Wireless at Nantucket in 1901 and 1909

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A World-Wide Anniversary - Wireless At Nantucket in 1901 and 1909

ON JANUARY 16,1901, there flashed through the air from the ocean liner Lucania a message picked up by the South Shoals Lightship No. 66 and relayed to the station at 'Sconset. It was a miraculous event, and the wireless transmission was sent by telegraph from the U.S. Weather Bureau station in the Pacific Club to the New York Herald in New York - a simple statement from the captain of the vessel bound from Europe to this country. But the incident aroused the world. It was news brought over the air waves to a nationally known newspaper, which had scooped its rivals by thirty-six hours.

The New York Herald had received permission from the Government to install a wireless station at 'Sconset, as well as one on the South Shoals lightship, some 40 miles at sea. Communication between these two stations had begun on August 12, and on the 16th Captain McKay of the Lucania had sent his famous message: "All well on board. We are 237 miles from Sandy Hook - expect to reach New York harbor Saturday." The significance of this message-made possible by Signor Marconi, who had established the 'Sconset station-revolutionized the history of communications throughout the world.

The second event which startled the world had to do with the second wireless station at 'Sconset, only a mile away from the original site. It was a different kind of message-a call for help from the White Star liner Republic—struck amidships by the liner Florida, only a few miles from the South Shoals Lightship. The distress call was picked up by the 'Sconset station and immediately relayed to the mainland stations and help was soon enroute to the scene. It was on January 23,1909, and the wireless operator on the Republic, named Jack Binns, became famous, while the 'Sconset operators, principally Jack Irwin, received little recognition.

It was a bitter-cold night and Irwin, dozing in his chair by the stove was alerted by the distress call "C. Q. D." He immediately got in touch with ships nearest the scene, then contacted the mainland revenue cutter stations on the mainland. The result was the ultimate rescue of the Republic's passengers, and marked the first use of wireless to save lives at sea. The United States Congress during the following year passed the law which made the use of wireless on liners crossing the Atlantic mandatory.

But even before this event, the first wireless distress call came from the lightship No. 58, which on December 10,1905, sent out the call HELP, and her crew were rescued by the cutter Azalea, on South Shoals.

A U S T I N S T R O N G P l a y w r i g h t , A u t h o r , A c t o r , F r i e n d