Evening star., 1934-10-21
any of the Army Corps area stations"
. Also near the entrance to the room, to

job is to receive messages by special
messenger from the various Government
departments and "set them up" First
of all, they go ahead and count the
number of words and then send it via
the electrically operated message car
rier suspended to the ceiling), to the
particular agency in the room that is
going to transmit the message, whether
its radio or telegraph.
Just before you complete your visit
to the Message Center, Capt. Townsend
points out that all members of his per-
sonnel are painstakingly trained. They
come into the Army usually without any
particular vocation and after three years
are turned out as expert radio operators,
which in Signal Corps terminology in
cludeS: touch-typing at around so words
a minute; transmitting by hand sender
Methods words a minute; and code
speed in receiving-45 words minute.
Now you're ready for look at station
WAR itself This visit needn't be very
long for Capt. Townsend has told you
about everything you can possibly un-
derstand about the entire radio setup.
AS mentioned earlier, WAR is housed
Myer. Your first impression is of huge
antennae towering heavenward. A
hasty glance outside tells you there are
three stories altogether, or rather, two
stories and a basement. AS you enter
the front door and step into the main
transmitting room you're impressed by
three things. First, an atmosphere of
extreme neatneSs and ShinineSs; next.
by the rather bewildering flashing of
many red lights, and finally by row upon
row of peculiar looking, boxlike struc-
lures each about 6h feet high, plus a
flock of dials and gadgets. You're trying
to figure out the why of all this when a
young man asks if he can be of any
assistance.
Eyes, you can. I'm looking for Master
sergt. Frank F. Webber, who, I under
stand, is in charge here"
you've got the right man. I'm Sergt.
Weber,"
Whereupon the sergeant takes you on
a personally conducted tour through
WAR.
YOU don't have much time to take in
many details because the tour lasts
only about 10 minutes, for the simple
reason that your wise old Uncle Samuel
isn't going to let strangers in on the
secrets of the worlds most unique COM
munications system. However, you do
come away with this interesting infor-
nation:
Those queer looking boxlike struc-
lures (about Is all told) are transmitters
of extremely high frequency. Actually
they can broadcast radio messages to
virtually any section of the world.
There are about IL men working at WAR.
These include radio electricians and
transmitting attendants. All the work.
ers are quartered at the station and
there is an excellent recreation room.
Down in the basement is the generator
room which contains all the generators
to operate the Is powerful tranSmitters.
and also emergency power equipment.
This last means that in emergency cases
where the electricity is turned off the
entire generating system can be oper-
ated by gasoline power! Unique system.
sure enough!
Your final visit is to the remote re-
CeVlIlS anu al odG.
terry Cove about Is miles south of WASH
ington. Before actually going there you
recall what Capt. Townsend of the Mes
sage Center told you about the Cove
that the War Department maintains
about As acres there on the banks of the
Potomac. This is only stones throw,
the captain explained, from the stone
which George Washington laid as the