Evening star., 1923-03-11
ny COMMANDER STANFORD
HOOPER, L. -. y.


For communication and trade pur
poses, youthful America, through
radio, is preparing to make ancient
China her next door neighbor.
Hoary from age before the United
States as nation was born, the
Celestial empire looks TO the young
giant of the west for the application
of her needs of this latest marvel of
science.
When the history Of radio is finally
written, it will probably be found
that one of the most outstanding and
lasting achievements wrought by the
art will have been the annihilation,
for intelligence communication pur-
poses, of the great distances inter
vening between the principal cities
within the orient itself and the vast
distances separating the orient from
the occident.
Representatives of an American
radio concern have been in China for
the past several months making a
comprehensive survey and study OF
the situation as regards the eStab-
liShment of chain of high power
radio stations for the exchange of
lluItcdtlbllS W lllln Tue inter VI
that vast country and as feeders for
a super highpoWer station to be
erected at Shanghai for the exchange
Of communications directly across the
Pacific ocean with corresponding sta
tons situated along our Paci1c sea-
board.
The preliminary plans contemplate
the erection of five high-poWer sta
tions of 20U-kilowatt power each at
five widely separated centers of popu-
lot inn RI a. " IN % 4 ~
Republic. These will provide facili-
ties for rapid intercommunication
within the republic and as feeders
for the super-highpower transpacifte
The tentative plans of the Shanghai
station call for the erection of towers
1000 feet in height to support the
overhead part of an immense antenna
system weighing several tons. Ihese
towers will comprise the highest Struc-
lures in the world. being 1870 feet higher
than the S20-foot towers which stand at
the 1000 kiloWatt Lafayette station. III
France, whicn the Navy erected as "A
war measure. The Shanghai towers
will be nearly twice the height of the
Washington Monument, which rises 800
feet above the earth.
Powerful Transmitter.
The plans Of the Shanghai station
also call for the installation of radio
American manufacture. similar TO those
installed in the Lafayette station IL
France. and similar to those OF less
power installed III the Nays chain OF
high power stations.
a high frequency electric current OF
not less than 500 amperes will be ac-
commodated by the projected Shanghai
antenna system TO create powerful radio
waves in the ether. lengths ranging
from 10000 to 10000 meters.
II
similar corresponding superhigh power
station at San Francisco, but for the
time being, at least the existing high
power stations of the Radio Corporation
of America. situated at San Francisco
and Honolulu. will be employed for
transmitting messages to China.
With the overhead part OF the pro-
jected Shanghai antenna suspended l.0oo
feet above the earth and the circulation
of powerful electric current in the
antenna wires. it is expected that nc
difficulty will be experienced in copying
the powerful signals emitted by this
station at receiving stations situated
along our Pacific seaboard. If these ex-
pectations arc realized and there is nc
reason why they should not be, instan-
TaneouS intercommunication between
San Francisco and Shanghai over the
Intervening 5,300-mile distance may be
carried on as readily as similar inter
communications are now carried on be-
tween Chicago and Pittsburgh or be-
tween New York and Washington, for
example.
The potentialities Of such an agency
for instantaneous intercommunication
between China with it's latent undevel-
oped resources and teenning population
and the highly developed resources and
skilled personnel of the United States
are difficult of realization in all their
aspects at this time However. tho
world. in effect. is becoming smaller and
smaller with the development of radio
and other means of communication. and
also of rapid transportation. and pro-
vision should be made for these chang