Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1910-04-06
WISCONSIN'S MILITIA
ADOPTS NEW DEVICE
Dictograph Will Give Soldiers Warning
of Movements Being Made by
''the Enemy"

New interest Will be injected into
the military manouvers of the Wis
consin National Guard this summer
through the use of novel device for
determining the movement of large
bodies of troops over wide area.
The demonstration of its practi-
cability for the purpose employed, it
it is said by military experts. wilt
revolutionize modern military tactices.
The device is known as a photograph
and is used throughout this country
and in Europe by banking and bust
ness establishments for the purpose of
facilitating communication between
distant points of building. The
United States Secret Service has en-
ployed the instrument in it's work for
several years as has the Standard Oil
and other large institutions. For
some time the governors of the states
of Minnesota and Illinois have been
using it in the executive mansions at
st. Paul and Springfield and say it
has performed wonderful work for
them.
While its application to military
work is new phase Of it's manifold
uses, members of Major General
Frederick D. Grants staff at Chicago
are convinced that the highly sensidiz-
ed instrument will peculiarly lend
itself to the important function to be
assigned to it at the manouvres.
The photograph magnifes sound ten
to twelve octaves and in commercial
life is used by busy men to transmit
their orders to subordinates in other
parts of the building, while seated at
their desk or while walking about
their rooms, without being obliged TO
talk into telephone transmitter. the
instrument absorbing the faintest
whisper made ten to twenty feet away
from il. This virtue gives it a
distinct value to the work of the
signal corps, say experts Military
tacticians in all countries have long
sought an instrument that would give
them some definite information con-
corning the movement of opposing
troops. Scouts employed in gathering
this intelligence are not always
reliable. knowledge of the concentra
tion Of a large force on one flank or
another is invaluable to the general
wishing to avert disaster to his troops
when the vulnerable spot in his ranks
is made the object of special attack by
the mighty phalanx Of his enemy.
It is held by military men that the
photograph can be effectively employed
In the work. Here is how they propose
to use it at the state manouvres. A
set of the photograph transmitters
about the size Of playing card will
be hidden alongside all of the roads
through which it is known the enemy
have to pass in order to get to given
point in front of them. Wires deftlY
concealed in the grass will connect
the transmitters with members of the
signal corps d mile or more distant.
Five or six wires from as many
different roads will center at these
headquarters, giving the men in
charge complete knowledge of every
movement of the enemy. Suppose the
enemy in the early hours of the
morning stealthily move)a large force
to the left flank. Through the
photograph receivers in the field the
signal corps can distinctly hear the
marching troopers passing over road
No. 1. or road No 2 as it may be. |
The marching continues unabated for
hours. By easy calculation the signal
corps can estimate che NUMBER Of |
men passing the photograph transmitter
per hour.
A surprise on the left and possibly |
a crushing defeat can be averted, in
the morning by the prompt action to
coun teract this movement which this
information enables the general to
make who is in charge of the force
against whom the hostile movement is
designed. The demonstration of the |
value of the instrument as an |
auxiliary to the work of the signal
corps will be watched with keen in
terest by all military men at Sea
Girt. It is also to be tried out at
Fort Leavenworth and in the east at
the big inter state military manouvres
to be neld this summer.