Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1918-09-29
NIRE
||y6UIovER
ICH WAR ZONE
lIsands Of Miles Of Tele'
|aph and Telephone Lines
Put Up and Worked by
Uncle Sans Boys.
BY Associated Press.

eurs, Central France, Sept. 90
M the railway routes and the
/, national highways of France
sees mile after mile Of the new
graph and telephone lines set
by the American army, with
ads OF linemen in khaki string
tbs wires and laying out new
10. The telegraph Offices ali
ough the war, zones are crowded
h khaki-uniiormed operators and
personnel OF American officers
a enlisted men.
II 10 one OF ths extensive sys-
|ns suddenly installed on q huge
10 with the coming OF the AM
leans, spreading . vast wire net
ork over all France and realizing
bvernment operation OF telegraph
hd telephones on foreign soil even
efors II was under way on home
6ol
Lines Across the Channel.
This military nerve system 10 not
alone telegraph and telephone lines,
but cable lines across the channel
20 that American headquarters In
France can be In immediate inter-
course with American officials In
London: wireless receiving and
sending plants for detecting enemy
Exchanges and carrying on our
own radio work; couriers and dis
patch riders; weather observers to
warn when storms may impede miE
dsaTy operations and all those mod
lern methods Of rapid eommunica-
Non which have become indispen-
eable to warfare.
II 10 q complete linking together
bf the army. front and rear, head
quarters, staff and line, keeping the
commanding officers in constant
Rcuch with every division and every
bther branch in the huge field OF
operations. The movement of
troops and the actual fighting of
battles are largely dependent on
this highly developed army COM
raunication, which not only joins
our own army but keeps up the
hason OF q vast united command.
American System Complete.
II Is something over 500 miles
from the French coast TO the battle
Tine in eastern France, and through
out this distance there 10 q complete
system OF 10 and 20-wirs American
telegraph lines, linking the seaports
with the front, and also spreading
through the vast ramification of
warehouses. camps. hospitals. con
struction shops, and military iestab-
lishments OF all sorts, extending
from the ports inland to the firing
line.
There 10 another multiple line run
ming southwark toward the Medi-
terranfan and over to the Spanish
frontf r.
TIN DO are trunk lines, extending
clear across France. and, besides
rhe.S main arteries, every division
and branch Of the army has ito own
telegraph and telephone lines, keep
Ing up constant intercourse with
headquarters. In every area occu-
pied by the army along the front
. complete system OF lines runs
back to switchboard central ata-
sions-from regiment back to the
brigade. brigade 70 division, division
to corps, corps 70 headquarters.
Thousands OF Messages.
On the first day OF the big battle
above Chateau-Thierry when the
Americans began their famous drive,
1hefs were $4,000 messages, averag-
ing over 90 words each--al the way
from an extended report on an op-
GRAFTON TO Q short, sharp order for
aome new move in the swiftly-mov-
ing drama. Within six weeks, since
fhe Americans had got into action,
shs communication between front
and rear had quadrupled, and six
weeks ago had quadrupled over the
sntire service on April when the |
American activities were beginning
% get Ia motion.
The elimination Of the great bat
"a lsss In July stirred into intense |
eetivity every branch OF communiea-
Non. with orders flying to hospitals,
supply centers. ordnance works, and
% the training and rest camps for
the steady movement forward Of