[NJARC] Marconi Did Visit Belmar

[Ray Chase]

While it has been long believed that Gugielmo Marconi actually visited the Belmar Marconi station one or more times, the information was hearsay or  based on oral histories.  Now Fred Carl has found written proof in an Asbury Park Press article of Monday, June 30, 1913 describing his visit to observe the station under construction.  Marconi was satisfied with the progress.  Curiously, at the same time a self proclaimed "wireless expert" announced that signals from the station would render all telephones within a five mile radius inoperative unless lines were underground.  Marconi, after his return to New York City refuted this claim and assured the public that telephone service would not be affected.  Easy for him to say since Belmar was a receiver site and had no transmitters at all.  Sounds like the cell phone gloom and doom spouters of today.  I have a copy of the article.
Ray