Democratic Northwest and Henry County news. [volume] (Napoleon, O. [Ohio]) 1894-1905, 1895-05-09
LONG DISTANCE aIeNALlNo.
A Scheme Tor Sending Iieiiograph Ne
saees Prom Washington State 10 Mexico

A Scheme Tor Sending Iieiiograph Mes-
sages Prom Washington State TO Mezioo.
The Mazanns Of Portlpnd, n they can
secure the assistance Of any Of the uniyer-
sity and scientific organizations, military
signal corps or athletic and outing clubs
along tho coast, viii endeavor to send a
heliograph message from Washington TO
Mexico. The Mazamas arc a club OF
mountain climbers at Portland, Or, and
have selected July 10 next as the date for
the transmission OF tho sun flashes. They
will begin signaling from Mount Adams
using the Morse system for tho purpose.
I. Brook White, secretary OF the Mazamas,
has recently organized classes In Portland,
which have begun tho pre- mary study
and work necessary TO the s,.Sccssful ina
nipulation Of the instruments.
II successful, IL will be the longest dis
tance n message has ever been transmitted
by sun flashes. The Mazamas have invit-
ed the government officers and various
state military organizations TO arrange
details Professor Davidson of the coast
and geodetic survey. who has had consider
able experience in transmitting hello
graphic messages, was asked last night II
he thought the Mazamas' undertaking
could be successfully accomplished He
said:
Professor s. s. Hawkins Of Portland
formerly Of the University Of California
has written 90 me to interest me in this
matter, and have been preparing letter
In answer thereto OF course the subject
presented by the Mazamas, or mountain
goats, is very interesting one, and sumo
season it may be accomplished, but there
will be much to learn and systematize be-
fore they succeed.
"In the first place, the mountains named
by the MazaInas along the crest line Of the
Cascades and Sierra Nevada are not In all
cases interyisible. For example, south Of
Shasta the line adopted by the coast and
geodetic survey Is Shasta, Lassen, Butte,
Lola, Round Top, Conness and possibly
Whitney, or by another route, Shasta,
Snow mountain, Mount Helena, Mount
Diablo and possibly Whitney. l am con-
vinced that have seen Shasta from Di-
ablo, 244 miles, and Whitney, 222 miles.
But besides determining beforehand the
best lines to follow full season with well
organized parties will be necessary to de-
termine the intervisible line and that
freest from clouds. The latter is one OF
the great drawbacks in the work Of the
coast and geodetic survey. Where o sta
tion could readily be finished in Is days,
the parties have some time been fighting
for sights through two months and more
GAS to the distance to which these sig
nails may be sent little is known by actual
experience outside the coast and geodetic
survey, which has used them over a line
of 192 niles-Mount Helena to Mount
| Shasta-and over q 1888 mile line in Arizona
lately repeated by the signal corps of the
army. have seen the heliograph signals
100 miles with the naked eye in rare cases
of fine weather. For all the cases Of inter
visibility have got out formula deter.
mining the size of the mirror for any dis
tance In example, the line from Diablc
| to Shasta requires mirror little more
| than IL inches square to give signals that
will be visible in telescope of three
| inches objective. With q mirror go inche:
square expect to see the signal with the
naked eye Moreover, the character Of the
mirror must be of the very best plate glass
and pure silver back surface, with an ad
ditional reflector, If the sun is behind tht
| sender.
"There is no part of the United States
where this experiment. can be SO well tried
and tried successfully, as on this seaboard
but 1t will take time, system and organi
cation to make q sure thing of it, Th'
sooner tho Mazamas get the matter in lint
the sooner will the successful scasor
come. San Francisco Chronicle.