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  • Family Home
    • Surname Index
      • (--?--) — to — Franks
      • Franz — to — Neave
      • Neff — to — Willard
      • Willcockson — to — Zuern
    • Persons Index
      • (--?--)—to—William Delray Alley
      • James Allinder—to—James Beall
      • James Beall—to—Claudia June Bremser
      • Clive John Bremser—to—Daniel Bushnell
      • Ebenezer Bushnell—to—Baby Claggett
      • Benjamin Franklin Claggett—to—James K Crofut
      • Asa Cromeans—to—Levi Jerome Dustin
      • Lydia Althea (Althia) Dustin—to—Bildad Fowler
      • Catherine Fowler—to—Frederick Eugene Gross I
      • Frederick Eugene Gross II—to—Nathan Alexander Hoover
      • Philip Richard Hoover—to—Thomas Kilbourne
      • Dora Kilby—to—Anson Cassim Loveland
      • Asa Loveland—to—Edward Christian McNett
      • Edward Clinton McNett—to—Shawn Newland
      • Judy Carol Newsom—to—(--?--) Phelps
      • (--?--) Phelps—to—John Phelps
      • John Phelps—to—Timothy Phelps
      • Timothy Phelps—to—(Widow) Ridgley
      • Johann Jakob Rieger—to—Betha of Savoy
      • Thomas I Count Savoy—to—Alice Spencer
      • Ann Spencer—to—John Thompson
      • John Thompson—to—Anne Webster
      • Annis Webster—to—Johann Jakob Zuern
    • Four Generations Tree
  • History of the Phelps Surname
    • Possible Origins of the Family in Germany and Italy
    • Spelling and Origin of the Name
    • Welf and Guelph, Possible Ancestors to the Phelps
    • House of Welf vs. the House of Hohenstaufen
    • Origins in Wales
  • William Phelps 1630 Origins
    • William Phelps First Generations
    • William Phelps of Crewkerne, England
    • William Phelps of Tewkesbury, England
    • William Phelps of Dorchester, Colony of Massachusetts
    • William Phelps 1672 Will
  • George Phelps 1634 Origins
    • George Phelps First Generations
    • The Identity of George Parkhurst
    • George Phelps in New England 1634
    • George Phelps 1687 Will
  • Richard Phelps 1633 Origins
  • James Phelps 1786 Origins
  • Phelps Origins in Europe
    • Phelps Origins in Nether Tyne, Checkley, England
    • Decendants of James Phelps of Nether Tyne, England
    • Decendants of James Phelps of Tewkesbury, England
  • Phelps Towns & Villages
    • Tewkesbury, England
    • Crewkerne, England
    • Checkley, England
    • Simsbury, Connecticut
    • Windsor, Connecticut
  • Colonial Voyages to Connecticut
    • Researching the Mary and John
    • Warrent and Order Detaining Phelps' Ships
    • About the Ship Mary and John
    • Voyage of the Mary and John 1630
    • Voyage of the Mary and John in 1633/34
    • Voyage of the Hercules in 1633/34
    • Voyage of the Recovery in 1633/34
  • Phelps Arrival in America
    • Nathaniel Phelps of Dorchester, Connecticut
    • William Phelps of Northampton, Massachusetts
    • Elnathian Phelps b. c1734
    • First Phelps Family Ancestors
    • The Great Migration to the Colonies
      • King Charles Persecutes Puritans
      • John Phelps Regicide to Charles I
      • Phelps Entries in the Great Migration Begins
  • Phelps of Simsbury and Windsor
    • William Phelps and the First Local Government
    • Founders of Ancient Windsor, Connecticut
    • Estimated Population of American Colonies 1620 to 1780
    • Crime and Punishment in Simsbury
    • Organization of the Church in Windsor
    • The Phelps Homestead in Simsbury
  • Phelps Family Letters
    • Isaac Ensign and Cornelia Phelps
    • Ensign Letters from Simsbury to Forsyth
    • Correspondance of Oliver Roswell Phelps and Georgia Phelps
    • Ensign Family Letters
  • Phelps from New York to Illinois
    • Nehemiah West Leads the Settlers West
    • Hoosiers vs. Yankees: A Slave State or Not?
    • The (Ill-fated) Boat Party
    • Pioneer Architecture: From Log Cabins to Homes
    • Galesburg Grows Amidst the Jackson Panic
    • Founding of the Knox Manual Labor College
    • Household Skills in Pioneer Galesberg
    • Commerce is Established With Colton's Store
    • Food and Clothing in Early Galesburg
  • Family Origins in Illinois
    • Noble Phelps Moves West to Illinois
    • Knox County Pioneer Noble Phelps
    • Noble Phelps' Prize Farm
    • Premium for Phelps Best Farm
    • Seraphina Princess Phelps and George Avery
    • Ronald Aaron Noble Phelps 1881 Bio
    • Avery Company History
  • Phelps Family in California
    • Bart Phelps, Navy Telegrapher Radioman
    • Bart Phelps, Yerba Buena 1916 Radio Operations
    • Bart Phelps, Wailupe 1921 Radio Operations
    • Bart Phelps, Alaska 1924 Radio Operations
    • Annabeth Beasley Phelps
