Gilpin observer., 1917-07-19
Every big Bertha" in World
Conflict Is Fired by Press
ing a Button.
WIRELESS IS ALWAYS BUSY
Invention Stimulated by Demands Of
War-Treneh Orders Given by Tel.
ephone-Maonets Take Place
Of Surgeons Probe.

peace, has been adopted by war as Its
own especial ward. Without electric.
ity this war could never have reached
the proportions which 1t has perhaps
could never have been fought at all.
Every big Bertha" is fred by an cleo.
trio spark. Every order from head.
quarters reaches the trenches, not BY
courier as in days Of old, but by tele
phone. The wireless crackles a stac
cato accompaniment to every sailin,
Of ship and submarine. The torped,
itself Is propelled by electric motors.
Invention has been stimulated al.
most Historically by the demands Of
war. Armies on the march or in the
field have now hundred conveniences
which were not known last year.
There is radio telephone and tele-
graph equipment, for instance, which
can be attached to motorcycle. It
was given to America only a little
while ago by a New York inventor.
The transmitting power Is approx
mately one kilOwatt, with resultant
radius for the wireless telegraph Of
from 80 to 100 miles and about half
that distance for the radio telephone.
Current for this compact field set
Is supplied to the telephone or tele-
graph by high voltage direct current
generator connected directly to an in
dependent motorcycle engine connect
ed with the side car. For the equip
ment is contained in a small metal side
car attached to the cycle.
Wireless Equipment.
The wireless equipment comprises a
completely Independent unit, which
can easily be detached and pushed by
hand or loaded on wagon and trans
ported over rough ground. An extra
wheel is provided which can be at
tached to either hub of the side car or
to the front or rear Of the motorcycle.
The antenna is supported by light
weight metal mast of tubular con-
structiOn. The telescope form Of 1t
makes 1t possible to collapse the mast
and strip it out of the way on the cars
side. And when erected, 1t can take
messages from field and airplanes with
equal ease.
The French have developed the
wireless to a fine point. They now
have what they call an ''ondophone"
detector for receiving messages, the
value of which. lies in its small size
and extremely compact makeup. The
whole affair, as a matter Of fact, can
be carried in an officers breast pocket.
With this little detector at a dis
tance of 20 miles from the transmit
ter all that Is needed Is an open um-
brella held as high as the hand can
reach-Or sword, If you prefer
while a small metal contact piece con-
nected to cord lies upon the ground
and makes the earth circuit. At 60
miles one need only plant knife in
q tree, preferably a pine tree, or a
gimlet will answer as well. One of
the cords with its metal clip is at
tached to this "antenna" while the
other clip Is placed in the ground.
The entire receiver weighs but IS
ounces and yet in spite of its size 1t
is meticulously made and is a most
accurate apparatus.
For Long. Distance Work.
For long distance, for instance to
the extreme borders Of France, one
clip is Joined to a telephone line which
serves as an antenna and the other
goes to gas or water pipes for the
ground. But at a smaller distance
there can be wider choice for an
tennae-a kitchen stove, a balcony, n
metal bed or the like, or even BIZ
cycle or an automobile. The operator
may use his own body for the ground
by attaching the metal clip to his fn-
ger, while the other clip goes to the
telephone wire. In this way signals
have reached Paris from q distance
Of no less than 270 miles.
Most interesting Of all, perhaps, and
particularly SO from a constructive
viewpoint, Is the invention Of an cleo
trical contrivnnce to remove particles
Of metal from wounds. This has not
come directly from the war, either,
though 1t is being used there now In
the best Of the base hospitals. 1t
came from Pittsburgh, from the fac
tories which have been furnishing
practically all Of the barbed wire for
the allies intrenchments.
This machine Is powerful electric
magnet that Is taking the place Of
the surgeons painful and perflous
probe, and It is one to save countless
lives and untold agony. The removal
Of pieces Of shrapnel, steel-jacketed
bullets and other metal substances
from wounds by use Of powerful cleo
tro-magnets In the war zone hospitals
has been acclaimed as the very latest
application of science to surgery.