WIRELESS IN THE CITY.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 949, 17 October 1910, Page 4

WIRELESS IN THE CITY.

RECEIVER SPANS A STREET. ■MESSAGES AROSS THE HARBOUR. Stand in the mitldlo of Grey Street between tho General Post Office and Nathan's building l and look directly overhead. The eye will bo at once attracted to a group of four wires-be-tween tho tower of tho Post Office and. tho top floor of tho. big commercial pile close by. Theso are the receiving wires for wireless telegraphy, and are an essential part of an experimental plant which has been installed, in the J laboratory of the Telegraph Department, directly under the . control of Mr. Buckley, (who erected the plant), ; and generally supervised by Mr. J. K. Logan; Director of Electric Lines (who has. travelled across tho Atlantic Ocean in : steamers fitted with wireless). The Departmental officers, and in particular Mr. Buckley, have made a study of wireless since it came into use for practical purposes, and have made small experiments from time to time, which' have only served to increase their interest, in tho use of electric waves as conductors of sound undor control. When the ,-Ulimaroa : arrived hero a month ago 'with-.a . wireless plant on board, and, ;there. being, no apparatus i ashore here to. receive messages, tho Department- resolved to extend- their, experiments into the - broader - field of. tho outer air, and busied themselves in the erection of the temporary plant mentioned. With-this they, were able to communicate - with the:Ulima'roa when, she was leaving Wellington on Thursday of :last • week.:; An animated conversation was maintained both; ways until the vessel - rounded Point : Halswell,. about four' miles away. Aftertho Ulimaroa had; passed tho SPoint' the messages from the shore could not bo heard on boaid the vessel,; but; the messages-, from the Ulimaroa's sender (Mr. Von Dulrn)-were received until the -.vessel had. passed through' the Heads. Tho distance over which-the local plant would' be effective in .receiving is not known, because Mr! Von Culm's last, message to the effect that it was "ten past six, and time for dinner," was clearly heard. It may be taken- for granted that he then left the instrument to deal 'with; something more' material than plectric waves. Tho power of ' the. Department's plant,, of course, is low —100 volts ' transformed into something'a. good'deal less 1 . : This' power may be ■ increased for tho purpose. of. further : experiments later on. Tho trail of the \vires'was' followed to the upper floor of Nathan's Buildings, into' ai ' room labelled "Laboratory."; There were .telephone and telegraph parts,, slot telephones, magnets;, batteries, and; a'hundred-things ' with abstruse technical names lying round; in well-ordered' -confusion, but the.' reporter looked in vaiii for the'wonderful, apparatus that coin the messages . and' send them forth "to seek the empty, vast, arid wandering air." As a .hasty guess he espied a boxeu-iu device that might bo construed .into the mysterious machine, but it. turned out ' to be Va : patent peimyrin-the-slot v telephone/ The ear was'next attracted by something between. -a' hiss. and. f - 'a; crackle, and brilliant'electric fire made the,day-' light dull .between two .tiny. - carbons, and also oh:-each side-of a small bright ihetal few iiiclies■ • away;- It-" was the operator at. w.ork on ..the Morse . connected , with ;■ the Avireless. ..Wires'led upward, but : only to loops. ;lb could-be seen that the current traversed these by.'the spares seen, through .the. insulation- every -few': ; ;i:but:: there was apparently, no conduct to the' outer; air. : the operator ."dotted" and "dashed" 'away,' Tim -Dominion's ■representative:; was. invited: to . another i'oom,: .where a receiving-,plant .was- pro-. diiced, 'which terminated in a. receiver band such. as. the,'. '-'Bello" girls wear• in. tlie. Telephone Exchange. An official :held .the ends .of two wires, : whichii/liO: brought, together with two small: pieces, .of metal—a makeshift: "'coherer.";;' As soon., as the circuit was. - thus : fonhed, one could , liear the. dot and dash of -the i instrument- quite • plainly; though -in' a, room siiut off entirely from , the laboratory,- without any connection save . the air we; breathe.- It.was an interesting expMiment,; which, demonstrated -in - a . few-seconds .the marvels; of :this new and amazing force. :,

With power easily available from the city's. works, there is no particular' reason why Wellington ; should . not., be added to the list of. tho stations to be provided under the Government's wire-: less proposals.' Should there be: any mishap in .Cook Strait - ! ;to. ~a . ..vessel fitted with wireless , telegraphy, it would: be, a. matter of the first import-., ance ,to receive tlic' messhge'as' soon- as possible, v iii order : that' assistance may be rendered at the earliest . possible moment.. . There .are;even:possibilities, ill the primitive, plant which lias already been established in Wellington, but the 'roof !of the new' General Post Office might bo put to good use in the direction suggested. .