13218. (photo) Wireless Operator Jack Binns, RMS Republic c.1909 view. CQD (all stations: distress) transmitted in Morse was one of the first distress signals adopted for radio use in 1904. Although used worldwide by Marconi operators, CQD was never adopted as an international standard since it could be mistaken for a general call “CQ” if the reception was poor. (In 1905 “SOS” would be adopted as the international ocean distress signal.) Between 1899–1908, nine documented rescues were made by the use of wireless. The first distress call was simply “HELP”. By February 1904, the Marconi Wireless Company required all of its operators to use CQD for a ship in distress, or requiring URGENT assistance. In the early morning of 23 January 1909, whilst sailing into New York from Liverpool, RMS Republic collided with the Italian liner SS Florida in fog off the island of Nantucket Island. Radio Operator Jack Binns sent the CQD distress signal by wireless transmission – this was the most famous use and rescue using wireless prior to the RMS Titanic. Radio operator Jack Binns would become a hero – as the “Republic” began to sink, the twenty-five-year-old wireless operator sent the distress call that brought the rescue ship, “Baltic.” The “Republic” suffered a puncture to its hull and began to sink. The collision killed two of the “Republic’s” passengers and damaged Binns’ wireless. But Binns quickly made repairs and began to transmit the distress signal CQD. Although his signal was weak and he worked from batteries alone, Binns reached the Siasconsett wireless station on Nantucket. He stayed at his wireless for the next 36 hours, sending signal after signal from his frigid, water-swamped cabin. Eventually, the “Baltic,” another White Star liner, came to the rescue. When Binns arrived ashore in New York, he was surprised to find himself the focus of mass adoration. A ticker tape parade was held in his honor. He was offered contracts to perform on the vaudeville circuit. A song and a short film were made about him. No longer simply “Jack,” he was now “CQD Binns,” certified hero. But the attention was upsetting to Binns. Jack Binns worked as a wireless operator until 1912, when he turned down an assignment aboard the ill-fated “Titanic.” He returned to America, where he began a new career – journalism – the day before the “Titanic” sank. Binns continued his work in journalism until World War I, when he joined the Canadian Flying Corps as a wireless instructor. In 1924 he began work for the Hazeltine Co., an electronic engineering firm. He became the company’s chairman of the board in 1957. Two years later, he died, at the age of seventy-five. UPI press photo is b/w and includes description on back. 7” x 9”. View is 1909i, print may be later. (VG+). $34.