Wireless Telegraph Key
date: label: date made
content: 1920
notes: label: Description (Brief)
content: Until recently, “wireless” meant radio and operators used keys to send radio messages via Morse code. This wireless telegraph key operated a Poulsen arc transmitter on the Italian-made dirigible S.S. Roma. The Roma, purchased by the U.S. Army in 1921, was destroyed in a landing accident at Hampton Roads Naval Station. Henry Epsal was in the rescue party that entered the airship and retrieved this key before the ship was destroyed.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: Electricity
label: See more items in
content: Telegraph Keys
label: See more items in
content: Communications
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: from Nellie Ruth Bliss
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: EM.319445
label: catalog number
content: 319445
label: accession number
content: 238754
objectType: label: Object Name
content: telegraph key
label: Other Terms
content: telegraph key; Radio
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: brass (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: rubber (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: slate (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 1 3/4 in x 2 7/8 in x 6 1/4 in; 4.445 cm x 7.3025 cm x 15.875 cm