Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-09-01

war teemed with romance anu tHo nneH
power, long range rifle was an unheard OF
quantity.
: 1t would seem that the last shred Of the
spectacular in the last court of arbitra-
ment for the troubles of nations had been
torn away when the dashing aid Is moved
aside to give place to the telegraph instru-s
ment In the war of the rebellion the tele-
graph played a most important part in the
success of the armies in the field, but the
signal department of that day and the de-
partment that operates today were as I'M
like the old funnel-mouth blunderbuss
and the modern magazine rifle. Or the
great maxims OF military science one of
the greatest is that which demands that
the commander of army shall always
keep in touch with the component parts
to his command, and in these modern days
it is on the Signal Corps that he mostly
depends for this purpose. Officers who are
believed to know whereof they speak say
that the limit of the utility of this branch
of the service has not yet been reached and
that there are broad fields of usefulness that
are as yet undeveloped.
At these maneuver camps there are three
separate detachmentS of the corps at work.
In each of the division camps there is
company OF sixty men and three officers,
and at corps headquarters there are dozen
or so enlisted men and one officer. In each
of the division camps there are complete
telegraph and telephone systems and the
telegraph and telephones connect each di-
vision with corps headquarters also In the
construction of this system, or rather these
distinct, the men of the Signal Corps have
been at work fifteen days. In each of the
division headquarters there are telephone
switchboards with an operator on duty at
all times, and in each brigade headquarters
ton of the brigade. Each of these party
line principle. connecting every organiza-
ton of the brigade. Each of these party
line systems is entirely separate and dis
tinct from the main telephone switchboard,
but can be connected with 1t, If need be. SO
that person at division headquarters can
talk with any one in any regiment If he SO
desires. The switchboard at corps head
quarters is separate from the division sys-
TENS, but here, as with the party line sys-
TENS, the phones from the division head
quarters can be connected and man at
Manassas can talk to a man at Thorough
fare without difficulty. This work Of the
Signal Corps is in no sense test or trial
of methods, but is practical demonstration
of a system that has been operated in the
Philippines In hostile country. The Signal
Corps built all lines of communication In
the far eastern colonies during the first
months of the occupation, and the work
done at that time stands as good today and
renders efficient service as 1t did at the
time 1t was first put up.
Divided Into Three Branches.
The corps is divided into three branches
for work in the field, which may be called
constructive, visual signaling and tele-
graphing The first division Of work is
that which has to do with the establish
ment of telegraph and telephone systems in
permanent camps or barracks, like that
done at this camp. The second head in
cludes all manner of visual signaling. By
visual signaling is meant that sort of sig
nails which can be seen with the eye There
are several methods of doing this sort of
work. By means of flags, rockets, bombs,
torches and the Photograph messages can
be sent for miles in various kinds of coun-
try both at night and during the day. 1t
would seem that the corps is never without
some means of communication. The signal
flags of red with a white square in the CEN
ter are we'll known to all By the so-called
wig wag system code has been establish
ed by means of which any kind of a mes
sage can be sent. The same holds true of
the heliograph, which, by recent Inventions
does not now depend on the sun alone for
its power and can be used at night as well
as in the day. The signals sent by bombs
and rockets must be prearranged, as there
Is no way of quickly communicating odd
words or figures by this means The corps
also experiments with wireless telegraphy
ana ballooning, but neither of these fea-
lures of the work is to play part in the
maneuvers here. The night signaling outfit
OF me corps is one of the most interesting
assortments of material in the army.
To use the heliograph al night an acetv
lene nght OF very high power has been in
vented. This light resembles somewhat the
large lamps used on automobiles and has
a generator with capacity of about a
pint Signals are sent by means of a kew
which regulates the flow of gas, there he,
ing TWO stops, one for the full light and one
for small flame that is not visible at a
very great distance By simply pressing the
KEY that resembles the sending part of a
Telegraph instrument, the variations of
ngnt can be secured and dots and dashes
Vi prlllant name can be flashed across tne
country from hill to hill There are a dozen
or more or these instruments in each of the
uiVislon camps and they will probably be
gwen pienty of use during the mane1yers
fa ov,1
frequently transmitted from Fort Mver tn
Soidlers Home by means of the acetylene
neIoeraph, which is mounted on a tripod
when in service.
The bombs and rockets arc on,y mead for
prearranged signals, which means that a
general or commander of a division will ar
range TO send up a rocket of a certain color
6 ta colnoinatlon of colors if certain things
happen and 70 send another combination
IL certain things do not happen The
rockets are of several kinds and make a
pretty spectacle when used. Experiments
In this kind of signaling were carried IN
last night at Thoroughfare with eminenr
success, signals being sent at a great dis
lance. There are two kinds of rockets
those of fixed ammunition, as 1t were, and
those in which the lights can be arranged
10 suit the needs of the occasion. Both
kinds come In three colors.- and the differ
ence in them is that the fixed rocket will
show only one color, while those that can
be fixed can show all three colors at the
order of the hanging stars of the pyro-
technic displays. The second kind OF
rocket is loaded by the operator. The
charge of powder that sends it into the air
and explodes it is prepared at the factory
and cannot be disturbed. The top of the
rocket is screwed to the chamber into
which the different colored lights are to be
placed, however, and these lights come In
small tin receptacles that are arranged
with screw threads so that the bottom OF
one can be screwed to the top of the other.
Each separate bit of the illuminant is fur
nished with device that maintains 1t al
most stationary in the air, after it has been
thrown out by the explosion of the charge
of powder in the fixed section of the piece
and after it has assembled to a certain
| height. BY this arrangement string OF
| lights of various colors, and arranged &C
| cordng to the code adopted, can be launch
| ed 500 feet in the air.
The Smoke Bomb.
| The smoke bomb is a means of visual
| signaling by day. used when no correspond
| ing heights can be secured to adjust the
| henograph or to use the wigwag flags. IL
| is a conical-shaped bomb loaded with ma
| terial which makes a dense smoke that can
| be seen at a great distance. The bomb is
| provided with fuse that is lighted and the
| piece is fired straight up from small light
NV, of oh nOwder