Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1922-05-16
DAILY RADIO FEATURES
Radio First Used in Ships to
Shore Traffic.
By DAIRO sARNoFF.

BIZ DAIRO sARNoFF.
General Manager Radio Cooperation o1
America.
Quite naturally, radio was first ems
ployed In ship to shore traffic, for prior
to that time there was no way Of COM
municating with moving vessel. Mar
conf had taken his invention to England,
where he had been greatly encouraged
by the British postoffice; there had
been placed at his disposal every avail
able facility, and a number of tests
Were made which proved wireless could
travel, first, mile, then five miles, then
fifty miles, and so on. Then q ship was
equipped with wireless apparatus and
sent out to sea.
The first American vessel to carry
radio was the steamer Philadelphia Of the
American line, a ship still in existence.
The installation comprised the induction
coil and the coherer receiving apparatus.
Marconi himself made a trip for expert
mentation, and communication was es-
tablished with a coastal station erected
on shore In England, the ship maintain
Ing contact with the shore. first over
very short distance, and then over in
creasingly larger distances, until the
practica bility Of this method Of com.
munication between ship and shore had
been thoroughly demonstrated.
installations on many ships followed,
but the real significance Of the invention
to the maritime world was not appre-
cir, led until 1t played for the first time
a dramatic role in a marine disaster.
That was in 1903, when the steamship
Republic" Of the White Star Line met
In collision an italian ship, the Florida"
of the Banks" near Nantucket Island.
hQ oSb In hn ~ Aar
night. 1t was then radio came into its
own. When a young wireless operator
named Jack Binnis, pressed his key and
through the agency Of radio called for
the succor and relief Of 1900 human be-
ings on a sinking ship, his signal sent
thrill around the world.
The famous distress call, COD then
represented the International signal
meaning, i am in distress; want help.'
Rinnis followed this call by the position
of the ship In latitude and longitude.
Then. as now, when wireless operator
hears the distress signal all else must
stop until help is given, or until the
situation is made thoroughly clear. To-
day the distress signal is SOS, but the
meaning and procedure are the same
On the night Binns sent out the famous
COD 1t was picked up not only by a
number Of ships, but by little station
at Siasconset. on Nantucket Island, Mass.
Jack Irwin, the operator on watch there,
received the call and Immediately notified
other ships of the appeal from the Re
public and the position Of the vessel.
Help came quickly, and fifteen hundred
lives were saved.
Parenthetically, 1t is interesting to note
here the same operator. Irwin, later had
occasion to send the distress call and
to receive the same much needed assist
ance which, few years before he had
been called to render. His radio appeal
was sent from the ili-starred airship
America" which, under the pilotage Of
Vanniman and Wellman started on an air
journey, but came to grief after having
flown 1000 miles. The wireless call for
help was heard by the steamship Trent
the vessel speeded to the location given.
of the Bermudas, and picked up the
crew Of six men.
Another article tho radio of today
and tomorrow by David Sarnoff will ap-
pear In forthcoming Issue Of the Times