[Gone] Marconi Wireless Station Model, Cape Cod National Seashore - Wellfleet, MA
Posted by: 
NorStar
N 41° 54.842 W 069° 58.289
19T E 419435 N 4640687
This exact model of Marconi's wireless station that received radio transmissions from across the Atlantic Ocean for the first time is located near the original spot in a shelter overlooking the ocean.
Waymark Code: WMFGJV
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 10/17/2012
Views: 10
20140527 - Received a visit comment (Thanks!) stating that the model and station was removed in July 2013 due to continued erosion advancement. The commenter did not know what became of the model. Changed title to reflect that the waymark is gone.
___
In Wellfleet, on the eastern shore and within the Cape Cod National Seashore, is an historic location for the Marconi Wireless Station, which has an exact model in glass and under the roof of a shelter at top of the Marconi Beach Bluffs.
The model is located at the end of Marconi Station Road. There is a parking lot there, and a short path to two information stops. The kiosk that of interest here is to the left, in a roofed shelter (the other is an open platform). The road is also where the Cape Cod National Seashore Headquarters is located.
The model is behind glass that unfortunately is clouding up. It shows the station as it was when it was operational. The general topography is flat, tan sand with small dunes. At the center is a building that is dwarfed by four lattice structured towers. The towers are supporting a ring of cables from which are attached other wires that link to the building at the other end. Guy cables help support the towers. There are a couple other structures in the model.
There are several an historic signs and a plaque in the vicinity. I won't transcribe all the text, here, but will give the highlights.
The sign, Marconi Wireless Station, describes the parts of the station and what remains today. Here is some of the text:
"Here stood one of the world's great pioneer radio stations, Marconi's South Wellfleet Wireless, or "Old CC." Unfortunately, the historic station was dismantled and abandoned in 1920, and the ocean has eroded away over half the land that it occupied.
A few remains are still visible, including concrete foundations of the transmitter house and northwest tower, and sand anchors that held guy wires.
The model encased behind you depicts the station as it appeared in 1903 when it transmitted its first overseas message."
A line drawing of the station dominates the sign. Around the drawing are descriptions of features. These include:
"Tower
Four towers built almost entirely of 3" x 12" lumber provided support for the antenna. Each stood 210 feet high (64m). The towers stood on concrete bases, two of which are still in place."
"Antenna
The wire antenna was shaped like an inverted pyramid. At the top was a square of heavy, stranded, copper wire. Attached to this were 200 smaller wires which converged in midair just above the transmitter house."
"Transmitter House
Here at the heart of the station were the 20,000 volt condenser, antenna tuning coil, and the whirling spark-gap rotor which could be heard 4 miles (6km) downwind. The foundation is still visible."
"Powerhouse
A 45-horsepower kerosene engine generator suppield 2,200 volts AC to a Telsa transformer which stepped it up to 20,000 volts. A smaller DC generator kept batteries charged."
The sign, Transatlantic Triumph, tells of the historical signifiance of the site. Gugliemo Marconi was able to successfully transmit telegraph signals as early as the 1890s in his father's garden in Italy when was only 16. He continued to increase the distance between the transmitter and receiver over the next decade. In December, 1901, he received the first transatlantic signal in Newfoundland. The text continues:
"On January 15, 1903, he transmitted a 48-word message from here to England and promptly received a reply. It was the first two-way transoceanic communication and the first wireless telegram between America and Europe." On January 19, 1903, a transmission took place between His Majesty Edward VII and President Theodore Roosevelt.
A plaque nearby summarizes the points made on the signs. Near the top it has an embossed image of the station.
The date used below when the station was built was based on the first transmitted message from this site, which was a test, done on December 17, 1902, as stated in a pdf of a brochure by the NPS about Marconi and the site. the link to this brochure is below.
Where is original located?: The site was within 100 feet of this model's location. Only remnants now exist. Most of the site has eroded away.
Where is this replica located?: Marconi Beach Bluffs, Cape Cod National Seashore
Who created the original?: Gugliemo Marconi
Internet Link about Original: http://www.nps.gov/caco/historyculture/upload/Marconicolor.pdf
Year Original was Created (approx. ok): 12/17/1902
|
Visit Instructions:
Post at least one photo of the replica.