Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1907-04-09
ohANof'ni's ENTINELs
IMPORTANT FIGHTING AIDS
SHINING MARKS NOT
OFTEN HIT.

Little has been written of what Is
perhaps one of the greatest fighting
units in modern warfare the search
lights
Hereafter. every great power Will
not only have it's lighting ships well
protected with the searchlights, but
each army corps will have its own
detachment and apparatus for this
necessary auxiliary.
For It has come TO be one OF the
most important uses OF electricity
says the Army and Navy Life, enab-
ling artillerymen to remove many OF
the uncertainties from the much
dreaded night attack
Shallow waters that are suspected
to have been planted with submarine
mines are always subject to such at
tack by the enemy in small boats
Volunteers landing crews are often
sent with orders to destroy all cleo
trical shore connections and thus
render mines useless.
Foggy weather Is the most favor
able time for this work. The boats
are usually masked in gunny sacks
TO avoid all noise
In normal weather scouting OF
this character is. by the use OF the
light, sure to be detected. Then
woe unto the small boat crews. For
the great white beam gives only {"
few seconds OF silent grace In which
to raise the flag of surrender, then
glares on the slaughter by the rapid
firers
Important channels or such pas
sageways OF water as are too deep
10 be successfully mined usually for
their protection on several of the
lights AS discovered vesses from
a very good target, the gunners in
the forts gleefully lick their chops
while the enemy, owing to the dis
appearing gun carriage now used, has
practically nothing on which to con
centrate his fire.
The operator does not stand nea"
the light, but takes up his position
in the fire commanders station, an
elevated tower at some distance from
II. 1t is above sea level and com
mands the harbor
Here located the controller.
which by reason Of its electrical con
nection with the two motors in the
base gives full control OF the light
BY merely shifting the handle the
flashing beam travels at will
A dense fog, however. is abso-
lutely impenetrable and smoke or
slight mist causes the beam TO be
followed with difficulty Then, some
times, distinct images are shown
which are caused by impurities such
as dust in the air and which to the
novice would appear as dark objects
on water
However, when weather conditions
are unfavorable, the enemy is not
apt to move about much. Cloudy
weather and rain are rather bene-
fetal than otherwise as dust and
smoke which act as a screen to the
light are washed out of the air.
But the very natural question is
Why doesn't the enemy throw few
shells and destroy the searchlighto
It's certainly bright enough and. one
would think. would afford an easy
mark
II has been found however. after
repeated trials that to determine the
exact location Of the lamp is almost
an impossibility Then again. the
forts have the advantage of fixed
gun and a comparatively large tar
get, whereas the ship has an un-
steady gun base and very small
target, in fact not more than eight
feet An expert marksman even a.
half mile distance has hardly one
chance out OF fifty to hit the pro
jector
Very well, then wait until day
light and blaze away at the shelter
house which the lamp is kept" f.
said
A very good scheme, very good
indeed. only the shelter house. un-
der actual war conditions. is mostly
a blind and contains nothing Foi
the latest type Of searchlight 81.
mounted on a motor car. and like the
service ghost is never around in the
daytime
DOwy MIR IN wyAm-