The Delta independent., 1893-11-15
THE HELIOGRAPH In WAR
"A System of Great Importance in
Military Science.
How Messages Aro Flashed Over Great
Distances by the Aid of This Unique
Invention - The Old Method
of Communication.


graph, says the Washington Post. The
department of Arizona, during the re-
cent troubles over the late lamented
Geronimo, made what might have been
termed o photographic survey of the
scat of the Indian troubles, and located
on the maps the available points of OBJ
servntions with the direction and COM
pass bearing of the other visible sta
tions. In this way the country was
covered with network of heliograph
lists, and the observers at. ench station
Kept flashing into headquarters the
latest movements of the hostiles.
The Indians, under this cross-fire of
mysterious sun signals, decided that
the devil was in league with the troop
ers, andtfieir superstitious fears, added
to the constant marrying from the
widely-scattered parties of cavalry,
brought them to terms, rs never could
have been done but for the use of the
flash signals.
The distances covered by some of the
heliograph stations were remarkable
Fifty or sixty miles We're considered
nothing unusual, and on one reach"
one hundred and twenty-five miles
were covered without an intervening
station.
The invention of the heliograph be-
longs to England, and it has been used
extensively in her service in India and
Egypt, two countries where the atmos-
pheric conditions are very much as in
our own arid west. The instrument
was first brought to America in 1874,
and, like great many other inventions
of John Bull, was greatly improved by
L. hot hn v,Sf
ment now in use in our signal corps is
considered by experts the most nearly
perfect in the world"
The speed of the heliograph is not SO
great as that of the regular telegraph
instrument, although the Morse alpha
bet is used. Ten or twelve words ID
minute is considered good work. and is
q vast improvement over the old
method of signaling by flags, with
which from three to four words min
vas the most that could be done.
Wy of the heliograph now in use
signal corps is the fash lantern,
messages are sent at night over
of from ten to fifteen miles,
under favorable conditions,
1T glasses, the messages have
forty miles at n single reach.
meLuOu III uight oie udiihS was
two torches after the manner of
ignals. One of these, known as
foot torch, was placed on the
ground in front of the observer, to give
his location to the receiver at the other
end of the line. and the 'fy torch" on
the end of the long pole was used in
waving out the words.
This method was afterward super
- L., = \, Il ri
shutters worked by key, as in the
telegraph sounder, but these arrange
ments were likely to got out Of order
in the field, and now the energies OF
the corps are bent to perfccting bril-
liant lantern of light weight, which
can be obscurcd by regular hello
graph screen. The lanterns now in
1,se in the ccrI,s are fed with a mixture
of leeroscnas and sperm oil, but expert
,ncnts arc noR going on with mag
nesiu1n tape. fed before the reflector by
clcclsworl.. Ityyivcs very brilliant
light at an expense Of about fifty cents
an hour. -
The heliograph is rcgardediby army
officers as one of the most practical
and useful inventions of modern mill
tary science. anf id the case of be-
1caguercd city weuld furnish n means
of communication with the outside
world that would discount balloons,
carrier pigeons and the magnetic tel
cgraph, as the line could not be cut by
the enemy and the messenger could
not be captured or shot in transit. In
the case of Washington, should that
city ever chance to be blocaded, the
hcliograph would furnish n very GER
tain means of communication for Il
radius of thirty miles around, and a
signal observer stationed on top of the
monnment could flash messages almost
II not. quito to Baltimore, if the con-
dftions were at all favorable.