The evening Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1918-1920, 1918-09-27
U.S.. SIGNAL
CORPS BUSY
OVERSEAS
How Wires Help Win
Battles in the Great
War
TELEGRAPH LINES
ALL OVER FRANCE
In One Day American
Operators Sent $4,000
Messages

Tours, Central France, Sept. H.
Correspondence of The Associated
Press. along the railway routes
and the great national highways of
France one sees mile after mile of
the new telegraph and telephone
lines .setsup by the American army,
with squads of linemen in khaki
stringing the wires and laying out
new lines. The telegraph offices all
through the war zones are crowded
with khaki-uniformed operators and a
personnel. of American officers and
enlisted MEL.
1t is one. of the extensive systems
suddenly installed on a huge scale
with the coming of the Americans,
spreading a vast wire network over
all France and realizing government
operation of telegraph and tele-
phones or foreign soil even before it
was under way on home soil.
This military nerve system is not
alone telegraph and telephone lines,
but cable lires across the channel so
that American headquarters IN
France can be in immediate inter
course with American officials in
London; wireless receiving and send
ing plants for detecting enemy ex-
changes ard carrying on our own
radio work; couriers and dispatch
riders; weather observers to warn
when storms may impede military
operations, and all those modern
methods o. rapid communication
which have become indispensable to
warfare.
It is a complete linking together
Of the Amy, front and rear, head
quarters, staff and line, keeping the
commanding officers in constant touch
with every division and every other
branch n the huge field Of opera
tions. The movement Of troops and
the actual fighting of battles are
largely dependent on this highly de-
veloped army communication, which
not only joins our own army but
keeps up the liason of a vast united
command.
1t is sorc cething over 500 miles from
the French coast to the battle line
in eastern France, and throughout
this distance there is complete sys-
tenn of 10 end 20-Wire American telez
graph lines, linking the seaports with
the front construction shops and mil
itary establishments of all sorts ex-
tending sfrom the ports inland to the
firing line.
There is another multiple line run
ming southw ard toward the Medit-
erranean and over to the Spanish
frontier.
These are the trunk lines, extend
ing clear across France and, besides
these main arteries, every division
and branch of the army has it's owr
telegraph and telephone lines keeping
up constant intercourse with head
quarters. In every area occupied by
the army along the front a complete
system of lines runs back to switch
board central stations-from regi
ment back to the brigade, brigade tt
division, division to corps, corps tt
| headquarters.
On the first day of the big battle
above Chateau-Theirry when thu
Americans began their famous drive
there were $4,000 messages averaging
over so words each,-all the wa!
from an extended report on an opera
ton to short sharp order for SOM
new move in the swiftly-movin,
drama Within six weeks, since tn
Americans had got into action, tn
communication between front am
rear had quadrupled, and six week
ago had quadrupled over the servic
on April 1 when the American .ac
tivities were beginning to get in mo
ton.
The culnaination of the great bat
tie late in July stirred into intens
activity every branch of communica
ton, with orders flying to hospitals
supply cecters, ordnance works, an
to the training and rest camps for tn
steady movement forward of fres
troops.