Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1898-07-06
VALUE OF SEARCH LIGHTS,
The Government Has Ordered a Num.
her for Immediate Use.

The Government Has Ordered n MINI
her for Immediate Use,
The United States Government ha.
ordered for use in its coast defensas
a large number of the most powerful
search lights TO be built in the earliest
possible time and delivered for mount
ing in the principal harbors along the
coast. The lights are of vital impor.
lance In harbor defenses and viii ba
valuable addition to our harbor
equipments. Already II considerable
number are in operation, but not SUI
ficient TO do the work which might be
done In this way.
Operated on a scientific system the
Importance of the light can scarcely
be oyerestimated. BY its use the whole
area Of the harbor protected by our
Notifications and by fixed or station.
airy torpedoes is in the dead of the
night made as bright as day. In de-
tecting the approach or any movement
Of an attacking fleet, and especially
where an attempt Is made To pass
fertilization after a partial or total
destruction of its torpedoes, these are
most important Under such circum.
stances the search light would expose
the enemys ships to the deadly fire
from the heavy artillery guns of our
coast defense and insure total destruc-
ton.
Another and most important of the
1 O., Of ha rph liubt
tenn as adopted by the army is It's adap-
liability to signaling from one fortified
ton to another by means Of long and
short flashes, messages being sent sew
eral miles by cipher code.
An idea of the wonderful power and
efficiency of these search lights for
signaling may be had from the follow
Ing: A short time ago great light
was purchased by the Government and
turned over to the army for expert.
menting purposes In coast signaling
This light was purchased from a firm
In Germany. and upon its receipt It
was Immediately forwarded to the
Sandy Hook proving ground, where It
underwent a thorough test. One OBJ.
ject was to determine the facility with
! which a message could be transmitted
by long and short flashes. The light
was mounted on a tower at Sandy
Hook and arrangements made with
Mr.. Dunn of the weather bureau in
New York city to be ready to receive
/ the message at a stated hour. Late
/ l. lob nf
the army officers, especially expert In
signaling, mounted the top of the tow.
er. When the exact moment arrived
there were thrown against the dark
sky long and short flashes of bright
light from the tower at Sandy Hook.
At the same moment, In New York
city, another man was at the top Of
one of the high office buildings stead
uy looking toward Sandy Hook. He
read the message and repeated 1t by
wire to Sandy Hook, where it was
found correct. This message was
flashed distance of twenty miles,
and could undoubtedly have been pass
ed a much greater distance. With
these lights mounted ut the fortified.
tons around New York harbor mes
sages could be Immediately sent from
the defenses at Sandy Hook to either
Fort Wadsworth or Fort Hamilton,
when the movements of a hostile fleet
could be seen, and 1t was desired to
transmit instructions to the Inner lie
lenses.
The search light in coast defense IN
terferes with the sight of the man ut
the helm Of an approaching vessel In
experiments tried in France a powerful
electric search light was turned upon
a moving vessel, the captain of which
stated that his eyes were so dazzled by
this light that 1t prevented him from
properly steering his boat, which re-
suited In a collision with another
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