    • Harold Bartle "Bud" Phelps III
    • A Generation Passes
  • Bartle Family
    • Bartle Family Genealogy
    • The Daily Journal of Births and Deaths
    • Bartle First American Ancestors
    • Henry Hart Bartle Obituary
    • Henry Hart Bartle 1858-1929 Biograpahy
    • Nathanial Sanburn 1723, Kingston New Hampshire
    • Francis G. Sanburn 1899, of Knoxville, Illinois
    • William Toy Bartle Ministry
    • Nathanial Sanborn, 1814, of Canandaigua, New York
  • Beasley Family
    • Beasley Family Genealogy
    • First Known American Ancestors
    • The Price of Slaves 1850
    • Luther S. Beasley 1925 Obituary
    • John T. Beasley 1883-1950
    • John Beasley and Lizzie Bremser Marriage
    • John T. Beasley 1950 Obituary
    • Jane Beasley Raph Professional Life
    • Jane Beasley Raph 2001 Obituary
    • Annabeth Beasley Phelps, Mother and Provider
    • Annabeth Beasley Phelps 2001 Obituary
    • Brandy Station in the Civil War
    • T/5 Myron K. Ricketts, WWII Veteran
    • A Hero in Our Midst—Mac Butler's "Battlin' Blue Bastards"
    • Ephraim Beazley 1797 Deeds and Records
    • William Beazley 1824 Court Records and Will
  • Bremser Family
    • Bremser Family Genealogy
    • Finding Heinrich Gottlieb Bremser
    • The Family History
    • Coming to America
    • The Search for Henry Bremser
    • Henry Bremser 1864-1848 Bio
    • Henry Bremser 1864-1948 Obituary
    • Elizabeth Bremser 1888-1952 Biograhy
    • Elizabeth Bremser Marriage Letter Home
    • Bremsers Origins in Germany
    • Bremser-Familiengeschichte (Deutch)
  • Christy Family
    • Guy Christy Horseshoes Collection
    • Christy Family First American Ancestors
    • Guy H Christy, Kentucky to California
    • 27th Illinois Infantry Regimental History
    • The Mystery of Harry Haskell
      • The Civil War Medal
      • A Short Biography
      • Harry's Gettysburg Report
      • 125th New York Volunteers Regimental History
      • Harry's Enlistment Record
      • Harry Haskell Obituaries
      • Mystery Revealed
  • Claggett Family
    • Claggett Family Genealogy
    • Claggett First Ancestors in America
    • Robert Clagget 1490 in England
    • Edward Clagett 1670 Emigration to America
    • Thomas Claggett 1703 of London and Maryland
    • Thomas Clagett 1732 Will
    • Samuel Claggett 1821, Revolutionary War Surgeon
    • Samuel Claggett 1846 of Virginia
    • Samuel Claggett and Julia F. Sanford Marriage Contract
    • Bernard Johnson Claggett 1919 Bio
    • The Price of Slaves 1850
    • Julia {Sanford} Claggett 1876 Civil War Claims
      • Deposition of Columbia Claggett
      • Commision Standard Interrogitories
      • Deposition of Sgt. Ereastus Weaver
      • Deposition of Lt.Frank Foot
      • Deposition of Julia Claggett
      • Deposition of Thomas Claggett
      • Testimony of Craven King
      • Testimony of William Francis
      • Testimony of Erastus Weaver
      • Map of Clagget Farm
      • Claim Exhibits
      • Battle of Bull Run
      • Battle of Brandy Station
      • 121st NY Volunteers
      • Complete Commission Transcript
    • Claggett Family Move to Illinois from Virginia
    • Sanford Ramey Claggett 1895 Obituary
    • Ann Claggett Beasley 1898 Obituary
    • Rev. Thomas John Claggett 1816, First American Episcopal Bishop
    • Thomas J. Claggett 1901 Obituary
    • Columbia Claggett 1904 Obituary
    • Brice Clagett, Family Genealogist
    • Claggett Coat of Arms
  • Diuguid Family
    • Diuguid Family Genealogy
    • George Christian Diuguid of Kentucky
    • The English Royal Connection
    • Harriet Diuguid's Letter About Her Ancestry
    • Diuguid Origins in America
    • Origin of the Diuguid Name
  • Klein Family
    • Klein Family Genealogy
    • Klein Origins in Germany
    • Klein Visit to 1922 Germany
  • Morgan Family
    • Morgan Family Genealogy
    • Utah Pioneer John Morgan
  • Loveland Family
    • Loveland Family Since 1556
  • Notable Family Members
    • 1600-1699
      • John Phelps, Court Clerk at the Trial of King Charles I
      • Anson Green Phelps, Merchant and Philanthropist
    • 1700-1799
      • Richard Phelps, Bell-founder for English Churches
      • Dr. Francis Phelps, Representative and Senator
      • Judge John Phelps, Publisher, Judge, Merchant, and Entrepreneur
      • Noah Phelps, A Spy at Ticonderoga, A Patriot of 1776
      • Oliver Phelps, Land Speculator, Judge, Congressman
      • William Wines Phelps, Judge, Mormon Publisher and Writer
      • William Wines Phelps Letters to Wife
      • William Wines Phelps Revelation Given
      • William Wines Phelps in Church History
