The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1914-05-15
HOW The SIGNAL
CORPS Aids ARMY
Mounted Troopers Ready For
Service In Mexico.
VITAL FACTOR IN WARFARE.

Setting Up the Field Radio, Combined
Telephone and Telegraph, Which
Keeps the General In Command of
the Field Forces In Touch With
Movements of the Enemy.
In the school OF modern warfare as
laid down by the war college Of the
United Stotes army the duty of the sig
nal corps Is defined as the certain
transmission of information and orders
regardless Of conditions" A field com.
pany of signal corps consists of 100
officers and men. all mounted. divided
into six sections.
With the main body Of the independ-
ent cavalry pushing far ahead OF the
army as it advances through Mexico
if trouble continues-will be a little
group of mounted men. twelve in num-
Der. With them will be pack animals
bearing mysterious boxes, and sections
of poles will be fastened to their pack
saddles. Lean. bronZed and wiry. the
pick of the service. riding with the
easy seat of the Yankee trooper, goes
this little detachment of the signal
corps-the nervous system of the army.
Very similar in construction to the
human body is Uncle Sans field army
The brain of the field army is its COM
mander; the limbs and trunk are the
troops of the line-cavalry, infantry
and artillery. The nerves. flashing
from brain to muscle the impulses di-
recting the great body. are the men of
the signal corps. Without that body
the field army is helpless.
The army pushes it's way through
hostile territory. Well in advance of
the main body is the Independent cav
airy. far flung over the country. flex-
ible screen, searching out the enemy.
Getting In Touch.
Comes clatter Of rifle fire from the
front. the signal that the screen has
come in contact with q hostile force.
The advance guard engages. drawing
out the enemy. disclosing his strength.
Far to the rear is the commander Of
the field army. How Is the cavalry
commander to give him In detail the
information he has obtained? In old
times mounted messengers would have
gone back at full gallop. running the
risk Of falling into the hands OF scat
tered forces on the enemy. of being
ambushed by guerrillas. Today the
field radio set solves the problem and
avoids delays.
The cavalry commander scribbles q
message to the general. telling him Just
what he needs to know, and turns It
over to the sergeant riding at the head
the little silk crossed flags under his
chevrOns.
"Open station" calls the section
chief. Out of the column the riders
turn, dismount: the horses are linked
In a circle and left to one man. the
horse holder. while the others fling
themselves at the pack animals. OF
come boxes. poles and all the impedi-
menta they are carrying
On the leading pack horse Is a little
iron frame. The instant that 1t touches
the ground one man springs upon 1t,
holding section Of pole from which
radiate four shining strands of phos-
phor bronze wire. the antennae, which
four men are paying out from hand
reels. The man on the frame raises
the pole; another man slips under 1t
another section: q snap it Is fastened,
and the pole goes up higher. Section
after section Is added until the mast.
steadied by three men. towers sixty
feet in the air
The Buzzer line.
The section chief waves his hand
The antennae men drive insulated pegs
into the ground. Delay the ends of the
antennac and run back to drag out on
the ground four long lines OF rubber
covered wire. This is the counterpoisee
or artificial ground. The operator
opens the chest carried on the other
animal. adjusts several mysterious
wires. couples the chest to Il wire from
the mast and connects with the
tI'Ou TIE liOu Is luSlCI1-
ed Il little dynamo. IL half klowatt
hand generator. the cranks of which
four men grasp. The generator Is con-
nected to the instrument chest; the
crank men start heaving.
Back in headquarters similar piece
Of apparatus Is set up. while from 1t
4 buzzer line extends to the where
abouts of the general himself. The
buzzer is combined field telephone
and telegraph. The wire from this is
aid out from two horse reel carts and
ran be paid ovt on the gallop If neces-
;ary. The wire lies on the ground. and
he buZZer is of such sensitive con
;truction that cases have been known
where 1t was possible to work through
breaks in the line up to distances of
fifteen feet Besides this. the buzzer
AN be coupled to commercial telegraph
ines and worked without interfering
With them.