The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-07-17
BOOM OF THE MEGAPHONE.
F1FTEEN-INCH ROARS III THING IN
THE NAVY NOW.

N AAAS ~ w WV L
Fleet-PHsSing OF the Speaking Trumpet.
OFF SANTIAGO, July 4.-The megaphone has
played q most important part In the war. Its
use In the navy began only within q year and
already n megaphone IL regarded as almost q
necessity on every ship. The megaphones used
in The navy are made OF q deep red colored
composition riveted together. and have a light
handle and an aluminium mouthpioce. ' Tho
standard size Is about two and a half feet long
and about fifteen inches across theend. Smaller
craft and auxiliaries, carry only ono, which IL
kept on the bridge, but the larger ships carry
more, On the flagship New York three are in
almost ~cona.ant use. one on the bridge. one on
the signal bridge and one on the quarterback.
The oficcr Of the deck uses the one on the
bridge. It takes the place Of the small. heavy
speaking trumpet which used to be the sign OF
that officers rank at sea. as o long glass was In
port. Speaking trumpets were generally the
personal property OF the officers who carried
them. and were often very handsome. Some
times they were made Of silver. They possessed
two advantages over megaphones Of the pres
ent day. tho chief one being that they were not
so easily blown ava in q heavy wind. On o
sailing vessel in a storm the unaided voice will
not carry from the quarterback to the fore
masthead. nor can IL be heard to windward OF q
large sail. A speaking trumpet. easily slung
across the shoulder. is always at hand. and con-
contracts the voice sufficiently for It to be
heard all over a small ship. while n megaphone
would not be so handy and might be blown
away easily.
The second advantage OF the old speaking
trumpet also grows out OF its size and con-
v~enience. The speaking trumpet has always
been used as q sort OF gavel, and, In conse-
quence, was generally pretty well battered and
denied. So also were the various parts OF the
ships adjacent to the standing place Of the OIL
Ger OF the deck. An experienced man with
sharp eyes might Judge Of how pleasant a
ships voyage had been by inspecting the speak
ing trumpets on board Of her as she came into
port. Obviously, a megaphone will not stand
such treatment. though some Of them become
mysteriously damned and twisted. as though
an absent-minded officer had tried the same
trick with them.
The utility Of the speaking trumpet In COM
munication between vessels was always very
limited, and 1t is because the megaphone so far
surpasses 1t in this respect that it has achieved
its sudden popularity. About the first neces-
sity recognized on each Of the newspaper de-
spatch boats was a megaphone. and the exi-
gencies of the Key West market suggested o
tin megaphone as the best substitute for the
regular article. some OF them were made
with old-fashioned oval mouthpieces and some
with none at all. These tin megaphones have,
most OF them. received excellent care, and most
Of them bid fair to last the war out.
To use a megaphone artistically and effec-
lively is not nearly 80 easy as it looks. One
who has heard n trainload OF college rooters af
a boat race roar their college yells through
megaphones at the struggling crew Of an eight
cared shell knows pretty well how the power Of
the voice is magnifled by the use OF a mega
phone; but probably the best illustration of its
use In the navy has occurred to the reporters
and crews OF the newspaper boats in the vi
cinity of Havana when the blockade was first
established there. A boat would be lying to.
presumably about five miles from the fleet.
The night would be calm and dark and still,
when suddenly one would feel as though en-
veloped by a voice. 1t would be a voice not to
be recognizable harsh, vibrating voice. some
thing like the below Of an angry animal, yet
speaking the English language with remarka-
BILE and startling distinctness.
what ship ia that 2" would be the hail. given
in O manner to N instant attention
and profound respect.
1t would seem to take an unreasonably long
time to tear the tin megaphone from its LASH
ings to point 1t vaguely In the direction from
which the greatest volume Of the sound that
still pulsated in the ears seemed to come. and
} to scream into 1t the boats name and occupa-
ton. Then how weak and attenuated sounded
the reply, though the speaker may have strained
his vocal chords to put all the power possible
into it. Surely. the speaker thinks, such q
peevish sound cannot be heard ten feet away,
and. with the thought that he may not know
how to use the megaphone. he essays repeti-
ton Of his 5
"All right, all right" comes the fretful re-
Spouse right from under his feet, it seems. II
[ very sharp-sighted, he may make out the shape
; Of a torpedo boat not far away, and he realizes
that he has made a fool Of himself yelling so al
, an object so near. and after that he conducts
some private experiments with the megaphone.
why. it's Just like talking" he says after q
!, few trials. but 1t is not. Every infection and
every component part OF every sound is magni.
fled. and the result gives the impression of a
t sound OF definite size and extent literally strik-
ing the ear. and great is the impact thereof.
Half the orders to the vessels Of the fleets do.
, ing blockade duty of tho Cuban coast have
, been issued through meGaphones. Torpedo
: boats and the converted yachts and tugs, as
: signed so frequently to special duties. receive q
: large proportion OF their orders from the flag.
: ship by meRaphone, and turn in their first
: brief reports in the same way. The customary
hail adds There" 10 the name of the shiE
hailed. and nearly every answer is Aye. aye
7 Sir" Rigid etiquette is observed In the trans.
! mission of orders, though sometimes dropped
Immediately in private conversation. A talk
was heard. not long ago. beginning, THE Ad,
miral directs. sir. that YOU proceed" DC. con.
. tinuing. Aye. aye. sir" and ending. Il say
I old man. will you." DC. with the response
= Sure 70
I III person talking through amegaphone no.
moves it from his mouth for n remark to somC
3 one right beside him. the remark seems much
! louder than what was being said through the
t megaphone. Another peculiar effect is pro
= duced when two persons speak TO each othel
3 through megaphones at the same time. for thu
two sounds seem actually to strike each othel
9 and bound back. and each speaker hears hi
8 own words more distinctly than the others.
9 Bystanders frequently observe a good deal o.
4 humor in megaphone conversations. but it ii
2 generally lost in Il repetition without the pecu,
0 liar effect of the meGaphone itself. The Cap
y tain OF n torpedo boat which arrived of Santi'
ago with the transports. when ordered into the
night patrol in front of the MORO and told whai