      • William Wines Phelps Letter from Liberty Jail 1834
      • Samuel Shethar Phelps, Jurist, Congressman, and Senator
      • Nathanial Sanborn, Pioneer Settler of Canandaigua, New York
    • 1800-1849 A-M
      • Alfred Aaron Phelps, Wild West Show Rider
      • Austin Phelps, Congregational Minister, Educator
      • Charles Edward Phelps, Congressman, Judge, Author
      • Delos Porter Phelps, Lawyer, U.S. Assistant Treasurer
      • Edward John Phelps, American Lawyer, Diplomat
      • George M. Phelps, Master Telegraph Instrument Maker, Inventor
      • Dr. Guy Rowland Phelps, Founder, Connecticut Mutual Life Insurance Company
      • Judge James Phelps, Judge, Congressman
      • Judge John Jay Phelps, Publisher, Judge, Merchant, Entrepreneur
      • John Smith Phelps, Lawyer, Legislator
      • John Wolcott Phelps, Brigadier General, United States Volunteers
      • Mary Phelps Rich, Pioneer Saint in Tazewell County, Illinois
      • Francis G. Sanburn, Pioneer Resident of Knoxville, Illinois
    • 1800-1849 N-Z
      • Mary Anne Phelps Rich, Mormon Pioneer
      • Rev. Philip Phelps, Founder, First President, Western Theological Seminary
      • John Wesley Phelps, Deputy Sheriff of Hartford County, Connecticut
      • Stephen Sumner Phelps, Illinois Pioneer
      • Thomas Stowell Phelps, Civil War Naval Officer
      • William Walter Phelps, Congressman, Ambassador, Judge
    • 1850-1899
      • Mary Phelps Jacob, Inventor, Publisher
      • William Lyon Phelps, Educator, Literary Critic, Author
    • 1900-2020
      • Chance Russel Phelps, Private, USMC
  • Phelps Family Arms & Crest
    • About Coats of Arms
    • Arms of the Tewkesbury Phelps
    • Arms of Henry Phelps of London
    • Arms of the American Phelps
    • Arms of the Irish Phelps
    • Heraldic Glossary
  • Selected Family Wills
    • Thomas and Katherine Phylypp Wills 1556, Over Teyne, Checkeley, England
    • William Phelps 1672 Will, Windsor, Connecticut
    • Anthony Phillipps 1648 Will, Nether Teane, England
    • Francis Phylyppe 1648 Will, Checkley, England
    • Thomas Phylypp 1556 Will, Over Teyne, England
    • George Phelps 1687 Will, Westfield, Massachusetts
    • Timothy Phelps 1639 Will, Windsor, Connecticut
    • Natnaniel Phelps 1702 Will, Northampton, Massachusetts
    • Thomas Clagett 1708 Will, Calvert, Maryland
    • Thomas Clagett 1732 Will, Prince Georges, Maryland
    • Julia F Sanford 1727 Marriage Indenture
    • Ephraim Beazley 1797 Wills & Deeds, Spotsylvania, Virginia
    • Ephraim Beasley 1797 Deed Spotsylvania, Virginia
    • Ephraim Beasley 1798 to Elizabeth Beazley
    • Ephraim Beasley 1798 Will, Spotsylvania County, Virginia
    • Henry Beazley 1804 Indenture, Spotsylvania, Virginia
    • William Beazley 1828 Will, Culpeper, Virginia
    • William Beazley 1824 Court Records and Will
    • William Beazley 1852 Will, Culpeper, Virginia
    • Cornelius Beazley 1834 Will
    • Ephraim Beazley 1833 Mortgage
    • John Loveland 1649 Will
    • Ephraim Beazley 1798 Henry Beazley 1815 Indenture
    • James Phelps of North Caroline 1786 Estate
    • Robert Valentine Phelps 1905 Australia
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  • Order "Phelps Family in America" Genealogy
    • Updated Index to "Phelps Family in America" Book
    • Excerpts from the Book—European History
      • Spelling and Origin of the Phelps Name
      • James Phelps of Nether Tyne
      • Descendants of Francis Phylyppe
      • Reverend Elnathan Phelps and Eleanor Bridgman
      • John Phelps, Court Clerk at the Trial of King Charles I
    • Excerpts from the Book—American History
      • Introduction to the American Genealogy
      • William Phelps, First Local Government in America
      • Willaim Phelps, Magistrate in Simsbury
      • Organization of the Church in Windsor
      • Early Massacoh (later Simsbury), Connecticut
      • Early Dorchester (later Windsor), Connecticut
      • Oliver Seymour Phelps, Genealogist and Author
      • Noah Phelps, Spy at Ticonderoga, A Patriot of 1776
      • Maps of Ancient Windsor, Connecticut
    • Excerpts from the Book—American Family Histories
      • Introduction to the American Genealogy
      • William Phelps First Generations in New England
      • Descendants of George Phelps and Phillury Randall
      • Deacon Nathaniel Phelps
      • Will or Settlement Deed of William Phelps
      • Last Will and Testament of Timothy Phelps of Windsor, Connecticut
      • The Will of Immigrant George Phelps of Westfield, Massachusetts
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Radio Station Operations on Yerba Buena Island 1916-1919

