SCIENCE IN THE INDUSTRIAL WORLD 



the Channel boat with safety. Messages were therefore 

 sent at once by wireless to the land station, giving the 

 position of the stranded boat and asking that assistance 

 be sent at once from one of the life-saving stations on 

 the coast. The crew was successfully rescued a few 

 hours later. 



The wireless system was soon found to be most 

 satisfactory in solving the vexatious question of commu- 

 nicating with lightships anchored at some distance from 

 land. Cable communications with such vessels is out 

 of the question because the action of the waves and the 

 constant moving about of the vessel wears out a cable 

 in a short time. With the wireless system, however, these 

 vessels are now kept constantly in communication with 

 shore a most important thing in case of accident to the 

 lights, or to the vessels themselves. 



TRANSATLANTIC MESSAGES 



By the autumn of 1901 Marconi had perfected his 

 telegraph so that he determined to attempt to send 

 messages across the ocean. He therefore sailed to his 

 American receiving station in Newfoundland to make 

 the attempt. By prearrangement, the station in Poldhu 

 was to send messages at stated intervals, and at a cer- 

 tain time during each day after Marconi's arrival. The 

 message agreed upon was to be three dots, indicating the 

 letter S of the Morse code. This was to be repeated a 

 certain number of times at intervals of three minutes 

 between the hours of three o'clock and six o'clock 

 P.M., English time, which would be from about 11.30 

 A.M., to 2.30 P.M., Newfoundland time. On Dec. i2th, 



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