VALUE OF "WIRELESS."

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1911, 20 November 1913, Page 6

VALUE OF "WIRELESS."

LIFE SAVING AT SEA,

RECENT INSTANCES QUOTED,

The beneficent part which ■wiro'lcss telegraphy now plays in the saving of ■ jito at sea ha? again been demonstrated; by the disaster to tiro Volturuo, writes the London "Morning Post." The distress signals sent through space brought to the aid of the burning linor quite a fleet -of steamships, Owing to this equipment if, is now -well-nigh impossible tor a passenger vessel to disappear from human ken without the -slightest indication of her fate, as'h&.s occurred in former days—for instance-, in the case of the PrcsidenV-.a* practically all liners of importance carry an, installation. Yet it is- loss thai) ftvo years ago that the valuo of the wireless message was first demonstrated in the case of the ■15j00040n White Star liner • Republic. Who'so crew ..and passengers, thanks tci a wireless dispatch, were removed from ■her before she sank. After that -event most of the chief shipping lines beganto -equip ihei.r Vessels with wireless .apparatus, The normal message- from the ordinary vessel has a range of .about 250 miles .by day tad 750 by nighi. In some special cases more powerful apparatus is- feed. Thisi was So in respect ■of the ill-fated Titanic, and it was explained at tho timo of the disaster to herthatthis was dotte "because she was a big ship which would probably attract the millionaire class of business man who would 'taako greater use of her wireless equipment/' . The operators on board liners thus fitted are- able, to , send out a message of 500 miles .radius by.day and.probably as much :as ISOO. nril.es St night, ' . Formerjy, the * regular telegraphic signal .was 0.Q., :to which the. letter D was added to indicate distress. Tho common idea that C.Q,.D, meant "Coino quick., danger,". was hot correct;; the. eonihined letters were -toe-I'dy, ail official form of indication that- .'aid was needed by a vessel in. danger. The C.%,1). signal was. subsequently abolished " by .uitexutft'taiial conyijittioii., ahs! .now the' letters SJOiS. are used. Popular faiiey has asctibod to the combination.... the; meaning "Save our. souls"' or "Savs our ship." That, however, is equally iuaceurato; the letters arc a. purely .arbitrary combination-, 'fivory vessel .receiving tlio S..Q.S, signal, would ati'oiico staiid by . .for further instruction's. Whilst crossjac -the Atlantic-.) it .'is stated* a vessel is bound to Win touch by witele.s's with flfteoti or twenty ships, and even -under the worst conditions com'Wui'uoafeni is possible with five.'or six. ' Among the noticeable cases in which disaster lias been averted or mitigated through the value of wireless telegraphy that of the Republic is perhaps the most conspicuous by reason of the fact that it wastho first illustration of wliat'tii'o invention meantin regard .to lifc-ea.yiu'g at sea and also because of tlio dramatic ■oiveumstauccs. The Republic.;, with'.'a largo jn-vmbor of first-class passengersbound from Kew ¥ork for tlio Jlediter- ; tauean., camo into collision With |lio steamship Florida, in a, dense, fog- 1.75miles east of the .Ambrose lightship. . at half-past -five iii tlie. moiniiig-. . Half an hour after, the collision. tho ti'a'Rfc, >it the :sa.'nic. iijie, learnt of the plight of', .tlio Republic by ;a wireless message- Lfidmtho 'Mailconi station at S.ia.sco.iiset't,-. aiid at once turned back' .aiid searched, for the damaged vessel. Owing to the fog it Was not. Until, twoivij' 'hours, aftcriv.ar.ds ; that tho RcpuMic Waß located, and it took tbirteejl hsurs more to tafce on board the ;passdngcrs from: that liner and. th.o florida. , Sis months later the Ciuiard steamship Slavonia. -stranded oil, ]?lores island, and -the 'Princess Irene,'then 1.80 talks distant., as well as the B.atavia, steamed, to her. aid and took -.off lie.r passengers, in, August of -the same year tlio steamer -Ohio /struck; -oil a iOef- -at--Steep Point.,- Alaska,-.and five- persons : were drowned, one feeing the -wireless opofator, wlio gave Up liis life in order, to save tlie passengers., Among other ; cases of wreck in which "Wireless" h-ae played ?i great part in the rescue was that of- the 1\ and 0., liuer faelbi, wrecked iicM" Capo $pa.rtel. in the c.as 9 of the. Titanio, too., althougU the -vessels which .received the call Were unable to reach the sceuo'of this disaster in time to rescue the passengers on board) the Garp.atiii.a- was able'to pick up the. survivors who had got away in the hoats.