Evening star., 1916-08-02


hard they plunged or high they reared.
A million horse flies seemed to be
biting them at once and they continued
to do so until the cart was overturned
tangle of harness. Then some one cut
the wire, broke the circuit and the flies
stung no more.
Construction Of a Reel.
To understand how it was possible
for all this to happen one must have
some idea Of the construction of a reel
cart and the manner of Its operation.
The cart has the appearance Of caisson
for carrying ammunition for field artil-
lery. 1t is almost entirely of metal con-
struction, the only wooden parts being
the wheel spokes and the pole. Under
the seat on which the driver rides are
two reels holding total of five miles
of specially constructed wire. consist
ing of one copper strand and many
strands of steel, all being covered by
heavy insulation. The wire is attached
to the reels in such way as to permit
the sending of messages to or from a
station set up on the cart while 1t is in
motion, either laying or taking up
line. ground extends from the
body of the cart to the iron tire. To
prevent the current which passes
through the cart from being transmit
of the horses attached. insulators are
fitted to the leather-covered chain
traces where they connect with the
singletrees. The current used in the
small but powerful dry batteries car
ried in the base of each buzzer set. 1t
passes through an induction coil in It's
travels, however, and takes on the
sting characteristic of various types
of shocking machines.
The horses attached to the reel cart
had their unusual experience when the
war game" in which the Signal Corps
men had been engaged had just come
to a close. The Signal Corps men had
run a line from the headquarters of the
22d Infantry in Warren up a steep and
rocky mountain side to a place in
saddle" between two hills, where Col.
Noble, commanding the regiment, had
taken his position. The movements of
troops in connection with the war
game" had been completed and the
enemy" routed from theoretical
standpoint. and an order had been is
sued to return to camp.
The Signal Corps men on the hill sent
message to the operator in Warren,
in the valley, about three miles away,
to discontinue the use of the line, but
for some reason which was not ex-
planned the order was not needed. The
men on the hill had reeled in few
yards of wire when the operator in the
valley opened his key and commenced
sending. Driver Mccarthy was seated
on the reel cart, in charge of the horses,
and Corp. Toler was operating the
clutches controlling the wire-winding
mechanism. Driver Volkman was walk
ing behind the cart, guiding the wire
on to the reels.
Horses Get Full Shock.
When the electric impulses came
through the wire the horses. being
thrown in the circuit by the absence of
insulators, received practically the full
force of the shock. They reared and
plunged and then swung around, so
that they faced uphill, the reel cart be-
ing below them. Again they reared,
and this time the yoke came off the end
of the pole. which Immediately assum-
ed a perpendicular position, throwing
the men off the cart and overturning it.
Although partly freed from their har-
ness, the million flies" continued to
bite the horses. the traces still being
connected to the cart. Both animals
let fly with their heels and kicked the
singletrees free from the double bar
But still the current remained un-
broken. for the traces became entan-
gled with the mechanism on the base
of the cart.
The men who had been on the cart
were too busy getting out of the way
of the heels of the animals to think
OF anything else. and 1t was not until
Sergt. Cady rushed up to the cart and
cut the wire that the circuit finally
was broken.
While some of the men were sndeav-
or1ng to pacffy the frightened horses
the reel cart was righted. The buzzer