The Electrical Experimenter, March, 1917, page 805:
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The  Washington's  Birthday  Relay,  February  24,  1917
By  W.  H.  KIRWAN,  (9XE)
Master  Radio  Relays,  Radio  League  of  America
ON the night of February twenty-fourth, every wireless amateur, as well as every member of the Radio League of America, will have the chance of his life to show the world how efficient he is and how much he knows about wireless. Mr. W. H. Kirwan, of wireless fame, has arranged for a double-barreled transcontinental Amateur Wireless Relay, that will set the country a-talking! On this memorable evening, a New York amateur will obtain a certain message from the mayor of the City of New York and this message (the contents of which will be kept secret until 9 P.M., February twenty-fourth) will be relayed over special amateur stations across the country, to be delivered to the mayors of the West Coast cities.
    Simultaneously, another message will be handed to a California amateur by the mayor of Los Angeles, and this message will wing itself eastward, from one amateur station to the next, until it is finally delivered to the mayor of New York.
    Only special amateur stations listed will do the actual sending. All other amateurs are strictly requested NOT TO SEND, but to listen in only: As soon as you receive the M.S.G. (message) rush it to the mayor of your city and get a receipt for it. Valuable prizes will be given for good and speedy work. February twenty-fourth promises to be an exciting evening for all Radio amateurs. We hope you will be on deck and let your motto be: "Watchful Waiting!"
SEVERAL criticisms recently made about the different relays arranged for by the writer, lead one to believe that the Radio Amateurs of this country are prepared for a final test of their skill in relay work. We have been trying in our small way to educate the workers up to the point where successful work could be done; while we admit many stations are relaying now satisfactorily, not until recently have M.S.G.s (messages) been relayed successfully from coast to coast. We have outlined a plan which will really be a true-blue test or race between amateurs and special stations, and while we appreciate the good work the special stations have been doing--my hat goes off to the amateurs who are the real men behind the guns in all relays.
    We propose to try and send a M.S.G. from the mayor of New York City and deliver it to the mayors of the West Coast, using special stations going westward. We propose to try and obtain a M.S.G. from the mayor of Los Angeles and deliver it to the mayor of New York, using amateur stations only going eastward from the West Coast.
    Every amateur in the country is asked to try his skill at receiving these messages and for heaven's sake please do not send--but listen, and you will have a bigger job and attain more valuable results and prizes than for a few minutes' sending. You all have a whole year for sending and we ask you to please try and quiet everyone in your state so that you may all try for a prize. Any station not listed and sending in defiance of our most earnest request will be noted and his "call" publisht, as well as having his intentional interference brought to the attention of the Radio Inspector in his district. Now boys, we have spent lots of time on these preparations and have been busy working while you were peacefully sleeping, so please take out your fuse plugs on February twenty-fourth at 9 P.M., Eastern time and keep them out. A representative of every wireless organization in this country is working on this relay and we have old men and boys--amateurs and experts--and the Government authorities are watching closely, all these tests--so don't get in bad by interfering, before you get a flying start in the game.
W. H. Kirwan
    Our many radio amateur friends will undoubtedly be glad to learn that Mr. W. H. Kirwan has promised to write one article each month for a period of twelve months, for THE ELECTRICAL EXPERIMENTER.
    W. H. Kirwan, Master of Relays for the RADIO LEAGUE OF AMERICA and known to the amateur world as 9XE, was born in Baltimore, MD., February 5, 1881, Graduated in Steam and Electrical Engineering in 1897, Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute. Six years in the U.S.N. fitted him for life's more serious work. Six years' study of law prepared him for the bar, but he took up Engineering instead. Was Assisting Erecting Engineer at the Panama Canal for the Emergency Dam machines, and has been in every civilized country on the globe that has a seaport. He has been a student of Wireless Laws since Marconi first flashed his signal cross the Atlantic, and he has grown up with the new art. He is the author of the National Relays and the Q.R.M. League of the U.S. He is at present Superintendent of Construction for the Otis Elevator Co., in the States of Iowa and Illinois.

STARTING  M.   S.   G.   (MESSAGE).

