The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-06-14
MARCONIs OF AFRICA.
Basutos Got BOer War News by a
System OF wireless Telegraphy.
Kansas City Star.


Marconi's system of wireless telegraphy has q
rival, which is already centuries old. and in
operation long before Franklin drew the electric
spark from the clouds down a kite string or
before Morse devised his system of dots and
dashes the electric wires The Rev. c. A.
Rideout, missionary OF the African Methodist
Episcopal Church Of America. who returned to
this city lately on furlough after four years
in the territory lying west of Natal described
this remarkable system of wireless communion
Shortly after 1 began work among the SUBJ
jects OF King Lerothrodi, the hereditary ruler of
sem Whereby the Villages could idey nna ss
with each other, used in times Of peace TO con-
vey messages from one chief to another. and fire..
quently to the monarch himself, and in times
of war to transmit the intelligence OF victories
and defeats In every village there is class
who utilized as scouts. Among these guards
there are always two or three men trained to the
of the gourd drum
parts of the United States is followed out and
thoroughly dried. Then kids skin. stretched out
hard and thin parchment. is stretched
across the hollow. of the gourd. 1t is beaten
sound which can be heard distinctly at a dis
lance of from five to eight miles. The Basuto
along the mountain sides and In little valleys or
giens. seldom being at a high elevation.
The guard who has been trained TO the use
of the signal code-which is practically an Afrl-
can Morse alphabet-beats the message on his
across the valleys and glens to ths next village
where 1t is interpreted by another guard There
IL always q guard on duty ready TO receive these
messages He can tell at once whether the mes
sage is for his chief or the head man OF his viii
lage, in which case he goes TO the head mans
hut and makes the communication verbally. II
however. the message Is for distant part. he
peats II on his gourd. and so IL is carried from
village 10 village. with very little loss of time
until ii reaches the person for whom 1t is in
tended.
Il was granted the privilege by King Leroth-
rodi of using his gourd telegraph system to send
any message 20 other workers whenever
wished. and often availed myself OF IL. IL Is
not considered necessary 70 repeat back the mes
from gourd to gourd. and don't know OF a sin
gle instance where II failed TO reach its destna-
ton properly.
..During the war between the British and the
Beers who We're hundreds OF miles distant
from the scene Of hostlities got all the news
with surprising rapidly. We knew every VIC
tory and every reverse which took place in the
Orange Free State and the Transvaal. and / have
known of several instances whore the news came
by the gourd air line hours ahead OF the mes
sage by field telegraph. You can readily UNDER
stand how this surprised the military officers
''fhe same system is common To many OF the
African tribes. and the secret Is always confined
To the few trained men in each village who are
chosen for their fidelity TO the head man or
seerns TO know. II has been In use for centuries
Among the pordos the Tembis and the Rechua-
nas whose tribes visited In connection with my
work In Africa. 1 frequently observed the gourd
ceiVss the orders from the head man 10 send n
certain message. and he goes out. and In few
minutes ne be heard pounding out on the
gourd short taps long taps and taps In little
groups taps with pauses between, and taps
close together. like the roll OF drum
There appears 10 be no difficulty In sending
lust as easy for the operator. comparatively as
In would be for the man who sits at the key In
a telegraph Office. have known OF messages
being sent nearly LOCO miles"