Arizona silver belt., 1895-10-05
SUN reLEea eaAp4y.
l. Photograph sn Eng,ls Invention, Hut
 Much Improved by Americans.

Beliograph sn Eng,ish Invention, Hut
 Mucn Improved by Americans.
 One of the most practical and useful inventions of modern military science is the heliograph. This is an instru- ment 5y which signals arc flashed from one station to another by the renec- tions of the sun upon a mirror, or sys- tenn of mirrors mounted on tripods. The invention of the hcliograph be- longs to England, and it has been used extensively in india and Egypt; but, like many other inventions, it has been greatly improved by American genius, so that the instrument now in use by our signal corps is considered by ex- perts the most nearly perfect in tho world.
 The west is the true home of the hcliograph, and during Indian wars of the past it has been, says a writer in Kate Fields Washington, of immense service in flashing to headquarters every movement of the hostile rcd- skins Not only did 1t communicate in- formation, but under the cross-Grc of these mysterious sun signals the super stitious Indians became paralyzed with fear and imagined thai their opponents were in lcaguc with evil spirits,
 The reason the heliograph has been so successful in such places ns Arizona in this country and in India and Egypt is because the atmosphere in these parts of the world is free of clouds al. most all the year round. The distances covered by some of the hcliograph sta tioRs are remarkable fifty and sixty miles being considered nothing un. usual, There are in this country two 5tations, one hundred and twenty-five miles apart, bctweeu which signals arc flashed with great accuracy.
 The system used in hcliography is the Morse alphabet, AnybOdygho has any idea of the ordinary method of tel cgraphing by electricity with this ear alphabet will easily understand hos spaces Of time may be employed to in dicate letters and words by means of the eye. The signals are produced by causing the reflected beam to appear and disappear or % be obscured alter. natcly at the distant point. the inter- yals of appearance and obseuratio1 be. ing varied in length 50 u5 Co produce the combination of long and short sig nals known among taicgrapHors a5 the Morse alphabet. The speed of the hcliOgraph is not 80 great as that of the telegraph instrument, ten or twelve words a minute being considered good work. This. however, is vaal hn- pr0vemeut over the old method oi zig. mailing by flags, with which from three to four words a minute was the most that could bg done
 In heIiogeaphy, 1t should be saiIs there are two distinct ways Of signal ing, In the first of these known aa signaling by 'appearauee," the rcaaet. cd beam. or flash, is obs.uraI from tho receiving station. except when % message is being sent the flash then giving thc siguala, OF "d0tsaal dashes % In the other method, signaling by .ob. sauraliya, ,' the ,iasu b kept continually oa the reeytvinE station and only o5- s.urcd for intervals t0 form signals The Grst method ia lgWc easily read by learners; the sceond is less fltlguug td tho eye. and has the pdyautago of eD- abliuE the. aFnalcr te correct the ad- justment u3 his iusiwueH, at any timg.
 In the caes of ci.y surrounded bv the Dnguv with no communication Uith thc oats.2. world bTmc-uH of railroad nv tha ordinary telegraph tle hslio- graph would possess unuT aaTla lfsF over ha.lausand carrier niToans Hiii. tary ag.8ar.ale5 assert ihat -,ra the gtaan5g aiwaya clear tha helio-upE would iHrGiA very certain means ui communication between tue cities of Washington and Baltimore in case the tircly cut off from the rest Of the couu- tr1-