    All of you wisht for something hard on the other relays and many complained because you knew the M.S.G. ahead of time--so your wish is fulfilled now, you have the job of your life on your hands.
    Mr. George C. Cannon of New Rochelle, N.Y., will start the M.S.G. from station 2ZK, on a wave length, of 350 meters as soon after NAA routine report on the night of Saturday, February 24, 1917, as becomes possible. Catch his "sigs" if you can. Mr. Cannon has agreed to act as eastern manager of this relay and Mr. Robert T. St. James, lIZ, Great Barrington, Mass., and Mr. C. H. Stewart, 3ZS, St. Davids, Pa., will act as his right and left flanks to relay the M.S.G. one-half hour later south and north, so that all of you on the Eastern coast may get it, but these stations will not send it until one-half hour later than the time Mr. Cannon starts it, and no station other than these is asked to resend it until next day except 8NH. Write down the M.S.G. you receive--station sending--time to the minute and deliver a copy of it to the mayor of your town and obtain a receipt for it. This is important as you will see later. The other sending stations as listed will be worked in the order of the list and the preceding station will call the next station on the list and give him M.S.G. and Q.S.L. This station will call next station and so on down the line until station 8YO, Columbus, Ohio, receives the M.S.G. He will then call 9ZS, Springfield, Ill., Illinois Watch Co. If 8YO cannot get him QSA--let them send M.S.G. on Q.S.T. and 9ZN, Mathews of Chicago, W.L. 425 meters, will take M.S.G. and, give it to 9XN, Grand Forks, N.D., and 9XV, Washington University, St. Louis, Mo. 9XN will give it to 9ZF, Denver and get Q.S.L. 9XV will wait until 9XN has sent and if no Q.S.L. is received by 9XN, 9XV will call 5ZC, Corlett, Dallas, Texas, who will give it to 9ZF, Denver, a station owned Mr. Doig and aided by Mr. Smith of the Y.M.C.A. Radio Club of Denver. This station, 9ZF, will be flanked by 9XN on the north and 5ZC on the south, who will assist if necessary, if QRN is bad in trying to get M.S.G. thru to 6EA, Seefred Bros., Los Angeles, as has been done several times in some recent tests. 9ZF will have as a relay station if necessary 6DM, R. Higgy in Phoenix, Ariz., and also 6SH, our old friend MacQuarrie, at Stockton, Cal. Our old standby, 7YS, St. Martin's College, Lacey, Wash., has promised to be on the job if we start it before his bedtime so it will be up to 7YS to give it to Vancouver, B.C., and also to Seattle. This reinforcing or flanking of sending stations was necessary owing to the northern route thru Lewiston, Mont., and La Grande, Ore., being temporarily out of service. Now all of you wanted something hard, so go to it and get the M.S.G. from New York and also get the one coming from Los Angeles, Cal., as soon as you get these M.S.G.s deliver them to the mayor or highest civil authority in your city and get his receipt and mail them at once to 9XE, Davenport, Ia., no name, just "9XE" that's all, so that I may get to work again and work all night on the write-up, in order that you may read it in your magazine. If you want the wave length of the various sending stations look in the Government callbook; only the sending stations will be given this information as each will receive a personal letter from the writer in good time before the relay. Now you all wisht this hard work on yourself so it is now up to you; the results of the relay depend upon those who do not send, those keeping quiet and those asked to send to keep quiet after getting Q.S.L.
    We are anxious to get the M.S.G. from both coasts to New Orleans and believe we must use the following route: 6EA, with 6DM and 6SH, alternates if needed, 9ZF, 5DU, Emerson, Dallas, Texas, 9ABD, Corwin, Jefferson City, Mo., 9GY, Kern, Matoon, Ill., 8AEZ, west, Lima, Ohio, 2AGJ, Hewitt, Albany, N.Y., and 1IZ, our old "bright star in the East," Robert T. St. James, who must get it back to New York City mayor thru a local station. 5ZQ, St. Charles College, Grand-Coteau, La., and 5ZD, C. B. De La Hunt, Memphis, Tenn., have agreed to help getting the M.S.G. to 5ZS, W. Anthony, Shreveport, La., if he does not get it direct from 9ZS or 9XV or 5ZC on the way west, but they are asked not to send if 5ZS Q.S.L.'s promptly; or they will QRM route west at 9ZF.
    Mr. and Mrs. C. Candler are requested to get M.S.G. going west from N.Y. and send it on 200 meter wave on a Q.S.T., three times after M.S.G. leaves 9ZN and 5ZC, going west; this is for the benefit of the southeast stations from Baltimore to Florida, they will be listening for 8NH. They will also give return M.S.G. from west on a Q.S.T. three times for the benefit of the same stations, but 8NH will not send this M.S.G. on its return from 6EA until lIZ acknowledges Q.S.L. Station KIX, Denver, and KIW, Mr. Colburn, Ajax mines, Victor, Colo., will be on the job to help us out at this point, which is a hummer and has caused the writer many gray hairs. Among the many special stations agreeing to help are Cornell University, University of Pittsburgh, Ohio State University, Illinois Watch Co., thru our old friend 9ZS, Mr. G. S. Johnson; State University of Iowa, Iowa City; Professor Ford, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks; Professor Taylor, Washington University, St. Louis; Professor Blatterman, to whom with Professor Taylor, we are all indebted for our real information on long distance sending. Rev. Fr. Phillippe, St. Charles College, La.; Rev. Ruth, St. Martins College, and our old friends, Mathews, in Chicago, who is now in charge of special station 9ZN, formerly 9IK, Corlett 5ZC, Dallas, Texas, who says there are only four states in the country that have not heard my "sigs," and the other well-known boys who have worked hard at the game and on whom will fall the burden of putting this M.S.G. thru. Don't forget boys, we are working against time; so cut out QRM as the special stations are going to try and make better time than the amateurs in these messages, and truthfully I want the amateurs to lick them to a splinter. Write 9XE about any Q.R.M. whether from commercial or Government stations.
    None of the operators at these stations were born with receivers on their ears; they all had to learn and plenty of them have still more to learn; so we hope they will not be so impatient on this night and try to hog the air. We hear Government stations every night hogging the air with lots of fool stuff, worse than amateurs and numerous commercials calling each other names--we hear you boys, so have a heart and give us a real chance to make good--so we may be able to work with you later and not against you. The writer's experience in the U.S. Navy taught him that there are many points of etiquette yet to be acquired by the commercial class as a body, but you are all good scouts, so help us out just a little for the "love of mike," and give us just a few minutes out of the 525,600 minutes in the year to try out our schemes.

