The "young McCarthy" referred to in this story was actually Francis McCarty.
 
Nevada State Journal, September 10, 1922, Second Section, pages 1, 5:

Nevada  State  Journal  Is  First  Paper  in  State  to  Use  Radio  Broadcaster

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BROADCASTING  OF  ELECTION  RETURNS  LAST  TUESDAY  RECALLS  FIRST  TIME  WIRELESS  TELEGRAPH  WAS  USED  IN  AMERICA  BY  ANY  NEWSPAPER;  A.  J.  MOORE  TELLS  THE  STORY
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ANNOUNCEMENT  OF  ARRIVAL  OF  TRANSPORT  SHERMAN  BRINGING  TROOPS  HOME  TO  CALIFORNIA  FROM  MANILA  CARRIED  BY  WIRELESS;  FRANK  BROILI  PIONEER  RADIO  EXPERT
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(By  A.  J.  Moore.)
    Last Tuesday night witnessed an epoch in the history of newspapers in Nevada. On that night the Nevada State Journal for the first time in Nevada used a broadcasting radio station for the sending out to distant points the election returns. To vary the monotony of a continuous string of figures a program was arranged including musical entertainment and messages of interest. Anyone within the reach of the broadcasting instruments could "listen in." As the messages from the Majestic theater broadcasting station have been picked up in San Francisco, Portland, Los Angeles and Salt Lake City, anyone having a receiving machine located even in the most remote portion of Nevada could have picked up the election returns as they were sent out.
    Radio programs by various newspapers throughout the country, outside of the state of Nevada have been broadcasted for months. It has now become a sort of fad among newspapers, to have a broadcasting station. However, it remained for the now energetic management of the Nevada State Journal to make the innovation in this state.
    It was while in attendance on the broadcasting of the election returns that I met Frank O. Broili and thereby hangs this story. It was a singular coincidence that we met again here on the occasion of the first sending out of news by a Nevada newspaper by wireless or radio and we were both in connection, years ago, in the very first such use by any newspaper in the United States; in fact, in America. That was in 1902 and the newspaper to first use wireless in the gathering or distribution of news was the San Francisco Morning Call. I was at that time Sunday editor of the Call and the date on which radio was used was August 23, 189[9]. The occasion of it was the announcement of the sighting of the U. S. transport Sherman bringing home the California boys from Manila. It was a matter of great importance, to the people of California. The California boys who had participated in the Spanish-American war and had done service in the Philippines were coming home.
    John D. Spreckels was owner of the Call, also owner of the Oceanic Steamship company, the yacht Lurline and any number of tugs. His interest in steamships led him to experiment with wireless. The Marconi system was then just beginning to attract attention and Mr. Spreckels could see its importance to navigation. As the experiments involved a large expenditure of money that part of it was left to F. S. Samuels of the J. L. Spreckels Bros. Co. He in turn had become interested in the idea by an acquaintanceship with Prof. George Otis Mitchell, at this time professor of physics in the Girls' High school of San Francisco. After many experiments Professor Mitchell had succeeded in transmitting and receiving messages a distance of ninety feet. In the transmission of those messages the waves passed through three 16-inch brick walls. If that could be done, then, under proper adjustment and more powerful instruments, a much greater distance could be attained, so thought Mr. Samuels, and Mr. Spreckels said, "Go to it; here's the money. Go as far as you like."
    At first a station was built in the nineteenth floor of the Call building and another on Telegraph Hill. It was found that the sparks and electric currents from the trolley lines which ran at right angles to the two stations interfered with the experiments. A station was then built on Sutro Heights and another at the Ocean House about three and one-half miles down the beach. Here again the Park and Ocean trolley lines interfered, and the second station was removed to the Cliff House, only about 2,000 feet from the sending station. Here experiments were carried on for months. The Lurline, Mr. Spreckels' private yacht, was brought into use. She would cruise off the Cliff House on every available day. As the knowledge of wireless grew, and the capacity of the sending and receiving stations increased, the Lurline moved a little further from shore until it was found that she was able to send messages with perfect accuracy a distance of ten miles from shore. This accomplished, Commander Sebree, then inspector of United States lighthouses, was brought into it and he loaned the use of lightship No. 70, stationed ten miles off the coast. On No. 70 a sending station was built and communication with the station on shore established.
    It was from the deck of lightship No. 70 that the message was sent, "Sherman is sighted." This message was transmitted to the Call office and the news made known to the anxious people of San Francisco by the firing of cannon from the top of the Call building. This was the first news message ever transmitted to a newspaper by wireless. The feat attracted the attention of papers all ever the country. Cables were received from the Paris edition of the New York Herald and one London paper (I have forgotten which one, out I think it was the London Times).
    That little message cost John D. Spreckels, nobody but he and F. S. Samuels know, but I have the impression, not received clairvoyantly nor by radio waves, that it was about $20,000. The cablegrams from London and Paris Mr. Spreckels had framed and I doubt if he would take that amount far them. Letters came from all over the country--Canada, Manila and Hongkong--after the newspapers had received copies of the Sunday supplement containing a two-page story of the feat and how it was accomplished.
    During all the months that these experiments were going on there was one man whose knowledge of electrical work had been in constant employ. That man was Frank O. Broili, then chief draughtsman for the California Electrical works, now president of the Nevada Machinery and Electric company right here in Reno. It was he who constructed the coils used, built the receiving and sending stations and did most of the intricate electrical work. Another man who assisted was Lewis McKisick, circuit manager of the Western Union Telegraph company at Sacramento.
