Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1918-06-20

Tf1HHlll1 ShcIIlA. IW3
Chamber out Of dugouts into TIE s'1sh and the
freezing wind Of a winter night 10 feel their wa!
along II broken wire, sometimes over tile siieliplt-
ted omen ground behind tie trenches tn'l' .hes
and the break. then sitting In ice wafer n'1def 'f'
they repair 1t as carefully and sklllt]!t'y us IL 'Ht'
were at work In the shop ut home Ii olleh 'ahSS
three or four men to repair one Of these Breaks
the first men sent our may never come b&cA'
Repaired at all costs the wire must be. ana DAN
ger does not excuse a s~lipshod bit of wor"' FOE
the signal system Of the army Is what me h''S
Gus system is to the human body.
Without 1t the modern army covering IL" hie'
of front cannot see, feel or move. Inc army co'n,
imnuder wishing to move a portion OF his Inc ~
miles away or to change the rapidly Oh MS "''i'
,ery fire or to receive information of enemy move.
.nents is as HELPLESS without the slender thfeaos Oh
conner as he would be If he wished to move MS
right arm and found the nerves Hnra'yZeh.
'There are still, people of intelligence VINO ths'k
that the transmission Of military tiIou@h1 Is s"'nne"
IN In the use of the notebook, the orderly anu i's
horse writes Brig. Gen. George 1. sttl'e"' nul
these are passing. and the trained soioier an" 'ne
educnted volunteer understand the vital imFor'
lance Of information
"Hence the necessity for n signal corps or "s
equivalent, for without It's aid modern ARMIES e''
no more be controlled than can great railway sSs-
Tef0Ss the CDIlItltluct IA tS "N"
and deaf to the events occurring around hi'h' IN.
.canahle Of maintaining touch with condltlohs anu
.out Of reach of his superiors or those under MS au.
thority upon whom he depends for the execution OIL
his mans. The brain lacks the power to control
because the nerves are lacking.
"Time is the main factor in war; to arrive hrst
with the greatest number OF men anu WIN 'e
c~learest understanding of the situation IS TO sue
coed, The last, and often the first, OF these cohul-
tons depends upon the lines OF Information OF the
army"
And these lines in turn depend upon the obscure
.h,t daring work Of the repairman. the griiny.
,ncrckv hard.fsted mechanic who crawls on his
belly through shell fire calculated to appall the
..stoutest heart and connects the break between the
commander and the point he wishes to reach.
Somehow the lines are kept open al the time or
are broken for only short intervals. ana the coh'
.stant tending OF them has made possible III france
a system Of wire communication TINT IS Il marvel
OF efficiency. Indeed SO perfect Is 1t that Lohoon
and Paris are in direct connection win geheEa'
HEADQUARTERS on the British front. which In turn IL
A touch with every division and brigade staT on
the line. A wire could be put straight through 10
that Lloyd George II he wished could hear the
bursting Of high explosives and shrapnel on the
pAmiens front.
This tremendous use Of the telephone and tele'
.rraph IN warfare Is partly the result OF the I'M
oetus arising from the American application o.
electrical communication on a large scale IN tht
Spanish war. The signal corps Us 1t now exists II
4 comparatively recent evolution.
In the American army the idea drst arose II
the mind Of a young army surgeon. Albert Jame'
aiyer. The office Of signal officer Of the army wn'
created in June. 1860. the first Of its kind. nn'
1fyer was appointed. He was at once sent witt
an expedition against Navajo Indians In New Mex
leo. and his crude apparatus ut once demon
1trated it, worth.
When the Civil war began he was ordered Eas
and opened 4 school for %signalers. and In that wa
the definite beginning Of the present signal corp'
Wires were carried on horse or muleback then. tn
instruments were imperfect and telegrnphic con
anunication was . rare and precious thing. tn
service took on tremendous Importance In tn
Spanish war and followed the troops through Cub
aud the Philippines. and IN China was tho onl