woman to converse by wireless
waves.
Many at Demonstration.
The secretary's office was crowded
with naval officers and bureau OFF,
Gals during the demonstration,
| which lasted half an hour. Many Of
them conversed with Admiral Usher.
Later Secretary Daniels and Secre-
tary Lansing, of the State depart
ment, went to the radio room across
the hall from Secretary Daniels Of
fee, and there listened in" onMthe
departments radio sets. They heard
the voices of those at the radio phone
coming back to them through the
aerials on the State, war and navy
building. =:
Admiral Usher said that the voices
sent by wireless from Washington
were plainly audible in his Office, de-
spite a heavy static discharge, which
sounded, he said, like stage thunder.
The instrument used was the regu-
lar desk telephone on Mr.. Daniels
desk. 1t carried the sound to the
great Arlington, Va, radio station,
where the transfer was made auto
matically by delicate mechanism and
the voices of the speakers hurled out
into the air be audible thousands
of miles away to any radio operator
whose set happened to be turned up
to the right pitch and who was listen
irg..
! Followed Loop.
In effect the conversation followed
loop, going first by telephone wire
to Arlington, by radio to the towers
of the navy yard station in New York
by wire to the instrument on Admiral
Tsher'sl desk and the rejoinders dl-
| rectly by wire from New York to
| Washington.
To all appearances it was an or
binary long distance telephone Con
versation. No effort was made to
subdue the hum of voices in Secre-
tary Daniels Office and apparently
the noise did>not affect the clearness
of the voices as heard in New York,
for replies to questions came back
instantly and. with little need for
repetitions.
Secretary Daniels was enthusiastic ,
over the success of the test and paid
high tribute to the engineers of the
American Telephone and Telegraph
company, who designed the instrp-
ments and arranged the demonstra-
ton. He declared it was the great
est scientific achievement for the ma
Wv since the development and adop-
tion of the aerOplane.