86 EXTENSION OF TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION 



telegraphy is still more or less in its infancy. This being so, every incentive should be 

 given towards encouraging ingenuity. At one time the construction and laying of cables 

 was closely confined. Since those days, however, the public and the taxpayer if not 

 the shareholders have benefited by the healthy competition that is now the rule. 



Cables and " Wireless ": Relative Value. As there appears to be an impression that 

 radiotelegraphy is likely to be more effective than cables from a strategic point of view, 

 let us especially consider the two methods from this standpoint. To begin with, the 

 wireless method has an obvious and highly important advantage here, in that com- 

 munication can be directly effected with a fleet itself instead of merely with the nearest 

 cable station. We have, however, to remember that, by cable, a message besides being 

 more sure to reach the other end is far more strictly confined to the quarter for which 

 it is intended. It is sometimes suggested that the use of a secret code meets all objections 

 under this head. On the other hand it may be questioned whether radiotelegraphy as 

 yet adapts itself sufficiently to codes to render it suitable for codework on anything like 

 a large scale, and certainly no reliance should be placed on the secrecy of codes. Again 

 from a strategic standpoint, one great objection to placing reliance on radiotelegraphy 

 in its present stage is that messages can be transmitted without their source being 

 detected by the receiver. This may be an advantage to the belligerent; but, on the 

 other hand, it is equally likely to be the reverse. Similarly, it is impossible for the sender 

 of a wireless message to tell who may or who may not be at the other end, or how 

 many ends there are. In short, radiotelegraphy is likely to prove a double edged 

 weapon in warfare. Indeed, a cable the location of both ends of which is known is 

 really the only satisfactory and sure source of communication in a strategic sense. 

 " Wireless " is so new as to be still something marvellous; but if the order of the two 

 inventions had happened to be reversed the cable would now be regarded as an obvious 

 improvement, coming as a boon for confining the paths of our messages direct to the 

 individuals for whom they are alone intended. And apart from being, as we already 

 know, a ready prey to gales, etc., radiotelegraphic stations, even though placed well in- 

 shore, must always form a fairly easy target for shooting down from a distance. 1 Shal- 

 low water cables are, of course, always liable to be cut in time of war; but probably the 

 safest means of communication in such emergencies is the really deep sea line in the 

 open ocean such as the All-British Pacific cable. From the strategic point of view, 

 too, it should be remembered that interruption to a cable is more speedily remedied than 

 the destruction of a wireless station. The station at Nauen was actually estimated to 

 take as much as 6 months to reinstate, and in November 1912 had still not been made 

 good though that period has already elapsed. Again, the cable can even be worked from 

 a small row boat in emergencies. That, however, is of course impossible with radio- 

 telegraphy. In the matter of working speed, the advantage hitherto associated with 

 the cable is now in some doubt; for at least one " wireless " system is capable of working 

 at an equal if not greater speed, though not yet demonstrated on extreme ranges. Where, 

 however, the cable has still the advantage here is in the effective working speed main- 

 tained, say, throughout a day, owing to the far less amount of repetition work involved. 

 This is largely due to certain external and unavoidable interruptions of one sort or another, 

 seriously influencing the regular progress of " wireless " work where they do not affect 

 cable telegraphy. The cable is also still at a distinct advantage as regards regular 

 uninterrupted indeed invariable day and night service, independent of atmospheric 

 and climatic conditions. With radiotelegraphy this state of things cannot, in reality, 

 be said to prevail to-day, though certainly very great advances have, of late, been made 

 in this direction. For instance, when the Marconi Company first established their 

 trans-Atlantic service messages could scarcely be sent by day at all; now, however, a 

 more or less continuous service has been provided. "Atmospherics" (electricity in 



thirty at each station were to cost 52,500 a fairly large proportion of the proposed 60,000 

 per station for the proposed initial 6 stations in this considerable scheme. 



1 Experiments have been directed towards obviating the use of high masts or towers, but 

 do not appear to have been turned to practical account so far. 



