XVIII

THE WIRELESS SERVES THE WORLD

Marconi Organized Wireless Telegraphy Commercially—­The New Wonder at the Service of the World—­Marine Disasters Prevented—­The Extension of the Wireless on Shipboard—­Improved Apparatus—­The Wireless in the World War—­The Boy and the Wireless.

With his clear understanding of the possibilities of his invention, Marconi was not long in establishing the wireless upon a commercial basis.  He is a man of keen business judgment, and as he brought his invention forward and clearly demonstrated its worth at a time when commercial enterprise was alert he found no great difficulty in establishing his company.  The first Marconi company was organized as early as 1897 under the name of the Wireless Telegraph and Signal Company, Limited.  This was later displaced by the Marconi Telegraph Company, which operates a regular system of stations on a commercial basis, carrying messages in competition with the cable and telegraph companies.  It also erects stations for other companies which are operated under the Marconi patents.

With the telegraph and the telephone so well established and serving the needs of ordinary communication on land, it was natural that the wireless should make headway but slowly as a commercial proposition between points on land.  For communication at sea, however, it had no competition, and merchant-ships as well as war vessels were rapidly equipped with wireless apparatus.

When the great liner Republic was sinking as a result of a collision off the port of New York in 1903 her wireless brought aid.  Her passengers and crew were taken off in safety, and what otherwise would have been a terrible disaster was avoided by the use of the wireless.  The utility of the wireless was again brought sharply to the attention of the world.  It was realized that a wireless set on a passenger-ship was necessary if the lives of the passengers were to be safeguarded.  The United States Government by its laws now requires that passenger-ships shall be equipped with wireless apparatus in charge of a competent operator.

One of the early objections made to the wireless was its apparent lack of secrecy, since any other receiving apparatus within range of the waves sent forth by the sending station can receive the signals.  It was also realized that as soon as any considerable number of stations were established about the world, and began sending messages to and fro, there would be a perfect jumble of waves flying about in all directions through the ether, so that no messages could be sent or received.