Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1918-08-08
An6es Find PoWeriu and Far.
neaehino Illumination On lln.
periant faetee.
Nnu N N0T1ue TANKS


-" e~1 v.@~ 80 49,
TRANS were driving Ne Italian sol
dlers from their hard-won mountair
f0rtresses. the defeated army had one
weapon which It constantly used to
harass and impede the foe. This was
the electric searchlight. q newcomer
on the field of battle.
Powerful lights were trained every
night upon the advancing Austrians
whenever they came to a river cross
ing or whenever they were obliged to
halt for another eason This ham.
pered and irritated the enemy ex.
ceedingly. II was not only that sc.
rious danger attended any disclosure
Of their operations. They suffered
also from nerves when the long feel
ers Of light brushed aver their faces
and hands and revealed every detail
Of the work upon which they were
engaged.
The use Of searehlights by our
own expeditfonary forces is becoming
on important branch of the engineer
Ing service. Not long ago congress
voted ar appropriation Of S1,OOO.0O0
for s%earchlights of both the field type
and the anti,aircraft type. The lights
commonly used are S8-inch lights, hav-
Ing a candlepower of 1000. 900. 200, and
a maximum range Of approximately
10000 yards, o nearly six miles.
First Use in Warfare.
When searchlights were first intro
duced in warfare 1t was expected that
they would be primarily service
able In battlefield illumination. The
scheme was to throw light upon the
opposing battle line and show ad-
vancing companies Of infantry the
kind Of ground over which they had
to 90. Another plan was to have
rows Of searchlights parallel with the
trenches and sweep the terrain be-
fore them. lighting up the barbed-
wire entanglements laid by the foe
and exposing parties Of enemy SOL
dlers at work repairing them. How.
ever. neither Of these uses turned out
to BE- especially significant. The diff
nculty was that, rs o as the lights
were in operation. they were easily
picked of by the enemy's guns. In
the same manner, they could not be
placed along the line Of trenches
More recent experiments have dem
onstated that there is q real useful.
ness for field searchlights. They are
now being employed to spot the en-.
emy's tank advances. Instead Of he
Ing hauled by horses, like the first field
searchlights. the newer ones nre
mounted on motor trucks. They are
flashed for only a minute or two Mt n
time, and are instantly shifted to an.
other vantage point. This affords
them a greater measure Of self.pro.
lection.
The a%ntinircraft searchlight Is the
most valuable type Of light now used
by u soldiers. It is II most Of.
fectlve defense against the low. flying
night-bombing plane Of the Germans.
Antiaircraft guns have proved almost
hopelessly inadequate in coping with
night air raids. and II II were not for
the long pointing fingers Of the search.
light the foe would be able to effect
some very deadly work In night ut.
tacks upon supply dcpots and amnuni-
ton dumps.
The method Is to pick nj q hostile
bombing plane when 1t Is about Ave
miles away from Its objective. For
this purpose the senrchlights are 10.
Gated at points likely to be attacked.
They are sunk In holes III the ground
and are heavily sandhagged. Both the
light ana the men working II are given
considerable protection.
Fitted With Sound Receivers.
To detect the approach Of airplancs
the %searchlIght apparatus Is furnished
With sound receivers. Without these
receivers the outfit Is practically use
less. The receiver ran be swung
around to catch the sound vibrations.
and they are remarkably accurate in