The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-11-01
WORK OF THE SIGNAL CORPS.
Communication Established between
All Branches OF the Corps.

Communication Established between
All branches OF the Corps.
The signal corps. two companies OF
which are attached to the Seventh Army
Corps, is one of the most interesting and
important branches of military service.
To these men IS entrusted the important
duty Of keeping up system of communi-
cation between all of the component parts
Of an army
Lieut. col. Joseph e. Maxfeld Of the
regular army, who is In command OF the
battalion here, has under him two Of the
best companies taken from the volunteer
signal CORPS They are the Thirteenth and
Second companies. The Thirteenth com
pany is in command OF Capt. George r.
Gyger who has as his lieutenants First
Lieutenant Charles NJ. Duffy and Second
Lieutenant Gustav Hirsch Capt. John j.
Ryan commands the Second company and
has as his leutenants First Lieutenant S.
NJ. Butler and Second Lieutenant William
Mitchell. Lieut. II. W. Stamford IS ad-
luTant and quartermaster of The battalion.
Several other officers OF the battalion are
on detached service.
The battalion is well established In camp
at the Meadows, just back of Coliinsvilie,
and there is located In its center, The CEN
trail station 10 which the wires from all
OF ilt ACDdl llllclAtS uiis Inc SiEhel NOip9
now has about thirty different stations es-
tablished including both telephone and
telegraph Instruments. The telephone lines
all center at a switchboard at the camp.
There are telephone lines connecting the
corps headquarters at the De Soto Hotel
with every other important camp in the
corps. These telephone lines run to the
headquarters of the two divisions, one on
Dale avenue aud the other on the Thun-
derbot road. There are lines also to the
brigade headquarters of each division, 10
all the hospitals the storehouses and cor
rails In addition to the telephone lines,
telegraph lines have been established be-
tween corps headquarters and the head
quarters of the two divisions The tele-
graph lines are used frequently in cases
of important messages.
In the city the signal corps has been
permitted to use poles belonging to the
telephone and telegraph companies for
stringing their wires. and for this the Of
ficers feel very grateful In the field where
they have TO depend upon their own re-
sources and want quick work they use
what they call lanoes, or small poles about
two inches in diameter and fifteen feet
high Insulators are fastened in the top
of these and wires are strung on them.
Besides these features the men in the
signal corps are all well trained In the
matter Of using visual signals of various
terms rockets and all appliances of this
kind. They are armed while in camp sim
ply with a pistol, but when on duty IN
time of warfare they are supplied with
earbnes, and are made practically cav
airy as well.
The signal corps, however, is not intend
ed to be a fighting force, and is armed
more for its own protection when that is
necessary than for the purpose of doing
battle.
There are 100 men, about, in the two
companies here, twenty of whom are from
the regular army signal corps, while the
Others are volunteers. Every one of them
is well versed in some branch of electri-
cal appliance, either as electric light men,
lrnemen, telegraph operators, and in the
matter of constructing and operating any
kind of telephone or telegraph system. The
men in this service are paid more than
those in the regular infantry or cavalry
service. For instance a first sergeant in
time OF war is paid S54 and ordinary SER
geants about $40. while the pay of a pri-
waite is more than that of a corporal OF
infantry. This pay Is reduced 20 per cent.
when the army is on peace footing. The
bay is increased in this service so as to
make il possible TO secure the class of
men needed.
There is very little military drill among
the ssignal corps men, it being sufficient
20 keep them in good physical condition
Their principal drills are with the sig
mailing apparatus. with which they must
necessarily become very familiar as il IS
their duty TO keep up communication be-
tween all branches of an army under any
circumstances which may be presented.
The officers and men of the signal CORPS
are well pleased with their camp site, and
will get 1t in thoroughly good shape as
soon as they finish the work Of putting
in their wires. Everything is in shape
now, with the exception of the telegraph
system which will be finished to-day
Col. Maxfeld win soon move into his Of
fee in the De Soto Hotel where he has
already located a telegraph instrument.