[Elecraft] Cans

[N2EY@aol.com]

In a message dated 2/5/03 7:07:17 PM Eastern Standard Time, 
rondec@easystreet.com writes:

> It was better than the
>  coherer at sea, but it required the operator to remember to wind it up.
>  C.F. Rockey (of regenerative receiver fame) wrote that at least one ship
>  in easy hearing distance of the Titanic never heard the distress calls
>  because the operator had fallen asleep at his desk and the "maggie" had
>  run down. 

Being a bit of a Titanic fan, I can't pass this one up. I don't know Mr. 
Rockey, and perhaps his account is of a different ship than the one I know.

The Walter Lord book, "A Night To Remember" tells the tale this way:

The ship Californian was within sight of Titanic (estimates range from 10 to 
20 miles) when the acident occurred. Californian had warned Titanic and other 
ships of ice and bergs by wireless, and was stopped for the night because of 
ice near her. But she only carried one wireless operator, who went to bed 
slightly before Titanic hit the berg.

However, the wireless op had taught one of the ship's officers the code, and 
often that officer would listen in when things were slow. Around 1 AM or so, 
when Titanic was calling for help, he quietly went into the shack, put on the 
'phones and closed the antenna switch. Titanic's signal should have rattled 
the cans off his head - but he forgot to wind up the magnetic detector, and 
heard nothing.

73 de Jim, N2EY