FIG. 111.—Operating the U. S. Signal Corps airship wireless apparatus.
Several enterprising newspapers have recognized the value of wireless telegraphy in collecting shipping news and have installed outfits for the assistance of their reporting bureau. This innovation in modern journalism has quickly developed into a useful feature of those publications which have seen fit to adopt it. When the baseball season is under way every steamship within calling distance wants the latest baseball scores or sporting results.
FIG. 112.—The N. Y. "Herald" station, showing aerial.
FIG. 113.—Operator Jack Irwin overhauling the wireless apparatus for the dirigible balloon "America."
Railroads have found an auxiliary wireless service to be of the utmost value in relieving the heavily loaded wire lines between important centers. During some of the winter storms and blizzards, when miles of wires were down in all directions, wireless has been the sole means of communication in certain instances.
The process of sending a wireless message is very simple. The aerial switch is usually kept in such a position that the receiving instruments are connected to the ground and aerial so that the operator is always able to hear any one calling him. We will suppose for illustration that the land station at 42 Broadway, New York City, wishes to transmit a message to the steamer "Horatio Hall."
FIG. 114.—Morse code.