Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-01-28
HUN MESSAGES HIT
WIRELESS AT MEADE
Operator Catches Flashes
From Enemy Outfits Across
Atlantic
PICKS UP PARIS NEWS
Commander at Camp Carefully
Studies All Codes Caught by
Instrument

RI STAR CorrtSpoHdcu
CAMP MEADE Admiral. Md. Jan. sS.
II was an unusually quiet day AZ
Little pcHn. and John Mccarthy. wire
less operator, in the radio section of the
30ith. Field Signal Battalion, tuned up
his instruments with just ordinary
enthusiasm.
Tuning up for the purpose Of catching
messages that filter through the air
waves from Arlington and other Gov
crnment stations is cot a work that
stimulates fighting man. and when
performed in silence that is unbroien
except for the barking Of machine
gun half mile to the west and the
occasional blare of band in distant
section of the camp the work Is color
less. or. as McGarrity would say.
monotonous
But soldier that he is. he stuck to his
task and after half hours work on the
sensitive wires and keyboard closed the
switch. There was II purrinE sound
which gave ample evidence that the
apparatus was in trim and a moment
receiver adjusted made the casual an
nouncement that he had Arlington,
That is the big radio station from
which Uncle Sam flashes Information
to his military camps and naval stations
and most important of all, the time
The time" said Mccarthy to one Of
his comrades. and here is a little dope
for the commander"
\ moment later Mctiarrity picked up
the radio station at Tampl, Fla, and
after taking code for two or three min
utes. remarked that he had TIE Eilfel
Tower in Paris. It's press stuff from
France" remarked the operator, as the
boys hovered around the apparatus.
IT'S FROM GERMANY"
But getting messages from across the
seas was not new and nothing that
would put the wireless men on their toes
Weeks before. or when the big plant had
been put in place. the boys had enjoyed
4 G thrill of putting Camp Meade in
direct touch with Paris. And now. like
virtually everything on the reservation,
the daily message that secped through
the cloud mists on the Atlantic had be-
come commonplace.
suddenly the face of the fighting little
Irishman at the keyboard turned rich
crimson, and almost as suddenly the
flush vanished and gave way to a white
ness that was almost uncanny. What $
up. old man." shouted Il comrade.
something wrong? out with 1t. old
man For heavens sake, tell US! Fave
the French broken through" Are they
giving those devils good beatlng?
Fixed to his chair as though glued,
the operator made no reply. For fun
l-n n =
honor that has come to II Camp Meade
soldier
BOYS" he shouted. i've got Ger
many. No; I'm not crazy. | tell YOU |
have GERMANY The Huns are sending
code from Nauen. It's code, but lm get
ting il. Here il is" And as the doughty
Irishman reeled off fragments of the
cipher message half dozen men III the
small operating room realized what was
happening
They were putting the Liberty Di-
vision in direct toucl: with the huns ana
giving to the Pennsylvanians ana boES
from Dixie the unique honor or beating
every other National Army division 10
il. In direct communication yelled
Mccarthy.
THE NEWS STUDIED
Then the good news was rushed 10
captain g. II. Burkhead, commahuef OF
the radio company and one OF the couh-
trys' best wireless experts Nhat t'i"'
officer did cannot be told
That the military authorities Know
what to do with the information that l9
pluclled out of the air. goes Wlthou1
saving and there is little Coubt that
m my of the mysterious code mes
sagcs are directed to the commanders OF
laat
commerce of the world.
NcC;arrity il should be said. is a
ylunteer and halls from little town III
Ohio. Officially the radio outht Is known
as Company \. which In this instance Is
quite significant.
The remarkable work being done by
Captain Burkhead's men with the WIRE
less outfit is but one of the many
stunts performed by the battalion III
is this battalion that VIII handie tl'e
signal work for the Liberty DIVISION
when it goes over there and every
wrinkle in the game Of communication
is being taught to the men.
Company G. Is known as the outpost
Outfit" and to this unit will fall the
work of keeping the men in the 'front.'
line trenches in communication win the
rear through the medium of the teie-
phone, telegraph and other signaling de-
vices.
TAFT TO SPEAK
Exprcsidcnt Taft will arrive at Little
Penn carly today. and at ! O'Clock VIII
address the division officers at the audi
tori,nn of the Y. NJ. G. a. why We Arc
at war" is to he the subject OF his
address. At night, he speaks to the
selected men and tomorrow morning
addresses the negro soldiers.
Thitry-two philadelphians were re-
iected today because of physical de-
fects, They are: Harry Teitelbaum'
local board 4: Charles Howard, Q; SIM
con Hood SO; Mike Bilokovsky. 4;
Joseph Lustrino. 13; Martin kozak, II
j. j. Mol. 16 Eugene A. O'Connell, IA
George Schemica, 2; Stanislaus Tanlin
IA; Salvador Cubertino, 2 Walter ku-
biak, 3; Massino Orefice, 3; George a
Bauer 16; George c. Smith, IA; j
Furtek. IA: Joseph Venuto. %; Charles
Gibbons, 25; Aubrey p. Duncan, 22
Frederick Hoffman, 10; William y. Nc
Connell, 20: William Winter. IL; Joer'
gen Samuelsen. 2s; Herman Sherman
| 90; Charles .Hamberg, / Harry Breiten'
bach, % Robert H. Graham, 81 and
James +. Barnes, AZ.