The Butte inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1901-1912, 1901-10-30
GREELEY REPORTS
RECOMMENDS INCREASE IN SIG
NAL CORPS.
OPERATIONS IN PHILIPPINES
Service Ferfects System of Wireless
Telegraphy - Chief Recomm ends
Laying of Pacific Cable
Relief of Peki0.
(Py Associated PreSS.)

Washington. Oct. 30.--Chief Greeley,
chief signa. officer, in his annual report
says the signal corps should be IN
creased to meet present demands.
There have been constructed 1856
miles of telegraph line in Alaska and
arrangements have been made with the
Canadian government to use it's line to
Alaska.
The government corps in the Phil
pines have been very extensive. there
having been 1851 miles of telegraph line,
an increase of 2c54 during the year.
: Work in the Philippines.
Concerning the work of the corps in
the Philippines, General Greeley says:
IF the officers and men of the signal
corps had struggled only against the
natural disadvantages they were under.
their work in the Philippines would have
commanded commentator; but to this
must be added the extreme difficulties
arising from the practically constant eff
forts of the insurgents to destroy in
dispensabie means of inter-communi-
cation.
In the region southeast Of Laguna De
Bay, Santa Cruz to Antimona and
thence to the head of the gulf of Ragay.
the insurgent troops had caused no end
of trouble and annoyance, not only by
3he cutting of the wire, but by the re-
moval or destruction of considerable
stretches of line.
The commanding officer at Santa
Cruz informed me that experience had
caused him to furnish every repair
part with at least mile of wire as
nearly that amount was taken away
at each break.
nf ~ two hrn
or even five miles was not unusual
but the climax was reached
IN the total destruction Of 50
miles Of line, every insulator broken,
every bracket destroyed or removed,
every pole being cut down and the en-
tire being carried away.
Recommends Cable Conference.
..Gen eral Greeley recommends an inter-
national cable conference to prepare
regulations for cable.
Concerning experimental work he
says: I'm wireless telegraphy the sig
nal corps has perfected it's own system
which was the first one ever successfully
operated in the United States on Sep
TENDER 80, 1899, betweenFire Island and
Fire Island Lightship, distance Of 10
miles. There are now in successful
operation two stations in San Francisco
harbor, one at Fort Mason and another
at Alcatraz island.
I Arrangements have been made for
stations in the Philippines at suitable
points. The chief signal officer adheres
to the opinion that the system has it's
limitations, which are not entirely de-
pendent on distance"
Uncle Sans Handicap
General Greeley in recommending the
Pacific cable gays: The experiences of
the war department in connection with
the relief of the legation at Pekin, show
clearly the tremendous disadvantage
hinder which the United States would
labor without its own cable facilities in
case of an extended war in the East.
AN Eastern trans-Pacific cable is a
military and commercial necessity if
American interests are to be safe
guarded in Asiatic regions. Such a ca
bile, while of great value militarily, will
especially further industrial interests
and facilitate commercial operations"