From the aerials depended the wires that were attached to the
receiving and sending apparatus. These wires were on a reel, and
would he uncoiled as the balloon arose. The earth-end would be
attached to the telephone receivers and to the apparatus, consisting
of a spark-gap wheel and other instruments designed to send into
space the electrical impulses that could he broken up into dots,
dashes and spaces, spelling out words according to the Morse or
Continental code--whichever was used.
Captain Grantly looked over everything. His assistants signified
that every connection was made.
"Send her up," ordered the commander, and as the catch, holding the
balloon, was released the spherical bag of gas shot into the air,
carrying with it the aerials, and unreeling the connecting wires.
Quickly it rose to nearly five hundred feet, and, when it had been
anchored, all was soon in readiness.
Meanwhile a code dispatch had been written out, and as it was handed
to Captain Wakefield, who was to operate the wireless, he began
depressing the key that made and broke the electrical current. The
current itself came from a small, but powerful, storage battery, and
it had been switched on. The current also set in motion a toothed
wheel of brass. This wheel revolved on its axis with the points,
or teeth, passing rapidly in front of a platinum contact point.
As each tooth thus came in opposition to the point, a blue spark of
electricity would shoot out with a vicious snap; that is if the
connection key were pressed down.
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