The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-04-21
WORK OF SIGNAL CORPS.
Since Occupation of the Philippines
Ii Has strung 1851 Miles of
Wire In the Islam

Correspondence of the Associated Press.
MANdLA; March ,S l RmThe sigma, corps
at present commanding. nave in operation
today 1851 miles of wire In Luxon and
the visayans: They have established 100
of 33i men and q officers, this depart
ment handles $4,000 messages month,
the MESSAGES containing from twenty to
a thousand words each. Every officer on
the system receives daily. at IL a m. the
official time from Manila.
rhis 1851 miles of wire was first laid
in the wake of our advancing soldiers,
thus keeping our firing line in communi-
cation with corps headquarters In Ma
Mia: Then. when time permitted, the
light copper wire, used for quick running
during marches and lighting. was re-
placed by an iron wire on temporary poles
and eventual" this second wire was re-
placed by heavy iron wire, well strung on
poles. Thus the .55l miles of wire has
actually been laid three times. Our
army. on July 81. of last year, had but
ing the months OF August. September,
October and November, 80 more miles
were added 70 this original l2s During
December 1899, the signal corps set up
4l5 miles OF wire, during January. 1900.
402 miles, and during February, 1856 miles,
these figures giving the total distance in
this entire system is. OF course in Ma
Mia. where eight trunk lines converge.
and preparations are making to receive
four more trunk lines this month.
There is a commercial cable from Ma
Mia to Iloilo. on Panay, from Ioilo to
Negroes island and from Negroes to the
island of Cebu. our wires in The visayan
islands amount to 120 miles From Iloilo
we have n line to Capz, through the in
terror and then to Iloilo, on Negroes. we
have lines north AID south to Manalpa
and mammalian, respectively. On Cebu
we have line from Cebu, the capital, to
the interior of the town OF karkat. Not
far from Cebu are the islands of Samai
and Leyte. recently occupied by the For
ty-third regiment, under Col. Murray;
these latter islands Will be placed In
communication with Manila by running
hui, then land wire across
a cable to Leyte and land wires TO tho
principal towns thereon. From Leyte the
line will get to Samar by cable across
the narrow straits OF San Juanito and
in Samar II will run as far north as the
town OF Calbayog. This new branch
viii he abou; $50 miles long.
With the idea of eventually placing the
island of Mindanao in communication
with the corps headquarters In Manila, a
cable will be laid from the southern
II Mindanao. From the landing poin-
on Mlndanao wires will be run to Gotta
batto, iilisan. Misamio and Naka1alar
bay. This projection will require about
200 miles more of wire
There are ,i9l miles OF wire on Buzon
and the island Is thoroughly we'll covered
From the twelve trunk lines there are
many ramifications, running into prac-
tically every town where We have gar
In Manila itself the sigma corps operates
"A local system OF wires for the use OF the
several governmental departments To-
Gated. rs well as an official telephone sys-
tenn.
The signal corps has had and is sim
having much difficulty In securing good
telegraph operators. 4 good operator can
80 pretty well AZ home. and this service
enough 10 draw good men from good
positions In the United states.