Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1915-11-10
neers Perfect Wireless and Speech Is Carried Across

On January %, 1915, the world was
thrilled by the news that the American
Telephone and Telegraph Company
had made it possible to talk across
the continent by wire and the opening
of the tranScontinental telephone was
announced. Within less than year
this great triumph of science is follow
ed by another achievement of the en-
cheering corps of the American Tele-
phone and Telegraph Company so stu
pendous that the mind can hardly
grasp its extent and meaning and ri
valing the other in its appeal to the
Imagination. although not in economic
and practical Importance.
Wireless Feat on Sept. %.
On Wednesday afternoon, September
2gtn. the human voice travelled from
the Atlantic to the Pacific coast with
out the aid of wire, by means OF wire
less telephone apparatus and methods
developed by the engineers of the Bell
system At that moment wireless
transcontinental telephony took its
place among great achievements of
American telephone engineers and
transatlantic telephony became practi-
cally assured.
Sitting in the offices of the company
at Is Dey street, New York, President
Theodore N. Vail spoke into Bell
telephone connected by wires of the
Bell system with the wireless tower
at Arlington, Va, and his words were
transmitted by wireless telephony to
Mare Island, near San Francisco, Cal.
This latest and most remarkable trl-
umph OF the telephone art was under
the direct supervision of John ]. Carly,
chief engineer of the American Tele-
phone and Telegraph Company, who
has been in San Francisco for several
weeks. He received President Wallis
first message at Mare Island, and re-
piled to them and repeated them back
by wire The demonstration was held
by permission of the navy authorities
at the radio stations, and the expert
ments were witnessed and verified by
them.
Following President Wallis message,
Union N Bethel, senior vice presi-
dent; John /. Waterbury, director OF
the American Telephone and Tele-
graph Company, and Bancroft Cher
ardi, engineer of plant of the company,
also talked into the telephone and
were heard at Mare Island and had
their words repeated back by Mr.. Car
ty there Others present were Elk
Sen W. Murray Crane, of the execu-
tive committee; General Superinten-
dent of Plant F. A. Stevenson, and En-
gineers o. B. Blackwell and H. P.
Charlesworth.
Pres. Vail Talks to Carly.
At 2:4S eastern time, President Vail
surrounded by a few officials of the
American Telephone and Telegraph
Company, picked up Bell transmit
ter and called into it: Hello, Carly;
this is Vail" In spite of the fact that
the words went by wire to Washing
ton and then leaped through the air
to the Pacific coast, Engineer Carty's
reply came back almost instantly:
This is fine: this is wonderful" and
the groups of men gathered together
at opposite sides of the continent
knew that wireless transcontinental
telephony would henceforth be num-
bered among the miracles of modern
science After an extended CONVEX
SatiOn with Mr.. Carly, Mr.. Vail was fol-
lowed by others present in all cases
the takers were informed by the lis
teners at Mare Island that their voices
were distinct and recognizable.
The Bell wireless system is not yet
fully installed at Mare Island, the re-
ceiving apparatus only being in posi-
ton there; hence, it was impossible
for messages to be telephoned back by
wireless. but all the messages sent
from or by way of the Arlington tower
We're recorded at Mare Island and
their receipt fully confirmed by the Of
ficials in their reports by wire.
Hawaii Picks Up Call.
During the day a similar and equal
" successful demonstration took place
at Arlington, where engineers of the
American Telephone and Telegraph
Company, Western Electric Company
and officials of the army and navy
talked direct to Mare Island by wire
less. Within the next twelve hours
wonders piled on wonders IN wireless
telephony and even more marvellous
records were made. From the radio
station in San Diego came word that
the talk from New York had been
heard there over the wireless and lat
err on a similar report came from Da-
rien in the IsthmuS of Panama. The
distance from New York to San Fran
cisco is $500 miles, to San Diego B.
500 miles and to Darien 2,1OO miles.
To have made these records was
enough to make September 29th an
epoch-making day in the history of
science. but a new and greater thrill
came to the public when Lloyd Espen-
schied. an engineer of the American
Telephone and Telegraph Company,
cabled from Pearl Island, near Homo
lulu, Hawaii, 1900 miles from Wash
ington. that he had heard message
from the Arlington tower. Mr. Espen-
schied had been sent by Mr.. Carly to
the far-off Pacific island several
months ago, carrying with him re-
ceiving instruments, and had erected
an improvised wireless station on the
island When it is remembered that
not only London, Paris and Berlin are
nIrr1rr fhnf