The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1919-06-29

(Since becoming a member of the staff
or the New York Evening Post. John III
Anderson, of Pensacola, has written notn-
ing more interesting than the article on
"Chartering Ships by Radio" appearing
in the Saturday afternoon magazine sec
tion Of The Post, of June 14th. Mr. An
dorscn, who was at one time connected
with the editorial staff of The Journal
has been on The Post for the past year.
and his friends here who have watched
his newspaper career with so mucn
pleasure. will read the article from The
Post with much interest.)
In a little office overlooking the Bat
terry there is a pulse which records the
heart beats of international commerce.
livery American ship afloat, and every
large ship sailing the seven seas uncer
any flag whatsoever, is known there Snd
her movements indicated. The distance
from New York to Yokohama is en-
brace1 within its scope. Ships at AL
axandrfa Shanghai Manila. Samarang
and Copenhagen are listed. one beneath
the other. II a steamer leaves her berth
at Norfolk and put out into the stream,
that TACT rs known two minutes later at
~ Whitehall street.
The office contains the personnel and
equipment of what is known as the Naval
Corhn unication service. literally the ear
OF the navy. 1t hears from every quar-
and once every twenty-four hours 1t pub
fishes a bulletin of 145 pages, hsting
1900 ships, and distributes the informal
tion 70 shipping firms. newspapers. gov
eminent officers and maritime ak
changes.
II. IS difficult to forego statistical infor-
nation when detailing the work OF this
bureau because IL is new-established In
July, 1917, as an intelligence service for
the benefit of the army, navy. United
States Shipping board. and allied war ic-
terestB Since that time, however, lis
scope has increased until it is. perhaps
the most important communication SER
vice in this hemisphere.
Il is one Of the few large war organi-
cations that will continue its work on
peace basis, practically unchanged, for
though 1t was brought into existence by
the war, it's work is essentially that OF
peace. AS its primary object was the col
lection and transmission of information,
communication was the problem OF first
Importance. The development of an ade-
uuate system made the headquarters In
Whitehall street the nerve center OF ma
val communication, andAso 1t is possible
for q man to sit at a switchboard in that
building and control simultaneously 1he
wireless stations at Montauk Point, Fire
Island Rockaway, Sandy Hook and Man
tololIing. All lines of communication be-
tween sub-stations and washington pass
through the office of the bureau and coa-
sequencly, direct communication is pos
sibIe between the new York station and
every sub-station of Importance.
When the bureau was authorized short
~ after the United States entered the
war; Capt. d. W. Todd. director of naval
communication, began its organization
and in a short time had spread the scope
OF the system until it encircied the world.
An emil sted personnel was recruited from
the marine departments of press associa-
lions. daily and marine publications and
other civilian organizations that had been
eexeeoe shrdlu shrd1u etaoin cmfwypn
engaged IN similar enterprises but whose
tailed because of the censorship.
Ports and naval stations in this coun-
try were covered through the ordinary
channels of communication, and to .he
service was added the government-coa
trolled wireless. In domestic ports there
are representatives of the bureau. and CO.
operating with these agents and supple
menting the work of the bureau itself ere
the daily reports OF the bureau of opera
tions o. the United States navy and
offices Of the naval intelligence bureau: |
daily reports Except Sunday from the |
British ministry of shipping; informa IN |
obtained from steamship companies and |
their agents, Associated Press cable |
grams, Lioyd's Daily Index the United |
States Shipping board, telephone reports |
from lookout stations and guard ships |
stationed in New York harbor and from |
the army piers at the Port of Embarka- |
ton. Hoboken.
With the announcement that the SER |
vice, established as a war measure, is to /
be made permanent, and the more or tess /
general circulation Of the bulletins IS