PRIZES.

    The Thordarson Co., of Chicago, Ill., have donated again a 1K.W. transformer, which you almost won on the Presidential Relay, November 27, 1916. The Electro Importing Co., of New York City, have very kindly donated one of their "Nauen-POZ" Radio Receiving Sets (first prize) and one of their "Professional" Wave Meters (second prize). The W. B. Duck Co., of Toledo, Ohio, have donated one of their celebrated "Arlington" tuners. The Mesco Co., Chicago, Ill., thru their Mr. McGivern, donated a pair of their 3,000 ohm Mesco 'phones. The F. B. Chambers Co., of Philadelphia, Pa., will give a prize and it will be one of their No. 748 or 749 Tuners. The Adams-Morgan Co., Upper Montclair, N.J., will also donate something worth your while and a number of other manufacturers have agreed to give plenty of things. The full list of prizes will be publisht in the April issue of "EE" and the disposition of them will be determined after consulting the donees and the amateurs of the country after the Relay.
    Don't forget the final reckoning will be made after this Relay and the number of credits you receive will determine along with the number received on the last Relay as to who gets the best prize of all.
    Letters with receipts of M.S.G. and reports with post-marks on the letters showing they have been mailed more than forty-eight hours after midnight, February 25, 1917, cannot be entered in the final roundup for the write-up so please get busy at once boys and send our dope in at once, i.e., right after the Relay.
    We received so many requests to have the Relay on Saturday, February twenty-fourth, that we decided to hold it at that time and if any hitch comes in getting the M.S.G. west or east we will start the same time Sunday night, the twenty-fifth, and do it all over again. Another thing, if the east bound M.S.G. gives any trouble coming from Los Angeles, 6DA, we can have the chance of our lives for a little early morning work and still be in time for church. As a last call boys, do your very best to keep your sets quiet during the Relay--I know it is a tough job to listen and hear not--I have been there--but try it just once; take out your fuses and resolve for this one night you will not arbitrarily spoil the work of thousands by few moments unnecessary sending. Now I have done my part and the rest is really up to you--go to it and luck to you.
Cordially yours,                        
9XE,            
Davenport, Ia.      

    The following stations are appointed "monitors of the ether" and will report any Q.R.M. from amateur, special, commercial or government stations; even the Allies are requested to keep quiet for a few moments!!
C. F. Ouidin, 2AFT, Schenectady, N.Y.
Graceland College, 9YO, Lamoni, Ia.
The Old War Horse, 9RD, Clinton, Ia.
O. R. Terry, 9HQ, Stoughton, Wis.
MacQuarrie, 6SH, Stockton, Cal.
H. P. Maxim, 1ZM, Hartford, Conn.
W. A. Parks, 3ZW, Washington, D.C.
Lieutenant for, lIZ, Massachusetts.
D. R. Simmons, 5AX, Shreveport, La.
D. H. O'Neill, 9DK, St. Louis, Mo.
Mr. and Mrs. Candler, 8NH, St. Mary's, Ohio.
C. Dunning, 8YZ, Pittsburgh, Pa.
F. B. Chambers, 3XC, Philadelphia, Pa.
H. Brownell, 5AM, Birmingham. Ala.
W. T. Gravely, 3RO, Danville, Va.
W. S. Rothrock, 4DI, Winston-Salem, N.C.
A. A. Herbert, District Manager, A.R.R.L., New Jersey.
F. F. Merriam, 4CL, Atlanta, Ga.
S. Greenleaf, 9ZG, Woodstock, Ill.
W. Reinhart, 9BW, Omaha, Neb.
W. S. Ezell, 9YE, Wichita, Kans.
Cedric E. Hart, 6SL, Salt Lake City, Utah.