Evening star., 1922-07-09

leaving Sne StAllOn. IN cnaTSe OIL lFc
radioman-' IN charge and his five radio
operators. 'e-
Cold Handicaps Station.
Notwithstanding the season Of the
year. the work Of establishing the
station was greatly handicapped, due
to wind. rain and cold.
The weather conditions in this To-
cality during the winter months can
be visualized from the foregoing. New
ertheless this station has been kept
in constant operation day and night
and during all seasons of the year by
the naval radio operators since this
time, and 1t now not only communi-
Gates with vessels of the Bering sea
patrol during the season of naViga-
ton, but also with the Navy's eight
other shore radio stations in Alaska
and with shipping in all Alaskan
waters and that of the north Pacific
ocean.
In fact, the St. Paul station is now
regarded as an important strategic
unit in the Navy's widely extended
chain of shore radio stations which
are maintained to serve our Pacific
and Asiatic fleets and our merchant
marine.
A few years later a small radio sta
ton of power sufficient only to COM
munlcate with St. Paul was also es
tablished on the Island of St. George.
and this station likewise has been
maintained in daily operation since,
signed to duty at this station.
The establishment of many of the
Navy's isolated radio stations. espe-
cially those in Alaska and in the
tropics. have involved hardships on
the part of the personnel who estab-
lych hr
and daily operation of the stations is
often other than a pleasant task for
the radio operators
1t should not be forgotten that the
radio operators who man the Navy s
radio stations on shpboard and on
shore are typical American young
men-the equivalent of the average
high school graduate-and these men
invariably render faithful and eff
cient service, regardless of the diff
culties encountered.
Played Part in War.
Strange as it may seem. the loca-
ton of the St. Paul station and its
comparative isolation aid NOT prevent
! II from playing an active and impor-
tant part in connection with the mill
tary opera tions due to our entrance
into the world war.
Coincidentally with the dispatch OF
American troops to Siberia the Navy
| increased the power of the ST Paul
station by Installing a 3o-kilowatt
radio transmitter. in addition 10 the
then existing 5-kilowatt set. An en-
iarEed antenna system was installed,
AS was also oil engine driven electric
| generators of sufficient capacity to
| supply power for the opera ton of
| the 30-kilowatt set
| With the 30-kilowatt transmitter,
communications Were exchanged with
corresponding radio station at
! St:tui> OStor, Siberia, thereby opening
! up channel of communication di-
I rectly between our government in
Washington and the American troops
! in Siberia.
Aside from the military value of
! this direct radio circuit. the saN in :,
IN cable tolls to the government with
, III a few months more than Offset the
entire cost of establishing the ST
f, raul station and its subsequent oper-
, alton and Improvement
Little known by Public.
Our little American colony on ST.
Paul Island. up near the top of the
world with population OF about
200 Eskimo and not more than
twenty five white persons. the latter
! consisting of the officials Of the bu-
reau of fisheries and the naval radio
operators and their families, per
forms important public services. un-
der most adverse conditions. and re-
, Garding which little or nothing is
known by the general public.
Notwithstanding the adverse condi-
! tions and the long winter nights of
! the far north, however. our people
at st. Paul keep in intimate contact
with the affairs of the world through
the medium of radio.
The press news which is nightly
broadcaSted from the naval super
high-power stations in the Unite ID
States is readily copied by the oper-
ators at st. Paul, as radio receiving
conditions are excellent in these re-
gions and little trouble is ever ex-
perienced from static during any
season of the year.
Although no reports have been re-
ceived to this effect as yet, it is like
ly that the radiophone programs
broadcasted from Seattle, Wash,
and other points along the Pacific
coast of the United States are occa-
sionally heard at st. Paul, and also q t
ST George