FALL OF WIRELESS TOWER.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1447, 23 May 1912, Page 7

FALL OF WIRELESS TOWER.

WHICH TAMED WITH NEW YORK. Tho most powerful wireless-station in tho world—too Tolefunken Company's 660 feet steel tower at Nnuen, near Berlin—broke in the middle and collapsed into complete ruin during .a violent galo on 'March' 31.' Its reconstruction will cost 'ami will require five or sii months.

A peculiarity of tho tower, which will probably be repeated in the new-struc-ture, was that it rested not on four feet, like tho Eiffel Tower in Paris, but on a solid concave base socketed in »•' semicircular concrete foundation. The tower could thus swing with a rotary motion to the limit..allowed by t.ho steel ropes anchoring it to the ground. The upper half was similarly socketed, and both sections were completely iiiMilnted from each olhor and tho ground by interposed glass plates. To show the enormous power of Hi's station, it may be stated that it. was in easy, .communication with South-West '■Africa,'and talked easily wills 'New York. The new lower will probably be slightly higher still. The company hope., before long to reach ils ideal of "two Nauen towers encircling tho world."

• Tho co'hTpse/ of the tower was. however, a tribute to the exactitude of German calculations,. .A 'space'.-of- 20 feet had hron left between the, two.' principal station houses/as it was calculated that in <m..> of accident the'"give" of'tho'steel haw. sere and the mnsinrara.swing of tii? socketing would cause. thV'uppor portion !o fall just as. in fact, it has fallen. Six feet to tho left would have wrecked thousands of pounds', worth of . inaciiinerr, six feet \a the right, innsc irieviinbiy havo killed o dozen oii.ginoora' and''other wnploye.es.' The-mass-of tangle*! steel actually fell within that distance'"of th« heads .of "lepMting the:root of th«-bslldlng|.-' "■ -..•;•■.