Personal Recollections of Harold B. Phelps

Your list of DCO’s at NPG starting in 1916 was when they built the main Pacific Coast Station on top of Goat Hill and formed the Pacific Coast Communication Division with Capt. E H. Dodd as Pacific Coast Communication Officer. Maddox was DCO when I went there December 23, 1916.

Prior to 1916, the main Pacific Coast Station was NPH on top of the hill in back of the Navy Yard at Mare Island, with a 30 KW arc a 5 KW Spark. NPG at Goat Island had a 2 KW spark on top of Yerba Buena Island for nonmedication with ships and NYMI.

When the big NPG was built in 1916 on YBI we had no landline from YBI to Western Union or Postal in the city. When we got a message for them we would phone than and ask for an operator. They each had one telephone set with a pair of fones attached. We would back up a sounder to the fone and send our traffic. They would do the same when they had traffic for NPG. Life was simple then!

Bart Phelps My grandfather Bart Phelps was a telegrapher in World War I and radioman in World War II. He saw the world while in the Navy. He wrote a detailed history of Pacific Navy Communications on Yerba Buena Island from 1916-1919; spent a year on Woody Island (population 100) in 1925 near Kodiak; and wrote about his adventures and misadventures during 1926-27 as a radioman on Wailupe, Hawaii.

