The Florence tribune., 1898-12-03
USE OF SEARCHLIGH1
Valuable for Signaling as We'll as
 Exposing an Enemy.
A Large Number of Great Liehts to Be Employed by the Govern ment in the Principal
 Harbors.

The United States government has ordered for use in its coast defenses large number of the most pow fui searchIights to be built iE the earliest possible time and delivered for mount ing in the principal harbcrs along the coast. The lights are of vital impcr- tance in harhor defenses, and will ae 3 valuable addition to our harhor eq.ip- ments. Already considerable ngnl- Der 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 oveTestimated. By its use the whole area of the harDor protected by our Qualifications and by fixed or stationary torpedoes is in the dead Of the night made as bright as day h detecting the approach CT any movement fan at- taclzing fleet, and especially where an attempt is made to pass q fertilization after partial or total destruction cfits torpedoes, these are most important. Under such circumstances the searchs light would expose the enemy's ships to the deadly fire from the heavy ar tillery guns of our coast defense and insure total destruction.
 Another and most important of the many factors of the searchiight system as adopted by the army is its aaaptahil- fly for 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 fer sig naling may be had from the following: A short time ago great ssarehlighs was purchased by the governmsnt and turned over to the army for expert menting purposes in coast signaling. This light was purchased from a firr in Germany. and upon its receipt t was immediately forwarded to the Sandy Hook proving ground, where it under went thorough test. One object 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 AIr Dnnn, of the weather bureau in New York. to be ready to receive tiie me saea a5 q stated hour Late in the night. as agreed upon, enc of the army officers. especially expert in signaling, mounted the top of the tower. When the exacf 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 build ings steadily looking toward Sandy Hook. He read the meassage and re- peated it by wire to Sandy Hook, where it was found correct. This message was flashed a distance of 20 miles, and could undoubtedly have been passed a much l greater distance. With these lights mounted at the Notifications around New York harbor messages could be immediately sent from the defenses at Sandy Hook to either Forth Wads- worth or Fort milton. when the movements of a hostile feet could be | seen and it was desired to transmit instructions to the inner defenses.
 The searchlight in coast defenses in- terferes with the sight of man at the helm of an approaching vessel. Tn ex- periments tried in France 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 in a collision with another.- Philadelphia Times.