Wireless Telegraphy at the North Pole.

Progress, Volume II, Issue 4, 1 February 1907, Page 140

Wireless Telegraphy at the North Pole.

Wireless is entering largely mto the plans of Arctic explorers and promises to be a very necessary part of their operations Heretofore the explorers in their hazardous dashes north have been cut off from communication with the world Now, Mr Walter Wellman who is to make the attempt in an airship will take along three -wireless experts with a complete De Forest outfit and establish a chain of stations so as to enable him to keep constantly in touch with civilisation Incidentally it will permit him to send at once the news of any achievement The first station will be established on the Arctic steamship Fnthiof, which will be anchored at Spitzbergen while the airship is northward bound A second station will be at Hammerfest Norway the most northernmost point in Europe, which is already a cable station Instead of sending the message up, as is normally the way the explorers will have to send their messages down Wires trailing down from the hull of the ship will be the substitute for the steel mast usually employed to send wireless messages Mr Wellman will send as many messages as possible to the Spitzbergen station. Each message will give the exact longitude and latitude of the exploring party If the messages suddenly stop coming it will be an indication that some disaster has befallen the party, and it will be easy for the relief expedition to locate it

A policeman's club with a electric light in the handle is a late invention If it proves a success the search-light lantern may be dispensed with.