Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1898-06-09
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VALUE OF SEARCHLIGHTS.
Useful For Signaling IA Well as For r.
posing am Enemy


posing AN Enemy.
The United States government has
ordered for use in its coast defense a
large number Of Che most powerful
searchlights, 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 will be-
valuable addition TO our harbor equip
ments. Already considerable number
are in operation, but not sufficient TO
do the work which might be done in
this way.
Operated on scientific system, the
Importance of the light can scarcely be
overestimated. BY its use the whole
area of the harbor protected by our forti-
fications and by fixed or stationary tor
pedoes is III the dead of the night made
as bright as day. In detecting the APP
proach or any movement Of an attack
ing fleet, and especially where an at
tempt is made to pass fertilization aft
er n partial or total destruction of its
torpedoes, these are most important.
Under such circumstances the search
light would expose the enemy's ships to
the deadly fire from the heavy artillery
guns Of our coast defense and insure
total destruction.
Another and most important of the
many factors Of the searchlight system
as adopted by the army is its adaptable
ity TO signaling from one fertilization
to another by means of long and short
flashes, messages being sent several
miles by cipher code
An idea OF the wonderful power and
efficiency of these searchlights for sig
mailing may be had from the following:
A short time ago great searchlight
was purchased by the government and
turned over to the army for experiment.
ing purposes in coast signaling This
light was purchased from firm in Ger
many, and upon its receipt it was inn
mediately forwarded to the Sandy Hook
proving ground, where it underwent a
thorough test. One object was to deter
mine the facility with which a message
could be transmitted by long and short
flashes The light was mounted on a
tower ut Sandy Hook and arrangements
made with MIR. Dunn of the weather
bureau in New York TO be ready to re-
ceive the message at stated hour. Late
in the night, as agreed upon, one of the
army officers especially expert in sig
mailing, mounted the top of the tower
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 steadily looking toward
Sandy Hook He read the message and
repeated it by wire TO Sandy Hook,
where it was found correct This mes
sage was flashed distance of 20 miles,
and could undoubtedly have been passed
much greater distance. With these
lights mounted at the Notifications
around New York harbor messages
could be Immediately sent from the de-
lenses at Sandy Hook to either Fort
Wadsworth or Fort Hamilton when the
movements Of hostile fleet could be
seen and il was desired TO transmit in
structions To the inner dCfenses.
The searchlight in coast defense in
terferes with the sight of the man at
the helm of an approaching vessel In
experiments tried in France a powerful
electric searchlight was turned upon a
moving vessel, the captain of which
stated that his eyes were SO dazzled by
this light that it prevented him from
properly steering his boat. which re-.
suited i'll a collision with another. -
Philadelphia Times