The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-11-26
SUN FLASHING IN MOUNTAINS.
Captain of the United stzfes Army Doing
Heiiograph Work In Colorado

Heiiog raph Work In Colorado
Denver. Nov. 22--Chief Signal oficer
Giasscfrd's reposf. embodied IN thai OF
Department. Commander General whea
ton. r. very interesting since = con-
tair1s detailed account OF his success
fu alutempc TO send he,tograpn signals
a distance OF IS3 miles. This was when
on Sept is. 1894. Captain GlasStord as
cerded Mount Uncampagfre, this .skREe
naSnsd 3 message TO men whom he had
sent 10 ascend Mount Ellen, Uta1i,
feae unparalleled IN the history OF sun
flashing N the armies. When * was al
over and the heEograxn had been sesrs
on 10 Washington. General Greeley
chief signal officer. sent u veEy compsl-
mentary message to Captain Glassford
commenting him for the zeal displayed
by HIM IN pursuance OF his line q du-
ties. That II was no ordinary task to
ascend Mount Unconpaghre is evident
from extracts from eiae signal officers
report After relating how one meIn-
Der OF the party was overcome by the
atmosphere conditions. the repous says.
Two OF 4lne pack animals finally re-
fused, notwf,hstan ding persSstsnt urg-
ing, 20 bulge further. and had 70 be
abandoned-Their loads being disEib-
uted on the horse used as a mount by
the guide. and on the other animals.
Later, che OF the remaining mules. In
picking his way over the jagged rocks.
lost his footing and tumbled down the
mountain side, pack and all; and he had
ito be unloaded before he could be ex-
rricated from the gully into which ne
had fallen As the hard climb corIt1n-
ued, and as the men became more and
more exhausted. a snow storm set IN
The party had to toll Oh without pam
or tran 10 guide them, at an elevait1oo
where anything less than the skill and
rhe courage Of the trained signalst
would have proven powerless against
THE brute force OF nature.
But, late IN the evening OF the same
day. the men finally arrived. stagger-
1ng from exhaustion, at he base OF Che
basaltfc rock which juts up and forms
the apex or cap OF the mountain and
qulartered themselves in rOoSless, low
Stone hut (half filed with siuSh and
frozen snow. which had been thrown
together by former coast survey par
ties. AT this cold and inhospitable sum-
nit there Is no timber within several
miles, a nd. as some fuel was necessary.
on the next morTIing-Sunday. Sept -
the guide having returned 10 Lake City.
1t was decided absolutely necessary 90
procure some firewood. at least suff-
cieIn TO boil coffee. Accordingly. the
three sergeants took the three remain
ing animals and started for a sparsely
wooded TavEne which looked invitinSiy
near but was found 10 be several miles
distant and difficult 10 approach. owing
10 intervening ridges and deep Sutc-nes
alternating. The timber having been
reached, a number Of trees were cut
a Id IN
the animals. when the return was be-
gun. The animals had 10 be cona1nu-
ally goaded 40 keep them moving over
rhe bolders; when about half way back
one of them FELL groaning from eX-
and when anloaded he could
scarcely stand.
All the firewood. except a few sticks.
was then abandoned. and thea scent re-
stunned; but owing 30 the necessity OF
winding around 50 as to ssvosd climbing
over steep ridges, and as binding
snow storm had by this time set In. the
party lost their bearings and could not
determine which Of the surrounding
peaks was Unopmpaghre. But at dusk
they heard signal guns fired by the re-
turning guide and myself: and 50, by
Of shouts, they at iast
learned the proper direction and reach
ed the nop. As a result Of these two
days of hardship. Sergeat Mclaughlin
sltccun1bed 10 mountain scknesS and
remafnsd prostrane for TWO days"
Captain Glassfad IS very frank 20
adrnYt the unreliabil7ty OF long-destancs
signaling. as he says:
1T Is not tenable however. TO claim
for such long dE9tsHce heliOgraph sig
mailing that IL is always 10 be relied
upon, or that IL Is a practicable means
of military communication under all
but for that matter. the
heliograph Is never to be wholly de-
pended upon. because. even in short
ranges. clouds may intervene IA some
He then recommends a system OF SEN
ding messages by repetition. TO be re-
ceiyed upon a regular blank much sim
liar TO that used by telegraph coupan-
les.
Captain Glassford says that even
with the most powerful search lights
II IL apparently impossible in clear
10 signal over ten miles at
night by throwing the light beam d.
rectly into the air. although X had pre-
yiously been reported mat by such
proceeding a search light placed on Mt.
and directed towards Port
land. Maine. had been plainly seen and
signals read from Mount Washington
seventy miles away. The cause Of the
failure in Colorado - attributed to the
fact that ne atmosphere is 50 clear and
rarehed. and devoid OF particles OF dust
which naturally would serve as back
grounds for The light beam 20 fall upon.
While experimen tlnR with his search
light. Captain GiassfOz'd arrived al the
conclusion that for short distances q
search light might be nad> 70 take the
place Of the sun IN mis- report he
ssys:
Having during the day selected the
point intended 70 be occupied that r. ir1t
b. the telegraph. and - having &C
curately ascertained for The out sta
ton the aziu1uth AMI elevation a5giss
on the arc scales % the searchligat
instrument. g was easy AZ night 20
.urn ne center % the fash upoa = aig-
nal party repaired az nlgxt and 49, -
on a tripod. ne heiiograph. having IS
pointing directly towards
ne sez-chllght On the end = TIE h4F
fzrthest from the searchi.Eht tie E;a-
ton mirror Tas placed, faclag in ne d.
reciS0n % TIE sea-caiiE1f. ard az the
other end u the bar lae ElSaiins Tod
Was erected
The fsu fash q TIE searctiisf.t being (
then dlrestsd towards IRE se.ieETzS -. 1
- E5srT-pTf having sts pizas perp@sss1lcss- I
lar 70 TIE se4rchliEkIf rsys} czGE6i to !
lizh. and reflected . tack - ne = <fsss- 1
ran AZ the ssarrhls zsL TIE pg9p-r 1
sajgszHssaf Ezs siao~n - a2T~ ben i
zcooplizhesa xas1 ne sslz1gslaE = - 4
ssxhfinx rod xza exactly supra .,7se@ f
o. tae red ssssE Tasn - glseiTS -
ordinary h@liGgrzpN a-Tes1 ~ ffnnt ~ i
re Mirror. tfse fsst from tar ETz-tEsi-sg 20 4
Irsasrs--d tax fru-s - helipErA psJE2s i