The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1917-08-02
TELEPHONE IN WARFARE
PLAYS IMPORTANT PART
AFFORDS ELABORATE SYSTEM
OF COMM UNicATIoN- IS
QUICKLY INSTALLED.

other nationality, tHdl We dic 'hSii"
ed to think of 1t as only side issue
for communication in times OF war;
especially when wireless work has oc-
cupied such an important place as
means for sending long distance mes
sages. That this view IL entirely I'M
warranted, and the telephone still
holds it's own on the battle front In
modern warfare, and has even been
greatly improved, and it's usefulness
extended Is shown by the uses to
which it is put along the lines OF first
defense In France, and also by the
signal corps of our own army.
Whenever a camp is established by
our army, you will find the signal
corps to be among the first workers
to arrive. They rapidly put up wire
connecting commissary, -quartermas-
ter field, division and other head
quarters and have point to which all
wires converge in the central tele-
phone tent. Here you will find in
stead of long line of Hello girls"
several signal corps men sitting In
front of telephone field switchboards
busily making connections. These
field switchboards are compact and
comparatively light. They may be
disconnected and made ready for ship
ment In short order and look like or
binary shipping boxes when ready to
o be moved.
Hang Wires on Horseback.
The field telephones used by the
u. S. army are probably as good as
those used by any army in the world.
They have no hook which must be
moved up and down to attract the
central station, for the transmitter
and receiver are one. When not In
use they remain in the telephone box,
and when they are used for talking,
the connection with the line is made
by pushing a button in the handle.
The ringing Is all done by turning q
crank, as In the old type of magnetic
telephones first used in country and
even on city lines. When 1t is neces-
sary to move the camp the telephones
may be quickly disconnected and shut
in their boxes, and when so discon-
nected they have the appearance of
an ordinary polished oak box. The
connecting wires for the telephone
system are usually strung along on
top of fence posts and on slender iron
shod poles which require but a sharp
pull to remove them as quickly as
they were put in.
When a line is to be erected quick
ly. the reel of telephone wire is car
ried by one man on horseback, pre-
ceded by another man similarly
mounted and carrying supply Of
telephone poles which he thrusts into
the ground without passing as the two
advance. II the extension is a long
one, additional supplies are brought
up by other horsemen riding in the
rear A well trained squad of mount
ed signal corps men can easily run a
new line of wire 40 or so miles long
inside of half day.
Special Scouting System.
Since the grounded return Is usual
ly used in modern field telephone con-
struction, each line requires the serec-
ton of only single wire. the return
circuit being completed through the
earth. In a we'll established camp
every commissioned officer in his tent
Is instantly available to call by tele-
phone either day or night and even
the outposts have telephone stations
which permit them to keep in touch
with what is going on inside the lines,
In addition to this regular camp
telephone system which corresponds
to the telephone systems of our larg.
est domestic cities. there is special
type of instrument used bv scouting
parties for purposes of exploration,
This instrument is light and easily
portable. In army parlance it is call
ed service buzzer, owing to the fact
that noisy telephone bells are replac.
ed by buzzer emitting calling sig
nal just loud enough to be heard a
short distance away. yet not audible
at any considerable distance Even
this signal may, be silenced, however,
and the telephone used strapped to
the body and with the head receiver
continually clamped over the ears
Use Of the Buxzer.
The service buzzer may be used
anywhere by driving a metal stake in
the ground and connecting the other
terminal to wire fence or even to
barbed wire ENHANCEMENT. 1t is most
often used in connection with port
able reel Of bare wire of small gauge
which Is unreeled on the ground as
the scouting party presses forward
The instruments will work satisfact-
orily with this bare wire wherever 1t |
does not come into physical contact
with water or with a metal ground |
The dry surface dirt offers sufficient
resistance to the passage of the cleo
trical current to prevent an actual |
short circuit When it is not possible
to secure a wire for connection, sig
nails may be received in wireless tele-
graph code by making certain connec-
tons on the instrument.
Listening Device.
There are few applications of known
principles of telephone transmission
applied to more ingenious purpose