The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1895-08-16
SUN TEL
Heilarraph an I.asiisa lnv,s.Io, ~.
aInen fn,prsvr,, ~ nus

a eilioeraph an EaStisa lnssntIon. m,
Maen Improved By American.
One Of the most practical and ps.,,,,
Inventions Of modern military science
Is the hciiogrnph. This is nm instrp-
raent by which signals are flashed fror,
one station 70 another by the retlcc.
lions OF thc sun upon n mirror. or So.
tea Of mirrors, mounted on trinods
The invention Of the heiiorrapb Ia,
longs TO England, aud 1t has been rsa,
extensively In India and Epypt. bpt
IKE many other invNations, Il has been
greatly improved by American genius
SO that the instrument now in use nv
our signal corps is considered bv ex-
perts the most nearly perfect In the
The west is the true home Of the
Telegraph. and during Indian wars ~
the past it has been. s1ys n wri,c,.
IN Kate Fields Washington. ofiinnense
service IN flashing to headquarters
every movement OF the hostile rcd
skins. Not only did It communicate in
formation. but under the cross.6re Of
these mysterious sun signals the super-
stitious Indians became paralyzed with
fear and imagined that their opponents
We're in league with evil spirits.
The reason the heliograph lias been
so successful in such places us Arizona
IN this country and in India and Egypt
is because the atmosphere in these
parts OF the world is free OF clouds nj
most all the year round. The distances
covered by some of the hcliograph sta
tons are remarkable, fifty and sixty
miles being considered nothing un-
usual There IRE in this country two
stations, one hundred aud twenty-five
miles apart. between which signals are
flashed with great accuracy.
The system used in photography Is
the Morse alphabet. Anybody who has
any idea of the ordinary method of tel
egraphing by electricity with this ear
alphabet will easily understand how
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 to be obscured alter.
nately at the distant point. the inter-
walls of appearance and observation be-
ing varied in length 50 us TO produce
the combination of long aud short sig
nails known among tclegraphers as the
Morse alphabet. The speed of the
Photograph is not so great as that Of the
telegraph instrument, ten or twelve
words minute being considered good
work. This, however, is vast i'm
provement over the old method of sig
mailing by flags, with which from three
to four words minute was the most
that could be done.
In photography, it should be said,
there are two distinct ways of signal
ing. In the first of these, known us
signaling by appearance" the reflect
ed beam. or flash, is obscured from
the receiving station, except when a
message is being sent, the flash then
giving the signals or dots and dashes.' .
In the other method, signaling by Job
seuration," the flash is kept continually
on the receiving station and only OBJ
scured for intervals to form signals.
The first method is more easily read by
learners; the second is less fatiguing to
the eye. and has the advantage of en-
abling the signaler to correct the adj
justment of his instrument ut any time.
In the case of a city surrounded by
the enemy with no communications with
the outside world by means of railroad
or the ordinary telegraph, the hello
'graphwou possess many advantages,
over balloons and carrier pigeons Mill
tary authorities assert that were the
atmosphere always clear the Photograph
would furnish very certain means of
communication between the cities of
Washington and Baltimore in case the
national capital we've besieged and en-
tircly cut off from the rest OF the coun-