, 1885-04-23
MOSS SYSTEM OF SIGNALS
Novel Experiments of n Volunteer Signal
Service Corps-Detonator~
RrookIxu Eayl-

Novel Experiments Of n Volunteer signal
Service Corps ~etonator~-
lBrookiYn Eagle
The Signal corps is composed of about
twenty young men ambitious for mill
tary fame, most, of whom either are or
have been members of the National
guard. Lieut.. K. b Moss, of the First
battery, n. e.. 5. n. y. is the organizer
and originator Of the CORPS, and from
his personal pocket are paid out the con
siderable SANS required for experiments,
etc, with the expectation that when the
corps has perfected its system OF signals
il will be recognized by the war depart
ment. Each member OF the corps agrees
to p Divide his own outfit, including
horse, and serves without pay or re
Enumeration. The outfit at present Is
comparatively small, but when the
plans of Lieut.. Moss are perfected il
will include a huge copper canteen, to
be slung across the back, containing
t%urpentine for the torches, and fifty ex-
plosive shells about eight inches long
and one and a half in diameter.
This dangerous necklace is the device
Of Mr.. Moss, who has invented the new
explosive of which they are composed.
This is q white powder which burns
rapidly IN ignition and will not explode
without q certain decorating cap.
Beside the canteen and the necklace,
each man carries Il small arsenal slung
on his back, in the shape Of a twenty
inch brass mortar, for ield service, and
will be supposed, beside, TO carry a
number Of paper mortars (which will
fire bombs six or seven tines, flags,
torches, and other paraphernaiia. The
object of all these noisy things is 10
signal on land during time of war. The
present system Of military signaling is
by the manual alphabet arms and legs
the waving Of flags and burning of
colOred lights. But for such emergencies
as fog or mist in time of war the mill
tary authorities have made nc provision.
To meet this want Lieut.. Moss has de-
voted his time and means, and has de.
vised a code Of signals, by explosives,
as complete as any code a be made.
Last night the quiet inhabitants Of
rural Bay Ridge were startled by q
Beries Of loud reports from the vicinity
OF Fourth VENUE and Sixty third street,
and when they looked out on the scene
they were startled by n score or so Of
flaming torches waving about at differ.
ent points of the woods and hills
Bombs were fired and exploded high up
in the air, with n detonation and pyro-
technic effect unapproached by the most
elaborate Fourth Of July display. Elk
plosive shells were sent careering
toward the moon, and were answered
from distant points. Rockets and de-
tonators were made to converse as in
diligently as letters and words. but
very noisily. The colored lights were
burned, the mortars doomed with APP
parent recklessness and prodigality Of
powder.
But, though the whole exercise was
rather confusing than entertaining to
the bewildered spectators, it was as in
telligible as the words OF a book to those
who were drilling. In chronosemic sig
mailing, everything depends upon the ac-
curacy Of the time fuse. One seconds
time too much between two explosions
may have an entirely unintended mean
ing, and as the experiments with the
time fuses last night were made for the
first time, this department was not quite
perfect, aud the exercises terminated in
q slight accident.