The evening times., 1898-07-04
THE ARMY s|GNAL CORPS
An Important Branch ofthe Sery.
ice In War Times.
DUTIES OF OFFICERS AND MEN
How the Task of Keeping Up Com
municatiOn Between the Armies in
the Field Is ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Of
the Telegraph. HeliOxraph, Wig
Wag and the War Balloon.

Few people realize the importanc,
which the American Signal Corps bears {,
the Army. Yet it is one of the most i'm
portant branches of the service and ha.
already been of invaluable assistance tC
the Army in the movement against San
tiago.
The chief duty of the Signal Corps /:
the transmission and receipt of military
messages. Should there be a mistake oil
delay in any part of the work thous-
ands of precious lives might be lost. The
very fate of the soldiers in the Army de-
pends upon the accuracy and efficiency OF
the Signal Corps.
The American Signal Corps is superior
to any in the world. Not one of the mag
nificent armies of Continental Europe can
boast a signal corps equal to the one
which is such valuable adjunct to our
Army.
The excellent facilities afforded the
press representatives as well as the gen.
erals at Santiago in conveying accounts
Of the operations to this country are due
wholly and entirely to the Signal Corps
of the Army. The efficiency of the corps
was such that within two days after the
arrival of Gen. Skaters army the cables.
which had been cut. were repaired and
communication re-established. Three days
after his arrival Gen. Shafter was provid-
ed with cable service by means of which
he could communicate with the War De-
partment in this city within fifteen min
utes. For all of these conveniences the
Signal Corps is directly responsible. 1t is
to be thanked by every American for the
respondent in transmitting their elaborate
accounts of operations direct from the
battlefield to the editorial rooms of their
home offices.
Many methods are employed in the
transmission of messages by the Signal
Corps. The telegraph. the war balloon.
the heliograph. the flag. or wig-wag, and
the cable are all called into use. The
Myer flag. or wig-wag, is the most COM
monty used system when messages are
to be sent short distances. 1t consists of
the waving of flag according to a pre-
arranged code. The men sending and
receiving messages by wig-wag stand
upor high ground or eminences so that
they may be more easily seen. The wig
wag flag is also used from the war bal
loon
The heliograph is virtually a round
mirror or sun-glass mounted on a tripod.
glass and reflected in dots and dashes
over several miles Of country 10 an army
division or brigade or wherever IL is de-
sired that the message should be sent
This system has been used for MANY
years by the American Army and the
armies of Continental Europe. England
has used them to great advantage in the
rot and hilly country of India during all
the native uprisings since the Sepoy re-
bellion
Use of the Wnr Balloon.
The war balloon is the latest adjunct
to the Signal Corps. The first experi
ment in real warfare was made by Col.
Allen. of the Signal Corps at Santiago
last Friday afternoon. War balloons
have been used considerably in Europe
especially by French experts. but not in
actual warfare. The credit for dong that
belongs to Col. Allen who is the right
hand man of Gen. Greely the chief sig
nal officer of the Army. who has really
made the American Signal Corps what
it is today
Shortly before The outbreak of the war
Gen. Greedy purchased several very fine
balloons from well-known French bal
Iooh manufacturers. They arrived in
New York in May. and We're shipped to
Tampa. Gen. Shafter took them to San
under Col. Allen. Last Friday Col. AL
len decided to give one of the monster
balloons trial. and succeeded adrira-
bly, The aerial giant was inflated and
sent up to a distance of 5000 Yards. and
excellent views of the Spanish defenses
were obtained.
The Signal Corps also has supervision
of the military censor work at Tampa
New York and elsewhere
Colonel Allen was military ca-eor
Tampa until the sailing of General Shat
ters forces. Every line of telegraphic
news which was filed in the telegraph of
flee at Tampa had to be read by him
Everything that was considered to be
inlmlcai to the interests of the army was
heid up, and no news of prospective
movements allowed to pass over the
wire.
He was chosen for the work by General
Greely on account of his special fitness,
as the result of long experience in the
signal service.
He is an Indiana man, and entered West
Point as cadet July l. 1868. In 1872 he
was made a second lieutenant of the
Third Cavalry and in 1879 he was given
a commission as first lieutenant He en-
tered the signal corps as captain De-
cember l9. 1890 and has since advanced
rapidly until he was promoted to his
present rank of lieutenant colonel
Chief officer Greedy.
General Greely, of Arctic fame, is the
chief signal officer of the Army and is one
of the most thoroughly liked men at the
War Department He is chief censor of
the Army. and has perfected his system
so that little news that would be of value
to the enemy passes his men in the great
coast telegraph and cable Offices
General Greedy is a self-.nade soldier.
He entered the Army as a private of the
Nineteenth Massachusetts Infantry at the
outbreak of the late civil war He was
made second lieutenant of the Eighty-first
Infantry March IS, 1863: first lieutenant
April II. 1864: brevet major March 13
1865: captain Eighty-first U. s. Infantry
March 26, 1865; second lieutenant Thirty