New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-06-14
GERMAN CODES
GO BY WIRELESS
FROM TUCKERTON
Bernstorff Makes Liberal
Use of Jersey Plant,
Is Admission.
From . stan Correspondent Of The Tribune J

From stan Correspondent Of The Tribunel
Tuckerton, n. j., June 13.-Code
communication between German gov
eminent officials in the United States
and Berlin was admitted to-day by men
familiar with the wireless plant here.
Count Bernstorff is one of the officials
who has made liberal use Of a mineral
code in communicating with Foreign
Office, Berlin, Wilhelmstrasse."
"Yes, the United States censors all
messages that are sent TO the other
side through this station. Code mes
sages are passed upon. II they de-
cipher to our satisfaction we pass
them through" This was the admis-
sion of man in charge. 1t was as
certained that their o K is deter
mined largely by the way the code
message hangs together after 1t is de-
ciphered. The code used must be one
approved by the board of censors in
charge of Tuckerton.
Tuckerton, with population OF
twelve hundred, making clam digging
and fishing its chief industries. is all
excited by rumors Of German control
at the wireless station.
The United States has put seventeen
enlisted men and two naval lieutenants
in charge of the plant. The officers
censor all messages. Few are held up.
IL is an easy matter for Germany to
. 81
is numbered. A wireless from Germany
to Sayvile stating Repeat 3l7-3lS
/ Tuckerton" would be Immediately
flashed to the station here. The two
plants are in daily communication.
From ten to fifty messages must be
repeated the day following transmits
sion.
Certain financial interests in New
York are in frequent communication
with Germany. Every now and then a
most peculiar type OF message Is
flashed to the other side. The other
day a series of messages without sense
or meaning were shot through the air
No one at the plant would talk about
the messages, but in the village the
humorous twist given to the series was
known. "If those messages were not
in code I'll eat my hat" one Of the
operators was heard to say.
/ One of the men at the station told
of stories he had heard. They're get.
! ting away with things at that station,
/ he said 81 know most OF the boys. Ot
/ course, I'm not supposed to overhear'
/ but do, and it makes me mad TO think
( that some one is hoodwinking our
government. 1t may be that code mes
/ sages are now allowed, but whether
] I tkasr ava
| sent, because the boys say So"
Lieutenant Nelson, who lives in At
lantic City, could not be located to-
i day. Neither could Lieutenant Lichten-
stein. the other naval officer on the
board of censors at Tuckerton. At
lantic City is more than twenty-five
miles from the wireless station. Tuck
erton is four and a half miles away
These officers alternate in their work.
One of the naval men Is said TO spend
less than two hours day at the plant
"He has speedy automobile. lie
makes good use of it," townsfolk say
Few Germans in Service.
At least 1900 worus are transmitted
each night at this station. An average
message runs TO fifteen words. Only
few Germans are still in the service.
Last September the United States took
charge of the plant. y few weeks later
one of the machines broke down.
While handicapped for want Of proper
receiving and sending apparatus, those
in charge hit on novel method 10
help out. Making use of a pump attach
ment and rain barrel partly filled with
oil tn. men rugged up temporary out
fit that served the purpose. with the
aid Of this cumbersome affair messages
we successfully sent to ELVES, Han
over, Prussia.
According to attorneys for the Ger
man Wireless Telegraph Company, also
known as Hoch Frequenz- Maschine.
Aktiengesellschaft fir Drahtlose Tele-
graphic (the High Frequency Machine
Corporation for Wireless Telegraphy),
in litigation started last March, Tuck |
erton is the only means of wireless
communication between Germany and /
the United States outside of the Say /.
Vile station. The plaintiff in the &C /
ticn, the French Wireless Company, at /
tempted to cut off Germany from COM |
municating with the United States /
through Tuckerton by insisting upon |
an alleged right :, have an option on /
the plant extende during hostilities.
II this option were extended, an et-
fort would De maue u ldhC VIC PlOP-
ei,y out of the hands Of the United
States government. At the same time
the French concern, not being able to
make use of the plant for its own pur-
poses, as it communicates only with
the German station, would receive no
benefit if the option were extended.
This novel point as not been settled.
The wireless plant here was COM
pleted on March 80, 1914, and the sta
ton at ELVES, Germany, at the same
time. German interests emphasized
the Importance Of this station in their
answer 10 the complaint filed by the
French company. They pointed out
that by giving way to the French con-
cern the United States would shut
itself off from Central American, South
American and Oriental countries, which
get into communication with it through
ELVES.
The tower e. Tuckerton is $50 feet
high. IL has thirty-two auxiliary
mssts and is generally known as the
main mast. Tn, plant is in a swampy
niece Of land containing more than 400 !
acres. The auxiliary masts and their
connection with the main mast by
about 800 feet Of wire each form an
umbrella.