The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-11-30
''Modem Warfare Is Made
Possible Only By Electricity -
Amazing Statement by Engineer Hill Is Backed Up by Facts
Given in Brief Interview Telling Of Marves Wrought
Through Agency Of the Subtle Fluid.

Yankee invention and electricity
have made modern warfare possible"
This unusual statement was made by
George W. Hill. an electrical engineer
with the Society for Electrical De-
velopment OF New York who is in the
city comforting with the local cleo
trical prosperity week. November % to
December 4. committee.
The romantic side of the war to-
day has almost been entirely elimi-
mated by electricity" continued Mr..
Hill. This fact is little appreciated
outside military and scientific circles.
Thanks to electricity. generals in the
warning armies can shift millions of
men without being near the battle
field and admirals control the every
maneuver OF fleets OF huge seafghters."
Wonderful Service in War.
Mr.. Hill called attention to the won
derful service being rendered by the
aeroplane. telephone. telegraph and
submarine-all Yankee inventions-in
the European conflict Without the
numberIess applications of electric en-
ergy. he said. the war could not be
fought along such a high plane of ef-
ficiency. Telephone. telegraph and
wireless connections with every bat
terry. regiment, outpost and aeroplane
station along the hundreds of miles of
lighting front. keep the commander-in-
chief in instant touch with the en-
tire army. and big guns of the Ger
man armies are said to be due to Yam
kee invention
According to Mr.. Hill the week"
will be the greatest cooperative BUSH
ness building campaign ever attempt
ed in the United States. The move
ment is backed by the united electric
industry and committees are at work
in every hamlet. town and city of the
country awakening the merchant to 4
fuller realization of the business and
prosperity possibilities of America.
A Week of illumination.
Mr.. Hill predicted the city will wit
ness a week of electric illumination
and gayety hitherto unseen in this
section, during the forthcoming cell
ebration. Local electrical men have
agreed to open a hall of electricity"
wherein may be viewed the wonders
Of all things electrical Every public
building. store. school, church. man
ufacturing plant and street car will
be outlined in electric lights each
night during the week and several
night and day automobile parades will
be held.
Much of the electrical apparatus of
today has reached such a high state of
perfection that there is little room for
improvement" Mr.. Hill continued.
Marked advance can only be expect
ed by radical invention. In view of
this remarkable condition 1t is inter-
esting to review the new develop
ments of electricity during 1915.
New World. Record.
"A new worlds record for wireless
telephone service was established
September 20 when the human speak
ing voice was successfully transmit
ted over the 4.sOo-mile gap of land and
water between the United States Navy
Wireless Station at Arlington. Va, and
the Pearl Island Naval Station in
Hawaii. The old record was $500 miles
from Arlington to the Mare Island
Navy Yard near San Francisco made
early the same day.
The wireless telephone has been
successfully operated on moving
trains. 1t is now proposed to use the
service for signaling on freight trains
to avoid the necessity Of stopping SO
often for orders.
Mr.. Hill further said, The adoption
of the gyroscompass, the invention of
Elmer ID. Sperry marks a great ad-
vance in navigation. Hitherto the
magnetic compass. sensitive to many
inuences, had to be relied upon. The
new invention always points to true
north and has 2so times the directive
force of the old style needle.
The gyroscopic stabilizer is won
derful in its operation An illustration
Of its remarkable usefulness Is seen
in the fact that a 653-pound motor
driven apparatus held a 1.000-ton tor
pedo boat destroyer on an even keel
not only while the latter was run
ming in heavy weather but while the
craft was in the trough of the sea.
Makes the Blind TO See.
Another intensely interesting de-
velopment Of the year." he continued.
is the phonopticon. a device which
enables the totally blind to read print.
1t Is the invention of the DIR. f. e.
Brown, of the State University of
Ohio.
wireless has progressed wonder