The Coast Advertiser   March 11, 1971  Page ?

 
 

Army Working To Raise Tower WALL TOWNSHIP — The historic Marconi radio tower, standing on the banks of Shark River for more than 58 years, will be raised again.      The tower was blown down in the wind storm of Friday, but the Army and Wall Township are working to combine efforts and raise the historic metal tower. The tower, 60 feet high, was one of 30 erected by the pioneer Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company of America and was part of the Marconi effort in sending wireless communication in 1914 .      Raymond R. Russomano, assistant coordinator of the Army' s Camp Evans area, a branch of Fort Monmouth, said that township officials had asked the Army to help in raising the tower.      Township workman were busy this week cleaning away underbrush around the tower base . This is necessary, Mr. Russomano said, before 'Army crews can move their equipment in to begin raising the tower.      The Marconi company was founded by the father of wire- less radio, Italian inventor Gulglielmo Marconi. It was succeeded after World War I by the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) .      Marconi bought the site in 1913 to build receiver equipment for commercial transatlantic radio. The company built the present Evans Area headquarters building as a hotel for unmarried employes.      The first antenna consisted of six towers, each 300 feet high. Other towers were added later; some were made of wood and some of steel.      The company abandoned the site in 1924, after other stations far her north proved more efficient The Army acquired the area in 1941 and subsequently tore down 28 of Marconi's towers . The only other remaining tower besides the present monument was blown down in a 1960 storm.

***Arthur Krumm - 1970 ***

Article saved and given to Infoage by
Former Wall Township Mayor Mr. Arthur Krumm

Page updated August 13, 2004   page created August 13, 2004