Dominion Government Wireless Stations

Canadian Government installed Wireless Telegraph Stations along the BC Coast for communcation with northern communities, and ships at sea.

C. P. Edwards (Charles Peter Edwards) (bio Below) was General Superintendent, he was newly appointed July 1909,
Headquarters in Ottawa ON. Still listed in 1913 same job.
He succeeded Cecil F. Doutre who let the original contracts for the first 5 stations.

E. J. Haughton (Bio below) was Inspector of Wireless Stations in BC (ca 1913)

Sept 1907 the first 5 stations were built with One Kilowatt, Shoemaker type apparatus, built by the Shoemaker Wireless Telegraph Company in New York.
There was a big battle with the Marconi Company, over not using their apparatus.

• Gonzales Hill, Victoria
• Point Grey, Vancouver
• Cape Lazo, Comox
• Pachena Point, Bamfield
• Estevan, Hesquiot

Masts had to be erected at all sites other than Point Grey, where a 230 ft fir tree was selected.
Dec 1909 they increased the power of Gonzales Hill and Pachena stations to 3 watts, and they added to the length of the aerials at those stations as well.

They originally had one man at each station, reporting every 2 hours. This incresed to 3 men, for 24 hr coverage.
They then added a duplicate set of apparatus at each station in case of failure of the main one.

C. B. Edwards was visiting July 1909, arranging to install the following stations:

• Digby Island- Prince Rupert (Mr. DeWinter, Operator in charge in 1913)
• Lawn Point (Dead Tree Point)
• Skidegate
• Triangle Island (daylight range 400 Miles)

1912 they had 12 stations interconnected. Over 150 vessels equipped with wireless. at 8am, 12 noon and 6pm they issued a report with the following items Barometer reading Temperature Strength and direction of the wind General weather condtions Shipping sighted, and time they were seen Shipping spoken by wireless, and location and time of those.

1913 I see Alert Bay and Ikeda Bay stations are shown.

By 1914 Langara Island and Dead Tree Point had a wireless station as well.
Dead Tree Point station was being considered to be to Cape St. James, southern end of Queen Charlotte Islands.

Ikeda Head, south end of Queen Charlotte Islands

Anyox also had a station

Charles Peter Edwards
b- Jan 1866 Cheshire, England
d- July 13, 1960, Ottawa, ON
son of Peter Edwards, Contractor and Builder,
and Sarah Elizabeth Hughes
He actually worked with Marconi
married Ethel Maude Dickieson Oct 30, 1911, Carlton, ON b- ca 1886 in ON
daughter of Matthew George Dickieson and Harriett Merrick

Edward Johnston “Eddie” Haughton
b- Dec 6, 1871, Rathmines, Dublin Ireland, age 25 in 1897
d- Jan 30, 1940 in Victoria, age 68
buried in Ross Bay Cemetery, Victoria BC
son of James Augustus Haughton, a Chemist, and Mary Rogers
married (1) Minnie Mabelle Morrison, Aug 10, 1897 in Victoria BC
b- May 17, 1877, Red Cedar WI, USA, age 21 in 1897
d- June 6, 1910 in Victoria BC
buried in Ross Bay Cemetery, Victoria BC
daughter of Daniel and Ellen Morrison

son- Donald Augustus Haughton
b- Aug 15, 1898 in Victoria BC

daughter- Gertrude Barcroft Haughton
b- Nov 7, 1909 in Victoria BC

married (2) May Esther Shotbolt
had a daughter- Kathleen May Haughton
b- July 12, 1912 in Victoria BC

married (3) Jessie Stewart Laker, Nov 13, 1917 in Victoria BC
b- 1884, Adelaide Australia, age 32 in 1917
d- 1951
daughter of Benjamin Hamilton Laker, and Mary Stewart
they had 2 children

Cecil Fairfax Doutre
b- Nov 1873 (I have seen 1874, 1875 and 1876?) Quebec, Canada
d- May 16, 1955
buried in Mount Royal Cemetery, Montreal Quebec Lived in Ottawa, moved to Montreal. married an Ada “Constance” Kenningham, bet Oct-dec 1924 St. Martin, London, England

Harry Shoemaker
b- May 11, 1879, near Millville, Pennsylvania
d- Aug 23, 1932, New Rochelle, New York, USA , age 53
he applied for his patent #700,250, July 31, 1901, patented May 20, 1902
H. Shoemaker, Wireless Telegraphy
https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/pages/US700250-0.png
https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/pages/US700250-1.png
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Shoemaker

Note NOT my sites

No sense in further research as it is all in this site.
http://www.roughradio.ca/newspapers/reid/West%20Coast%20Radio%20History.pdf

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