An incident that happened at the time of the USS MILWAUKEE grounding on Samoa Beach in Humboldt Bay near Eureka, California, January 13, 1917, while she was trying to rescue the U. S. submarine H-3:

Mare Island Navy Station
Mare Island Naval Shipyard from the top of the radio mast, 1921.
Yerba Buena Island radio station
Yerba Buena Island short wave operating booth, 1919

I was stationed at NPG on Goat Island in January 1917 as an Electrician (Radio) Second Class. We had a three man watch: chief of the watch, spark man and arc man. An E(R)2c on the spark had a habit of taking a little snooze when there were no signals, which was most of the time on the mid watch: chief of the watch. We had a permanent schedule at 4am for weather reports from Fara11on Island NPI and Eureka NPW, which we phoned to the Marine Exchange. This morning the chief was also doping off. All of a sudden he realized that it was past weather time. He woke the spark operator and told him to get going. The spark man called Eureka but got no response. Finally NPI came on and said NPW was working an SOS. NPI gave NPG all of his log from the time the SOS began. The chief called Capt. Dodd and others who were required to be informed. Our log was complete, courtesy of NPI, and nothing came of it. I was thankful I was on the arc at the time!

After going to sea for a while, I was transferred back to NPG on YBI January 8, 1919, and relieved "Boob" Fanning who had talked Capt. Dodd into letting him go out to KFS, the Federal station on the beach somewhere, to study sun spots. He was a character and a great politician. They even mailed his check to him so he never showed up at YBI. They had moved the NPM and the commercial ship-shore circuits to the Postal Building on Battery Street. The shipshore was the old Marconi circuit and at that Time every Jap passenger ship left Japan with 400 or 500 Jap "picture brides" on board enroute to San Francisco. As you probably know, the gals would marry a picture of a guy in the States or he would marry a picture of his bride to be. Every bride was allowed one message. KPH would start working those ships almost the minute they left Japan—as soon as their signals were readable after dark and until the signals faded out around daylight. If conditions weren't too good it would take KPH maybe a week to clear those 400 to 500 messages. All messages were the same: origin, address of the bridegroom, the text was only “arrive Thursday" and the signature of the bride. I have often wondered how many pictures brides came in to the States on deal?

NPG might have been on one of the piers after it moved from YBI. I do not know, as I was at for over three years at that time. Then NPG went to Appraisers Building on Sansome Street and then to 100 Harrison Street in the Marine Corps Building and then to the new Federal Building either the last of ‘35 or the first of ‘36 as I went to NPG on July 1, 1936, as a civil service wireman.

At NPG on YBl we handled Navy traffic to NPM and the overflow of the cable, if any, and press releases to Honolulu and Japan. The only transmitters we had for this job was the 12 KW arc out at South San Francisco a 12 KW arc at KFS out on the beach which was mainly for ships at sea with an arc transmitter. I don't know when this deal busted up as I went out to NPM in August 1919.

The cable went out once and we hid about 20 days delay on transpacific cable traffic. We were trying to get rid of them as fast as we could to NHI, which was rather slow. It was a happy day when Postal called and said the cable was back in. "Send down a thousand to start off. We will take the rest as soon as we can!" After I was out at NHI, one time we had a 23 day delay on cable traffic. All we could do was keep plugging away to NPG with that stack, until the cable was repaired. Some fun! Mostly hand sending, some static at times and fading periods every so often. We had a 500 KW arc but it was generally busy going to westward.

One day we really had static from NPG. We were completely out and the Honolulu Star Bulletin and Advertiser were scrambling their heads off for their press stuff. Scott, the radioman in charge, knew I had considerable experience with static so told me to see what I could do with NPG. No traffic—just get the press. I started NPG sending double, then triple and was getting no where fast so I told NPG to send each word until I made a dot on my key. Well, finally, after four hours of hard work I got about 600 words of press, all they had, so that kept the papers busy. I stood off NPG and I couldn't even walk straight when I came out of booth, with a splitting headache. What a difference it made when the high frequency tubes came along. Good old days? To heck with them I say!

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