MARCHESE MARCONI

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 130, 3 June 1937, Page 28

MARCHESE MARCONI

ON BOARD THE ELETTRA

"Marchese Marconi, the world's greatest wireless inventor, does most of his experimental work on- board' his famous yacht Elettra. "Would you like to take a peep at this ship of mystery?" writes a correspondent who recently visited the famous inventor. "Very: w.ell, then, but you will have to go carefully, for it is- as. hush-hush as a war-time 'Q'1 boat. "Imagine that.- you are motoring through Italy' on a holiday. You arrive at Milan and learn accidentally that the Elettra is at-Santa Margherita for a day or two. Where is Santa Margherita? you hurriedly inquire, and are relieved to learn that it is only a. short distance down the coast from Genoa. And you already know that you can do the Milan-Genoa run comfortably before lunch. ~- "You leave your hotel in good time --as you go out you can't help smiling at the notice which warns you that there is 'No tipping aloud'—but so many- interesting- things stop you on the: way that it is well after tea-time when you finally reach Santa Margherita. You have been'-driving all day under a scorthing sun beaming down from a sky that is almost too. blue .to. be true, along roads that are lined with palm trees and cactus plants. ■ . "You begin to descend a hill—and there,' through the trees, how glad you are to get your first glimpse of ;. the Elettra, riding at anchor in the small harbour 200 ft below you. ;

"Marchese Marconi is not at the moment on board, but you present your introduction to the captain and the first officer, who receive you graciously..; After the heat on land, the cool appearance of the water around you is most welcome and' you sigh contentedly. How' fine it would be to live always in • this marvellous atmosphere, you reflect. „ ■ . . , •> "It is understood very soon that what you !have really come for is to glance at the radio gear, so after the preliminaries of the. visit ..have .been completed you proceed for'ard to the wireless room/ •

"This was : at one time the drawingroom (that was-in the early days of the yacht's life when she was named the. .Rovenska; she was ,built...in Eng : laiid about thirty years.'ago) but it has now been converted'into' a floating radio laboratory.. - .'

"Not much can be said about what is-to'be seen in .that room; many secrets .are hidden away there from pryIng eyes.' But you will be allowed to see the short-wave transmitter that is-used for normal work and the receiving part of the apparatus recently perfected by Marconi for taking ships in and out of harbours when they are steaming quite, 'blind,' as in thick fog or at night.

"Is radio ever used for pleasure, you wonder,, on . board.. the Elettra? You are perhaps surprised to find that the answer is a most decided 'Yes.' Why, look, .over there are se\f3ral members of the crew sitting idly in the sun enjoying a 'listen-in*, between, watches.

"And this, wizard of wireless, what is. he really like? He is a short man of dignified appearance. He takes his place in. the lift that soars '■■ him to his palatial office with the rest of the passengers; no blowing of bugles and laying of special carpets for this unassuming man who is responsible for so many. changes in the world's outlook •' ■

"Today you can go into any telegraph office,and hand in a telegram for transmission to anyone of a score or more great. liners which will receive your message in the course of a few hours, no matter in which of the world's oceans it may be steaming!

"There were set-backs and disappointments when Marconi was experimenting in his early days, but the work progressed steadily and surely. By June, 1897, signals were being sent from Spezia to -warships as far as twelve miles away in the Gulf of Genoa.

"In the same year the first British r,adio company—called the . Wireless Telegraph and Signal Co., Ltd.—was formed to take over all of Marconi's patents except the Italian ones. A year later the name of this company was changed to Marconi's Wireless Telegraph Co., Ltd.—today one of the world's great radio organisations and the 'parent' of numerous other wellknown companies in this sphere.

"Right from the beginning wireless was obviously of very great value to ships at sea, so it is not surprising that the early work was closely linked up with shipping interests.- . . - "The first commercial use of wireless arose in this, connection, when in 1898 Marconi reported on -the Kingsdown Regatta Races by radio from a tug following the yachts in., the Irish Sea. The newspaper'that took advantage of this revolutionary method of. getting- news quickly "was -the 'Dublin Express.'

"In the same year Queen Victoria made use of wireless for the first time.

During Cowes Week,, Osborne House, in the Isle of Wight, was in. communication with the Royal yacht Osborne by - wireless. • In this way the Queen was kept.in touch with the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII).

"Then on March 3, 1899, a steamer collided with the East Goodwin Lightship, twelve, miles from the South Foreland Lighthouse. Luckily both lightship and lighthouse had been equipped with Marconi's wireless gear and the former sent a message to. warn lifeboat crews to put out. Wireless had already proved its value as a means of saving life and property at sea! "Up to this' time no very great distances1 had been covered, but things began to happen on a more ambitious scale. In October, 1900, a long-distance station in Cornwall made tests that resulted in signals being received up to a distance of 200' miles. By this time Marconi was really .beginning to feel his feet, and he had the sublime confidence of being able to make contact'across the Atlantic.

''Nowadays most of the Elettra's cruising is confined to the Gulf of Genoa, where Marconi supervises experiments between the yacht and a shore station installed on the headland at Sestri Levante, another charming village a few miles down'the coast. There is also some experimental gear on the roof of a hotel at Santa Margherita." ....