Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1915-07-08
Wireless Station Through
Which News Comes Will
Be in Hands of Navy.
TO KEEP NEUTRALITY
Officers Reported Private
Company Had Been Send
ing Secret Messages.

Washington, July s. Secretary Red
field. in a letter to Secretary Lansing,
recommending that the United States
take over the Sayyille station. said in
yestgation had shown that the new
sending station. for which license was
asked, had all been erected since the
beginning of the war, with apparatus
made in Germany. that the company
was entirely German owned, working
with stations in Germany under gov
ernment control, and that Professor J.
Zenneck, q captain of marines of the
German navy, and wireless expert, had
been assigned by the German govern
ment to conduct experiments there. To
grant license to such a station. Sec u,
retary Reddeid said, the department 4
had concluded would be an unneutral
act
Secretary Redhelds letter also re-
vealed that the Sayyilie station is In
communication with stations in Ger
many, which either are under control
of German military authorities or the
imperial German postoffice, one having
control Of military features and the
other the commercial business.
This afternoon Captain Bullard re-
ported to Secretary. Daniels that he
mad completed his arrangements and
had taken over the plant.
Washington, D. c., July S.-The gov
ernment took over today the Sayville,
l.. T., wireless station, the only re-
naming privately operated direct
means Of communication between the
United States and Germany.
Secretary Daniels announced that
Captain Bullard, in charge Of the naval
radio, had gone to take over the station
and would continue its operation with
naval forces.
Statement BY Daniels.
Secretary Daniels issued this state
meut:
1T is understood that the sayville
radio station had made application to
the secretary Of commerce for a Ii
ceuse. The secretary of commerce de-
clfned to grant the license and so in
formed the secretary Of the navy. who,
after conference, directed Captain Bull
lard, as the expert of the department.
to take over and operate the station.
Lieutenant George r. Clark will be in
control Of the station. Captain Bull
lard reached New York this morning
and will confer with the owners Of the
station in all that relates to the details
Of operation. Practically the same
rules and regulations as are now ap-
plicable to Tuckerton will be put in
operation at Sayyille."
There will be no change, so far as
the public is concerned Messages will
be accepted as heretofore. The only
difference will be that naval operators.
instead Of commercial employees. will
mau the keys. The charges collected
by the navy will be paid 10 the owning
company
Based on Order by Wilson.
Todays action, which was taken
under an executive order issued by
President Wilson giving the navy
authority to take over "one or more"
stations, was deemed necessary be-
EdHSt OF dIAtBru NibidllbAS VI uEuli al
ity by the company's operators. II has
been charged that when the navy CEN
sors had left the wireless room for a
minute or two, unneutral messages
had been sent and that only by diff
cult and trying supervision could
neutrality be strictly preserved.
The wireless station at Tuckerton,
n. J., was taken over last September
by she government Both stations
now are able TO communicate direct
lv with Germany. but there has been
from the start restriction prohibit
ing the sending Of cipher messages
unless code books we're deposited with
the naval censOrs. The same rule will
be continued.
Originally the object Of the censor
ship was TO prevent communication
with belligerent ships at sea because
it was held that such communication
was a violation OF the principle Of In
ternationai law, which forbids the use
of neutral territory as a base Of mill
tary operations Since then, however,
as there have been practically no
German ships on the Atlantic, the CEN
sorship has been continued. It is said,
CONTINUED on Page Three.)