Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1901-08-27
TELEPHONE FOR WAR
PORTABLE APPARATUS FOR USE ON
THE BATTLEFIELD.


United States Signal Corps Ofaoers Devel-
on q Double Service System Available
For Telephonins and Telegraphins-Pos-
abilities OF tho Pian-some Of Its Details.
AS the British Indian government has
found out during many years OF border
scuffles, nothing educates the soldier 30
thoroughly as little real fighting. The
United Stiles does not afford the soldier
many opportunities for practical eduoa-
ton, but the recent operations against
the Arizona Indians were taken ad'
vantage Of to test the utility OF an Inn.
portant scientific invention that will aid
materially the general who directs tho
operations Of an army corps In Q future
battle
BY means Of this apparatus which
has been perfected by Captain James
Allen Of the signal corps, under the al.
rection Of General A. W. Greedy, it Will
be possible to string q line Of wire from
point to point Of an army's oommunica'
lions and use the same wire for both
telepboning and telegraphing General
Greedy has declared it to be the most
notable scientific advance Ut the year,
the Importance Of which Is not confined
to military work alone. but may be ap.
piled the world over.
The present field telephone-telegraph
apparatus Of the signal corps represents
the result of more than five years OF ex.
periments. General Greedy, chief signal
officer, secured from abroad Oharallois
system for telephone communication In
1899. By this system oral communica:
ton was possible through uninsulated
bimetallio wire laid on the ground, each
end being connected by Charalloie
trunsmitter and receiver. The success OF
this 80 called system was attributed BY
Its inventor, Captain Charallois OF the
French army, to the peculiar properties
Of the wire used by him.
After one trial Of the Charallois tele-
phones they were permanently replaced
by the Crown magnetic telephones,
owned by the signal corps, with result.
ing sound many times louder than with
the Charallois instruments.
Next study of the bimetallio wire
led to the conclusion that 1t did not pos.
sess any special qualities in an electric
way, and it was theoretically demon
strated that as good results should fol-
low tho use Of single metal wire Of
the same diameter as the bimetallic,
and practical test proved this to be 0
fact. Pure copper. silicon, bronze and
other wires Of the size Of the bimetallic
gave entirely as good resulta
AS the original idea was b use the
uninsulated wire only for oral commune
cation, and as, in fact. 1t was not pos
sible then to otherwise use 1t, the prob
lem Of adapting It to the use OF the sig
nal corps as q part Of its means OF tele
graphic communication was confronted.
Captain james Allen Of the sigma
corps, an expert electrician, was charged
with the solution Of this problem BY
General Greedy. He replaced the mag
neto telephones used as transmitters
substituting carbon transmitter, Will
greatly improved results. These instru
ments were introduced into o circuit
with o battery, induction coil and tele
graph key and communication by
Morse telegraph code attempted.
The back stroke Of the diaphragm be
Ing much louder than the sound OBJ
tanned when the current was SEN
through the magnet seemed for time
fatal objection to the use Of the instru
ment as part Of the telegraph system
An ingenious solution Of the problem
was found by Captain Allen whereby
the Morse code Is read as easily through
the receiver as from an ordinary tele
graph sounder.
Having in mind comparatively suo
cessful experiments abroad In the use o.
a single wire for telegraphing and tele
phoning, Captain Allen began work OF
that line and, ingeniously surrounding
the many difficulties met with In hi
exhaustive experiments, perfected tht
instrument now used BY the sigma
corps.
It has been rigidly tested at distances
up to 6s5 miles and pronounced q suo
cess in Its various capacities as
"buzz." Morse, telephone and phono
pick instrument. The whole outa
weighs only 10 pounds, including bat
terry enough to work over any length Of
line that the corps would probably bt
called upon to operate. An operator
may therefore easily carry in his hand
combination telegraph and telephone
office.
With it, while one operator is en-
gagged in telegraphing message II
Morse characters, another may, over th'
same wire. talk telephonically will
| another station, the distant OPERATOR
hearing only their own messages New
York Herald.