Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-09-02

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! fits obtained-such as right of way, timber
| for poles and land for station SITES Wanna
| maker cut down the government rate to 10
cents for ten words, with a quarter of a
cent for every additional word. These terms
the Western Union refused to accept urg-
| ing that 1t should not be required to do
| business at a loss. Such a price. 1t con-
| tended, was less than cost especially in
| view Of the fact that government kilograms
must take precedence of all others The
dispute has continued since 1889. A while
ago the company decided to take the allow
ance made. receipting under protest" At
present its case is before the Court of
Claims.
Predicting Storms at Sea.
For the purpose Of predicting storms at
sea the photographic office Of the navy re-
ceives weather reports from stations all
along the West India Islands. East Of
| these isles the great cyclones breed. There
exists an incubating region of hurricanes
from which those dreaded revolving storms
sweep up the Atlantic coast, following the
course Of the gulf stream. They move like
the little whirlwinds Of dust in the street.
which travel along as they gyrate. Instead
OF picking up dust and rubbish they pick
up rain and clouds. AS they go northward
they broaden out, having commonly a
diameter of 400 or 500 miles by the time
they reach the tracks of the transatlantic
steamships. Far out in the midst of the
ocean bermuda stands like a sentinel.
Sill ce 1t has been connected with the MAIN
land by a cable from Halifax the weather
reports sent from thence have given most
valuable help in the representation of
cyclones.
One use which the photographic office
makes of the telegraph is to determine lon
gitudes. Such reckonings can only be made
by knowing the exact time. The situation
OF Hawaii in the Pacific ocean Is not es-
tablished precisely, because the computa-
tons have depended upon chronometers,
which are liable to error. When Honolulu
lie tod Nn-ift ~.
1t will be possible to fix the Sandwich Is
lands just where they ought to be on the
maps. The United States coast and geodetic
survey also employs wires for finding the
longitude of points. The Naval Observa-
tory here Is commonly utilized to reckon
from. The origin of the word longitude"
by the way, is rather odd. The ancients,
supposing that the world was fat, con-
ceived 1T to be much broader east and west
imam from north to SOUTH Accordingly,
they spoke OF measurements from east 10
west as covering distances in iongi.ude-or
the long way.
Although the permanent telegraph Office
was first established at the White House
just before Grant LETT it the Executive
Mansion had previously been connected
from time to time with the telegraph sys-
TEN Of the country by wires put in for spe-
cial purposes. This was done in the earliest
instance three days after Fort Sumter
was fired upon, when an instrument was
attached to window ledge in the east
wing of the building over this wire
President Lincoln got his freshest news of
the stirring events of the war
Many Odd Purposes.
The government uses electricity for a
good many odd purposes. The latest nov
city is its employment for night sights on
guns. tiny bulb assisting the eye of the
gunner. Electricity is utilized as a motive
power for flsh torDedoes which are con-
trolled from shore and directed by means
7,
wise used for setting off submarine mines
or the kind that are exploded when an
enemy's vessel passes over them by touch
ing button miles away. The luckiess YES
sci does the rest. 1t is proposed to utilize
lncandescent lights for signaling by ex-
unguishing and relighting them as a sub
stitute Tor "wig-wagging." For some time
past the War Department has been experi.
menting with balloons for strategic pur-
poses, which are to be held captive by long
ropes, while observers aloft transmit
through a wire information as to what is
going on over the great area which they are
thus enabled to overlook luminous bal
loon Is also employed for signaling at night
1t Is made Of very light and translucent
material and three arc lights of Is candle
power inside Of it are turned on and off
by means of a wire from the earth below
thousands of clocks all over the United
states are set every day by an electric
spark sent out al noon from the naval OBJ
serVatory at Washington. The same cleo
trio impulse causes hundreds Of time balls
10 fail at various seaports and in cities
inland The cable through which IL is COM
munlcated is connected with the Western
Union line, and at five minutes before -
the entire system OF that company is
thrown wide open, the news of the hour
nashing over hundreds of thousands of
niles or wire in fraction Of a second
Nobody doubts that the time will yet ar
rive when mails will be carried in cities by
pneumatic tubes or some other rapid meth
cd. Many experts are of the opinion that
ed ar, VIII be utilized for this purpose
possibly I'm the shape of trolleys under
ground or overhead. The government
makes use OF electricity at Its assay oflices
to find out the percentage of copper which
alloys of metals contain.
\ Chnrt of Cable Lines.
A chart showing the cable lines Of the
world is very interesting study. From
such diagram ii is seen that no less than
ten submarine wires connect the east coast
Of North America with Europe Three of
them go out of Boston and three more from
New York.It Is curious to observe that the
sea-coast cities Of South America commu-
nicate by telegraph not over land, but By
cables laid along shore under the ocean
Cables laid in this way from port to port
almost environ the continent Looking
across to Africa. that continent is seen to be
girdled by similar submarine shore-running
lines, SO that an electric spark starting at
Algiers will make complete circuit via the
Cape OF Good Hope and back to AiKiers
again without touching land at more than
a dozen points. South Americas sole tele-
graphic connection with the old world is by
two cables from Pernambuco. a port of
Brazil, to Lisbon. But the most wonderful
thing Is to notice how an unbroken wire
starts from New York, crosses to Europe
runs through the Mediterranean, via the
Suez canal and across the Arabian sea TO
Bombay, overland across Hindustan, then
beneath the Bay of Bengal to SINGAPORE
passing between Sumatra and Borneo be-
meath the waves to Australia, and cross
ing that island continent on its way by a
final length of cable to New Zealand Thus
adding the distance from New York to San
Francisco. more than two-thirds OF the cir
cult of the earth is already made When
the trans-Pacif1c connection Is established
it will be possible to send sparlt all
around the world in three seconds.
RENE BACHE.