Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-03-09
sEARCHLIGHT sENTINELs.
Important Fighting Aids-shining
Marks Not Often Hit,

From Army and Navy Life.
Little has been written Of what is perha ps
one of the greatest fighting units in modern
warfare, the searchlight
Hereafter every great power will not only
have its fighting ships well protected with
the searchlight, but each army corps will
have Its own detachment and apparatus
tor this very necessary auxiliary.
For II has come to be one of the most
important uses of electricity, enabling artiI-
lerymen to remove many of the uncertain.
ties from the much dreaded night attack
Shallow waters that are suspected to
have been planted with submarine mines
are always subject to such attack by the
enemy In small boats. Volunteer landing
crews are often sent with orders to destroy
all electrical shore connections and thus
render the mines useless.
Foggy weather Is the most favorable time
Tor this work. The boats are usually mask.
ed In gunny sacks to avoid all noise.
In normal weather scouting of this char
acter 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 fires.
Important channels or such passageways
or water as are too deep to be success
i Iuily mined usually rely for their protec.
vessels form very good target, the gum
ners in the forts gleefully lick their chops;
while the enemy. owing to the disappearing
gun carriage now used. has practically
nothing on which to concentrate his fire.
The operator does not stand near tho
light, but takes up his position in the fire
commanders station, an elevated tower at
some distance from 1t. It is above sea
level and commands the harbor.
Here Is located the controller, which by
reason of Its electrical connection with the
two motors in the base gives full control
0f fha 1fDhk De-,
the flashing beam travels at will.
dense fog, however. Is absolutely i'm
penetrable and smoke or slight mist causes
the beam to be followed with difficulty.
Then, sometimes, 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 beneficial 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 a few shells and
destroy the searchlight? It's certainly
bright enough and one would think, would
AFFORD an easy mark.
1t has been found, however after repeat-
ed trials that to determine the exact loca-
ton of the lamp is almost an impossibility
Then again. the forts have the advantage
of fixed gun and a comparatively large
target. whereas the ship has an unsteady
gun base and very small target in fact
not more than eight feet. An expert Marks
man even at half a mile distance has hard
ly one chance out OF fifty to hit the pro.
jector.
Very we'll then, wait until daylight and
blaze away at the shelter house In which
the lamp is kept" is said.
very good scheme, very good indeed
only the shelter house. under actual war
conditions is mostly a blind and contains
nothing. For the latest type of searchlight
Is mounted on motor car, and like the
service ghost is never around in the day-
time.