Evening star., 1925-06-14
BY c. MORAN.

- dtOl ISdl Sdpc may piIhCu
"A up. on a night in March.
4 \ mysterious code message, the
source of which at the time
was unknown. The message was
flashed at once to Government code
experts at Washington, where 1t was
learned that the communication was
from rum fleet ship to confeder-
ateS on shore.
Coast Guard officials here has
known for a long time that radio
was being used by the rum-ruhners
The Coast Guard had intercepted
many of the code messages and had
upset some of the plans of the law
violators, but until recently the serv-
ice has been unable TO cope fully
with the situation, because of lack OF
= modern radio equipment.
This condition has been corrected
now. and it is planned ultimately to
equip the entire Coast Guard fleet, OF
o4Q speed ships, with the latest types
of radio transmitting and receiving
apparatus. Government engineers
have been working for months on
number of unique radio instruments
such as sonic devices and direction
finders for use In this work.
a school for radio operators has
also been established at the Coast
Guard Academy at New London.
Connecticut. under the direction of
Comdr. II. D. Hinckeley. Some 300
radio operators are being trained at
this school in both the theory and
practice of radio, and in Coast Guard
naval procedure.
This school is a part of radio
communication system that may be
regarded as one of the most efhcient
set up anywhere. Navy radio shore
stations, controlled from Washington,
are included In the net, to enable the
Coast Guard officials to keep in con-
Stant communication with the entire
feet. A chart at Washington gives
at all times a graphic picture of the
location of every vessel.
There are some 40 high power ra-
dio stations in the system on all coast
lines These stations are capable of
working distances up to 5000 miles.
In addition there are 50 intermediate
stations. which have ranges up to 500
miles. There are also 1900 miles of
land lines. including approximately
44O miles of submarine telephone
cable which connect the various Coast
Guard stations with one another, pro-
vide contact with $50 lighthouses, and
furnish service TO radio compass sta
tions, Navy radio stations, and
Weather Bureau stations.
THE main radio stations in the sys-
tenn on the Eastern coast include
those at Bar Harbor. Me; Sayville.
L. l.; Annapolis, Md, Arlington, Va;
Cayey, P. r.; Guantanamo and Pana
ma. Both the Annapolis and Sayville
stations are operated by remote con-
troll from Washington. There are
some 237 active Coast Guard stations
in the land line system, which are
grouped into Is districts, each in the
charge of district superintendent.
Every Coast Guard ship Is in con-
slant communication with the various
land stations and is appraised at all
times of the exact location of every
other ship in the service. A system
of radio signals has been developed so
that in an emergency any number of
ships can be concentrated at given
point. Similarly, each vessel has
radio equipment sufficiently power
full to communicate with any of the
shore stations, SO that Washington is
kept closely informed of the move
ments of the rum-runners.
Experiments are being made also
with a sonic device on the Coast
Guard vessel Tampa. in locating ice
bergs in foggy weather. If 1t IS pos
sible to ascertain the position Of un-
seen icebergs by this means, 1t is con-
sidered equally practicable that YES
sells can be similarly located. Thus,
the operation of smugglers' ships
under cover of darkness or inclement
weather would become Intellectual.
The sonic apparatus sends out a
note which goes down to the bottom
of the ocean, is reflected back to the
ship, and is picked UP by a receiver.
The time of departure and return of
the note is automatically timed, and
knowing the speed with which sound
travels through water, 1t becomes pos
sible to measure the depth of the
water at any given point.
1t has been found that the sound
does not go directly to the bottom of
the ocean, but also spreads out In all
directions through the water. Thus,
any obstruction such as an iceberg
or large ship will reflect the sound
to the bottom, thence to the sonic
apparatus, and 1t becomes possible to
measure both the distance and the
direction that the obstruction is from
the ship.
Radio has proved to be practically
indispensable to the Coast Guard in
its various marine activities, and
even before the recent congressional
authority to increase the Coast Guard
fleet for the purpose of combating
rum runners, officials of the service
had decided to scrap it's ancient radio
apparatus and TO replace it with
newer types.
THE various activities in which ra-
dio is used include the broadcast
ing to mariners of the position of
derelicts and straying bergs from
the ice fields, rendering assistance to
ships in distress, and helping to en-
force the customs laws.
Radio is used also in furnishing
medical advice to ships engaged in