Evening star., 1915-01-03
WHERE WORK |SHOT
FOR SIGNAL CORPS
Keeping a Unit in Touch With
Headquarters While Re-
treating or Advancing. =
Foreign Correspondence Of The Star.

LONDON. December 21.-From a let
ter written by an officer of the Brit
ish Signal Corps l learn some inter-
esting bits concerning the work of
keeping all of the immense armies in
communication throughout lighting
and rapid movements. Gen. Joffres s
headquarters and Gen. French,S head
quarters are in direct touch with all
the important towns in the north of
France and also with London and
Paris. There are wires to all the army
corps headquarters and from these to
the divisions and to the brigades. It
would undoubtedly be possible to con-
meet up the lines SO that man in the
house of commons here could hear
shrapnel bursting over St. Mihlel.
The hottest work for the Signal
Corps is keeping a unit in touch with
headquarters while advancing or re-
treating rapidly. For this there. are
two cable detachments of two cable
wagons each. One section lays the
line while the others remain behind to
reel up when the line is done with.
Further Details Given.
My informant continues:
A division is ordered to move quick
ly to a more tactical position. The
end of the cable is connected with
the permanent line, which communi-.
Gates to army headquarters. and the.
cable detachment moves off at the
trot Across country, along roads,
through villages and past columns of
troops. the white-and-b badge of
the signal service clears the way. Be-
hind the wagon rides horseman, who
deftly lays the cable in the bitches
I1r fro hos
transport and the feet of tramping
infantry, with the aid of crookstick-
Other horsemen are in the rear, tying.
back and making the line safe. On
pher, who is constantly in touch with
headquarters as the cable runs swiftly
out An orderly dashes up with an
important message. the wagon Is
stopped, the message dispatched and
on they go again.
In reeling up a cable mounted men
are sent in front of the wagon to
clear the line. The drums are then
connected to the wheels of the wagon
by means of a clutch. SO that the cable
is wound up mechanically, with man
to guide the running and another 10
regulate the speed of the drum with
a system of brakes.
Work Under Difficult Conditions.
A cable detachment ia often called
upon to perform work under most dif-
icult conditions. 1t may have to lay
a line quickly through heavily shelied
towns. such as happened at fpres u
few weeks ago in the darkness OF
night. The maintenance of such a
line is fraught with danger.
Telegraphers are often left on dutE
in the trenches and lonely farm houses
chateaus, etc, close to the firing line.
and 1 leave it to your imagination to
picture how difficult It is to concen.
trate ones mind on the signaling ana
reception of important messages while
the air is filled with the deafening roar i.
of artillery and the screaming and
bursting of shells. M
An experience of this kind happenegs
to me a short time ago in a loneiEH
chateau on the res-Menin road. nJhHS
chateau was the center of &a&4e@M
hell of German shrapnel Tor A4eAriEN
a week. until 1t became almost NnSM
tenable and was abandoned by ths;@
staff. The general gavt#
that telegrapher wa$%
to remain behind to transmit tmZ
portant dispatches from the brigadeE#
and / was left in charge of the mn
strurnents in this shell-swept chateaI4#
for a day and a night. m
Germans Break Through Trenche3m:
On the second day the Germans brolM
through our trenches. and the wireH5
were cut up by shell fire. I was giveM
orders to evacuate the building anHz
smash up my instruments. IN
These I saved by burying them in HW
,hellproof trench, and then had to esZM
,ape between our own fire and that ON
he enemy's across field under a terES
.ible tornado of shrapnel. On the earlEz
morning of the same day one of OuJH
"a BILE detachments was cut up +anHIz
mother captured by the Germans, 6nlE#
@ be retaken by our sappers and driNf<S
RS after a desperate and glorious fShE%1
In the region of the Aisne. wfere \
he hilly and wooded nature OF the 3
country admitted of much cover. spies
,ften succeeded in tapping our wires. :
rhe lines are constantly patrolled by ::
mounted nnemen, whose duty is at
ended with much risk. On one occa- !,
ion a lineman, in passing along his
,atrol, noticed that there was guam !.
ity Of slack cable lying in the side of
he road Dismounting to coil It up !.
tut Of the reach of traffic. he found :,
O his surprise that a piece of spare
wire had been tied into the main line. !,
md upon investigating discovered that {
t led to the top Of haystack. the
vire being cunningly hidden in the Z
traw. Going farther down the line. J;
le tapped in and reported the matter .
O headquarters, then mounting guard
ver the haystack he awaited the ar
ivsl of an armed escort. who discov-
red the spy, together with several
ays' supply of food hidden. in the
of thA hav-