Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-09-28
new WIRELESS
TOWER $3.50
FEET in HEIGHT
French and American Sta
tons Soon Will be Able :
to Communicate Freely.

Tours, Central France, Sept. 81
Correspondence of The Associated
Press.)-The American army will
soon be sharing with the French in
the operation of the highest and most
powerful wireless sending station in
the world. This is now nearing COM
pletion on the French coast-the
point canot be stated-and its giant
towers can be seer rising $40 feet.
Soon it will be in direct touch with
America with. far more power than
ever before, experimenting the cable
for transatlantic service and perhaps
with its new power rivalling the cable
Tor quick communication. -
All along the front small wireless
stations have been set up to intercept
enemy radio exchanges and locate
enemy stations. Messages are picked
up from all the capitals of Europe,
and especially from the larger Ger
man cities. This practice Of inter-
cepting messages seems to be univer-
sally accepted as a war necessity, and
the crop daily gathered includes those
from friends as we'll as foe. The
enemy has many small radio stations
along the front, which are in constant
communication with Berlin and Ham
over. the two central enemy stations.
The American army controls a
q%uadruple cable line across the Eng
lish channel, which connects the
French telegraph and telephone sys-
tenn directly with the English lines.
Thus American officials are brought
together for direct immediate x
change between Paris, London. and
American headquarters at the front.
An extension to transatlantic cable
is only a question Of time. Inc with
this realized there is the possibility
OF 1nonf nf 1Sroo$ pn~,Alf0<~ 4Nra-
munication between Washington and
American military headquarters at
the front.
Weather forecasting and meteoro-
logical work is another branch which
base become highly important in the
American military operations. It has
played its part not only in the de-,
termination of the moment for big
offensive movements, when steady
clear weather is one of the elements
of success, but also in the extremely
nishes the artillery branch, the air
service and the gas service. 4
The failure or success, of a gas at
tack may turn on the fore-knowledge
of the wind and barometric condi-
lions. It has been coincidence that
most Of the German offensives have
come during periods Of favorable
weather, and this has led to state
ments that they had developed some
new and superior device of weather
forecasting. But those who have
most to do with the service say the
Allied ~forecasters are as expert as
any the world over.
Carrier pigeon service is still an
other branch of, communication which
the American army. is finding highly
advantageous in the field. The
pigeoneers as they are called have be-
come an important adjunct of the
front, with several hundred enlisted
men and a score Of officers, equipped
with rolling lofts, breeding stations,
etc. Some Of the leading pigeon
%fanciers have been commissioned in
this branch, and they are breeding
birds Of the finest stock. Captured
enemy pigeons show hat h Ger
mans are also using very fine birds
and are placing much dependence on
the carrier service.
There is also the motorcycle dis
patch service as an adjunct to the
telegraph, for carrying maps and
wires. and the Photographic branch
with a unit for each division, keeping
a complete pictorial record Of the
American military activities.
Altogether it is a huge work with
some three to four per cent of the
entire army-or about $1,000 officers
and men in a force Of q million men
maintaining the steady flow Of COM
m%unication Throughout this nerve sys-
tenn Of the American army.
f-. -AD- ->-> n. -HL