Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1915-01-23

or clerks, ana Is connected IN circuit
with a telegraph key and telephone
receiver. Signals are telegraphed with
this device exactly as they are tele-
graphed over regular telegraph wires,
the telephone receiving the impulses
in the form of high-pitched squeaks in
place of the regular clicking sounder.
The apparatus weighs about three
pounds and is carried on a strap over
the shoulder Detachments lying miles
apart may communicate with these
buzzer sets without wires-the steel
rails of railroad track, water in
creek beds, barbed-wire fences or en-
tanglements and even the ground IT,
self. in wet weather. serving the pur-
pose admirably. 1t was these that the
Germans found in the trenches at
Antwerp-buZZers-h of them.
with a network of wires in alK direc-
lonesome connected to telephone
wires, others on rails most of them
simply attached to the rain-soaked
earth by metal pins, Even the cavalry
were equipped metal plate under
the saddle, with the horses body and
the steel shoes as conductor being
sufficient. .-
Near Veryiers. in the north of Bel
GUM, where the railroads spread out
like the fingers of a hand. and the
French and Germans came to hand
grips in a pouring rain, with the siege
guns mired to the hubs, wounded
Frenchman crawling through thick
ct discovered fine wire fastened to a
spike impaled in the ground.
He followed the wire IL led to a
German cavalrymaf on knoll some
distance away, who was watching the
thanking of the French troops through
field glasses. The Frenchman cut the
wire. Abruptly the Ranking move
ment ceased. The German shot him
from horseback. - The French had
time for reinforcements and turned
back the crest of the wave. They
found their comrade lying across the
ends of the wire--and the German.
shell-riven, clinging to buzzer box
strapped to his horse. - drama
without words.
At Louvain, hurting shell scream
ed into tree and burst. Out of
chaos tumbled drab uniform, splotch-
ed with crimson fell to the earth
beneath, with the shattered branches.
An instrument with broken key,
clutched to the rent breast, told the
tale private of the signal corps.
He had been miles ahead Of his army
;" they had seen with his eyes.
His work had been deadly-5000 men
in two hours had wheeled into shrap-
nel-swept hell-and shriveled to a
company. Another took his place
the broken wire was repaired. And
so it went on.
The signal corps lines are capable
of great manipulation. The wire that
connects the field telephones and
buzzers is carried on reel carts. hun
dreds of feet of phospo-bronze wire
of great strength being wound on huge
drums fitted to unwind rapidly. II II
is expedient to establish communities
ton between two points, q reel cart
is iitched behind an army automobile
and a detachment of three or more
men starts out at full speed fer the
distant point One end OF the wire
is left fastened to tree, the bah
ance unreeling as the automobile goes
on. No ground connection being need.
ed, the men in the automobile are In
constant communication over the un-
Keeling wire with the point they have
just left, and at no time up TO the
time the distant point is reached Is its
communication broken, even though
the farther point may be a hundred
or more miles away.
IL in the nature of events, cavalry
charge breaks the fine wire laid along
the ground or the enemy discovers II
and cuts the wire, the persistent little
buzzer works right along just the
same, without interruption. This par
ticular feature makes the buzzer one
of the most wonderful of all the scien-