    I had nothing to do with the work until near the time for the arrival of the Sherman, when a Sunday story was planned. So important was the matter that during the last two weeks I relieved my assistant, Ben G. Lathrop, from some of his duties that he might give more time to the preparation of the article and the illustrations. He turned in a story that, with the illustrations, filled two pages. Among the illustrations used was a photo of Frank O. Broili, but he wore a mustache in those days. The news, "The Sherman is sighted," was flashed a full half hour before any other San Francisco paper had the news except as announced by the Call. It might have been made known fully a half hour earlier had it not been that the Sherman arrived off the lightship several hours earlier than expected. In order to protect the aerial and the delicate instruments from damage by sudden storm it was customary to take down the apparatus from the masthead of No. 70 and store it during the night. The early sighting of the Sherman caught them with the apparatus disconnected from the masthead. Operator Charles M. Fischer soon had the connection made and "Sherman is sighted" flashed to shore. Much credit should be given to Mr. Fischer. He possessed an expert knowledge of telegraphy and had become deeply interested in the experiments of Professor Mitchell. His knowledge of telegraphy, together with the knowledge of the making of electrical instrument coils, batteries and other such electrical appliances possessed by Frank Broili, had much, in fact, almost everything to do with the success of the work.
    Soon after the accomplishment of this feat Mr. Spreckels dropped the matter of wireless for a reason I am not at liberty to here state. He had accomplished his purpose -- that of proving to the world that others could manufacture and use instruments that would transmit and receive messages without aid of wires. He had also brought to the attention of the newspaper world the use wireless might be put to in news matters. From that time on wireless has progressed stop by step, until today one can carry a pocket receiving set and "listen in" at any point within call.
    True, the wireless system used by the Sunday Call was patterned after the Marconi system, that is, the transmission of waves from one instrument to another without the use of conducting wires. From this grew the idea of sending out sound waves, as we might term them, and later came the wireless telephone. Just a matter of progression an all such great discoveries develop until they become so familiar to us that little of thought of. them. A San Francisco boy had much to do with the development of the wireless telephone. Young McCarthy, a nephew of "White Hat" McCarthy, was the inventor of the McCarthy Wireless telephone. I had become very much interested in such matters through the achievements of Frank Broili and formed the acquaintance of Young McCarthy, and ran several full page stories of him and his work in the Sunday Call. He was then about 17 years of age. His youth was a great drawback to his work. People could not be brought to consider seriously the work of a "mere boy." Again he was somewhat handicapped by the fact that he had been exploited as a nephew of "White Hat." His uncle was one of the best known race horse men of the Pacific coast; in fact, of the world. His horses had broken world's records. "White Hat" had passed the zenith of his fame and prosperity and had become a "character" in San Francisco. As he was president of the McCarthy Wireless Telephone company, many looked upon the matter as a stock selling scheme. This had ready credulity, particularly as the public had little faith in the transmission of sound through space without use of conducting wires. With all those handicaps, little wonder that the stock found few buyers at 10 cents a share, but later it sold at $20 a share.
    Young McCarthy was a mere slip of a boy; tall, very slim and of a very nervous temperament. He could hardly contain himself sufficient to talk with a person for any length of time, particularly a stranger. It was only after several meetings with him that I could overcome a feeling of canniness in his presence. I know that many others had the same feeling when brought in contact with him, even to a more marked degree than myself. He died before reaching manhood but the ideas he had radiated lived on. Many a time he has told me that the day would come when a man could take out of his pocket a little instrument, and communicate with people many miles away. He talked this whenever he came in contact with strangers as well as friends. Can one wonder that people of twenty years ago thought him a boy freak? He was, in those days, classed with the man with an airship. But if you think that his predictions have not come true, step into the Nevada Machinery and Electric company and talk with Frank Broili.
    Another modern convenience, now of common use, that I have witnessed the development of but did not participate in, is the evolution of the electric light. About forty years ago, I would hesitate to say exactly, I stood at the corner of Ninth and Arch streets in Philadelphia, and witnessed the first public exhibition of an electric light. It was a big globe about two feet in diameter and how the light did splutter. About every five minutes a man had to run up the ladder to the top of the lamp post and readjust the carbons. Of the impressions made on me at the time two have ever been before me. One was that everyone was a little afraid of the spluttering lamp, myself included, and the other was that everyone said, "That may be all right someday for street lighting, but it could never be used in a house." What a false notion. Today, they can put an electric light down your throat and see what you had for breakfast. Even more wonderful has been the rapid advance in the development of the use of radio not only in a commercial way but as an entertainment. The latter seems to be the chief use at present, but one must recall that the Bell telephone was at first used as a sort of toy. Its commercial use did not develop until after, people had become accustomed to it as an amusement.
    The newspapers of today are using the radio as a sort of amusement. There is no telling what development will follow the innovation set by the Nevada State Journal in the dispersmant of news. I predict that some day a plan will be worked out whereby the distribution of news to its subscribers by a broadcasting station will be in vogue with every up-to-date newspaper. The Nevada State Journal has started it in Nevada and none dare predict where it will end.
    It might be well to here add that the Nevada State Journal will send out from its broadcasting station in the Majestic theater full election returns on the night of November 7. A very attractive program also will be given, announcements of which will be made later.
    It is also desirable that the Nevada State Journal should hear from all persons in Nevada, or eastern California who have "listening in" sets. Write and give the Journal full particulars of the instrument you have and what facilities for "listening in."