Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-11-06
SOUTH DAKOTA.
GOVERNMENT TELEGRAPH LINES.
About $500 Miles Being Operated by
the Signal Service.


The extent to which the government is
constructing and opeI ating cable and tele-
graph lines as a result of recent territorial
acquisitions is brought out in the report of
Gen. Greedy, chief signal officer This
shows that the telegraph system of Cuba
formerly owned and operated by SPAIN has
been taken over and developed BY the Sig
nal Corps and that q the close of the ifs
cal year 900 miles Of line were in opera
ton, of which 600 miles were absolutely
new lines and the remainder largely re-
constructed. Gen. Greely discusses the
question of Cuban cable and telephone con-
cessions, showing the legal and diploma sic
difficulties surrounding them, well as the
practical dit faculties under which the mill
tary cable lines are kept in operation. He
recommends the laying Of deep-s@a cable
betWe- n Porto Rico and Cuba, which would
cost about 100000.
In the Phi Iippnes, Gen. Greedy shows that
the efforts of the United Safes to lay
cables for military operations were antag-
oniZed by the private compani OWNING
lines there. Gen. Greedy says there are
certain provisions of the Spanish cable con-
cessions which plainly cannot be accedcd
to by the nited States. especially the alb
Solute cable rights for an indefinite period
not only in the Philippines, but in ali Span
ish possessions in the Pacific. He says it
is onIy matter of time when Luzon will
be connected with Formosa by an lnterna-
and China
Gen. Greedy suggests an international
cable conierenre to consider the whole sub
ject of the rig its of cable property Iii time
of war.
Wireless Telegraphy Experiments.
Gen. Greedy says that as a means of con-
Meeting the islands of the West Indies and
Hawaii, which are in the range of its
action, wireless telegraphy should prove of
Ina
shown that it's officers and men are able to
biography. The Signal CORPS has already
operate ed it's own system successfully he
tween Fire Island and Fire Island lightship
a distance of about twelve miles. Gcn
Greedy says there Is no reasonable doubt
that in the immediate future wireless teleg-
raphy will replace, with equal advantage
to commerce and the army, the military
cables necessary to connect harb0r fortiti-
cations
In regard to the Signal Corps post at
Fort MEer Gen. Greely says:
Prior to the war the Signal Corps main
tanned for number of years a school Of
instruction at Fort Riley, Kan, and later
added schools at Fort Logan, Col; the
PleStdio Cal. and at San Antonio, Texas,
the three latter being under the con rol and
direction of the signal officers Of the va
r!ous departments. The waStefulncSs of
such m thOds and the difficulty of securing
uniform ana proper training Thereby We're
recognized DN l!lt secretary OF " ar, VINO
authorized the establishment of a pos: now
known as the Signal Corps post, Fort dyer,
Va. Here are being gathered the flying
telegraph trains. a balloon train. auto
mobiles, and other parapherntlia necessary
for signal corps operation and instruction.
The Importance of this school in an cleo
tr.cal age is beyond question. and its opera
ton demands the support Of Congress. In
view of the fact that the cOnSt rue don of
balloon house is not thought 10 b" within
the province of the quartermaSter general
to construct without special authority of
Congress, the chief signal officer of the
army has submitted a deficiency estimate,
providing therefor. Unless AN appropriate
ton is promptly made, the public interests
Will suffer, as instruction viii have to con-
tinue, as at present, in the living barracks
of tn men, while accommodations for bal
loon operations, train driil and electrical
apparatus will be totally wanting, and
these very costly articles will be subject to
rapid deterioration from the weather they
now being there without shelter. Among
other very expensive articles are an electric
light plant, telephone exchanges, insulated
cable material, etc