The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-04-27
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
INFORMATION BUREAU
FREDERIC J. HASKIN, Director,
Washington. d. C
ARMY OPTICS.

Washington, D. c.. April 23.--Re-
Gently the government issued an
emergency call for binoculars. Every
body possessing a pair of field glasses
opera glasses or a telescope was asked
to lend his property to the government
for the period of the war.
In answer to this call, thousands or
binoculars of all descriptions are now
pouring into the headquarters of the
war and navy departments every day.
They come from all parts of the coun-
try, and from the most unexpected
sources. The number of Americans
who own really excellent field glasses
is amazing, and this is fortunate, for
the government is in urgent need of
such equipment, and optical glass is
scarce.
If you own a pair of powerful mag
nifying lenses, send them in, and the
government will pay you 81 for them.
This payment, of course, is merely
perfunctory, the price of good lenses
being worth many times that. But the
law provides that the government may
not accept gifts or loans without re-
Enumeration, and this 81 payment COM
plies with the letter of this law. At
the end of the war, your equipment
will be returned to you, or, in case of
accident, the loss will be made good
Were it not for this timely aid of
American citizens, the government
would be left in an awkward Situa-
ton. Optical glaSs-now in tremend-
Gus demand for field glasses, range
finders, periscopes and searchlights-
was not manufactured in this coun-
try prior to the war. Every year the
United States imported half a million
dollars worth of optical glass from
Europe. Most of it came from Ger
many: some from a firm in Paris,
and small quantity from England.
When the war broke out the Ger
man supply was Immediately cut off,
while the French and English sup
plies were greatly restricted. In fact,
what amounted to an embargo was
established on all optical glass that
could he used for military purposes.
You may recall this period of opti-
cal glass famine which occurred so
sc on after the war-when you waited
an incredibly long time for your new
spectacles. AT that time opticians
faced the possibility of an almost COM
plete lack of optical glass.
All this distress concerning the
i shortage of optical glass was. in the
trade. however. The government was
scarcely aware of it. The United
States was a peaceful nation, and
sums for buying field glasses for
| military purposes were regularly
struc hout of the appropriation bills
| for the army and navy. Then General
| Funston, who was in charge of the
4 "A
Mexico, suddenly sent in an order for
1000 field glasses, declaring the need
| for them 10 be urgent.
| The government soon discovered
| that field glasses were not so easily
obtainable as they once had been, and
| bureau of standards put its chemical
engineers to work on the analysis of
| chemical glass with a view to solving
the problems of its manufacture. Co
operating with them in this expert
mental work were six large consumers
| of optical glass and three glass manu-
! facturers.
| In a short time this work was sue
1 cessful, but the process proved to be
| difficult, requiring the most skiIlful
and exhausting labor. The normal de-
| mand for optical glass in this country
| is too small for the development of a
large industry; indeed, it is doubtful
if it is sufficient to pay the expenses
of one factory. Nevertheless, two
| anufacturers-one a consumer OF
large quantities of optical glass and
the other plate glass manufacturer
agreed to manufacture optical glass
for the period of the war at least
There is no longer any danger OF
an optical glass famine, but the scar
city is still being felt. Manufacture is
| being confined almost entirely to war
products. Field glasses are needed by
the hundreds of thousands; every di.
vision must be provided with tele.
scopes; periscopes are need both for
submarines and gun-sights, while
searchlights are used in ever increas.
ing numbers in the war zone as a pro.
lection against night Air raids. The
searchlight not only reveals the ap-
proach of an enemy airman, but IL
blinds him as well. 1t is also valuable
in coast defense and for naval pur.
poses. Without optical glass, indeed
the war would be like game of blind
mans buff.
Germany was the first belligerent t.
recognize the tremendous value of the
field glass in war. In fact, the fieIf
glass was INCLUDED in the German pro
gram of war preparation years go
for IN the first campaign every Ger
man drill sergeant and officer had hi.
pair of field glasses of the best tyne
which gave him a big advantage owe,
the French officers who were not 81
, well equipped. They permitted hin
, to sight the enemy long before tn,
} enemy had sighted him.
| Thousands of lives were lost in thi
unequal warfare before the Frenc,
discovered the reason for this deadl,
| German advai- tage. Then F'renci
opticians started manufacturing optica
glass in huge quantities, working da,
and night For it devolved upon then
to supply not only their own arm,
! but the armies OF their allies witt
> field glasses.
vi Like the United States, France ha.
l imported a great deal of optical glas
from Germany before the war so tina
1t took some time to get the fndustr
on large-scale working basis Tn
end of the war, however will Sc
l France one of the greatest manufac
: turers of optical glass in the world.
The importance of optical glass il
e modern warfare is illustrated by tn
t following incident concerning tn
/ Ruu1anian army, told by an America
t army officer. The world was aston
e ished at the ease with which tn
= Rumanian army was defeated say
| this officer, and not until long after
r ward was the real cause actual
l. known. 1t seems that before Rumani