Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-08-02
CAUGHT BY SUN-FLASHES.
How the Heliograph Aided in the Capture Of
Geronimo and His Apaches.

How the Photograph Aided in the Capture of
Geronimo and His Apaches.
The following is an article by Signal
Service Sergt. Whitney in the Louisville
Courier Journal:
At this stage of the campaign Gen.
Miles decided to make use of the signal
service, and TO this END requested the
chief signal officer to provide him with a
detail Of men from the corps to report to
the commanding general of the depart
ment Of Arizona for military signal duty
IN the field. Signal stations were located
on the highes peaks along the line of
commun icatiOn. Each station was equip
ed with from two to four operators, ac-
cOrding 70 the amount of business which
passed through iC. In addition to these
operators there were lookout men who
sweep the surrounding country and neigh
boring peaks with powerful Eyeglasses.
While on duty operators and lookout
men were guarded by detachment Of
infantry, the numerical strelgth of which
depended upon the location of the sta
tion, having reference to its liability to
attack by hostiles.
Messages were transmitted from peak
to peak and down Tito the valleys by
what is known as the hehogra phic system
of signals. The Photograph, or sun
writer, consists Of an arrangement of
mirrors mounted on a tripod and so ad-
justed as to enable the operator to throw
flash of reflected sunlight on a distant
point with mathematical exactness. In
making signals long and short sun-hashes
take the places of the ''dots" and clash
,es" of the magnetic sounder, the same
call being used for both instruments. In
a clear atmosphere signals made by this
instrument can be easily read by the max
ed eye at distance of eighty miles, and
by an expert operator at the rate of fif-
teen words minute.
To and fro across the valleys and low
er mountain ranges fitted the messages
which told of the recent whereabouts of
the hostiles, and close upon the heels of
those messages came others ordering the
troops in pursuit.
l presume it would be a difficult task
to try 10 immagine the surprise that the
Indians felt when they suddenly saw that
they could not move without finding that
almost immediately their trail would be
cut by scouting cavalry. They saw the
light Of the photographs fathiDg across
the valleys, but they did not at first com
prehend its true significance. At las
they began to associate those flashes with
the fact that they were constantly being
pressed and harrassed, and within two
weeks from the date of the establish
ment of the heliograph they fed south
ward across the Sonora border, there tt
remain until chased back again by Capt
Lawton to the place of surrender.
For nearly two months following the
flight of the hossiles into Mexico not
sound came back from the shadows OF
tbs Sierra Madres, into whose depth.
pursued and pursuer had disappeared
At last, on a scorching hot morning nea
the close of August a Mexican courie
galloped into Bisbee, mining town nsa1
the border, with the intelligence tina
Geronimo an6 band were in the Noun
taius about twelve miles from Fronteras
Mexico, wishing to treat with the authori
ties of Sonora.
There was a heliograph station at Bis
bee, and TIE information furnished By tn
"Greaser" was flashed promptly TO For
Bowie, seventy five miles away. Within
two hours from the time of the arrival o
of the Mexican courier at Bisbee Ev
troops of cavalry were making forces
marches on Fronteras. When Geronim
had escaped from the net that the Unite
States troops sought To weave around hir
at Fronteras and was flying eastward, pul
sued by all the cavalry in the field,
whisper passed along the line that neg
tIatlons had been opsned looking to tn
surrender of the hostiles. Consequent
all signal-men were on tiptoe of expec
anoy.
One evening, about the last of Angus
the operators at a station in the Swis:
helm mountains were nodding laZil
under the shelter of their tent-fiy whe
suddenly from the highest peak in III
Chiricahua range came the flash of
Photograph, and the following message wa
received: