Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1918-08-16

TRANS were driving the Italian sol
diers from their hard-won mountain
fOrtreSses, the defeated army had one
weapon which il constantly used to
harass and impede the foe. This was
the electric Searchlight, newcomer
on the field of battle.
Powerful lights were trained every
night upon the advancing AuStrians
whenever they came to n river cross
ing or whenever they We're obliged to
/ halt for another reason. This ham,
pered and irrltated the enemy ex-
ceedingly. IT 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 over their faces
and hands and revealed every detail
of the work upon which they were
4 engaged.
The use of searchlights by our
own eXpeditionary forces is becoming
an important branch of the engineer
Ing service. Not long ago congress
voted an appropriation Of SlO0oWo
+ for searchliChtS of both the field type
! and the anti-aircraft type. The lights
! commonly used are 3G-inch lights. hav-
/ ing a candlcpowcr of 00.00D000 and
n maximum range Of approximately
10000 yards. or nearly six miles.
First Use in Warfare.
When SearchllchtS were first intro
duccd I'm warfare ii 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 adj
vanclnc companies OF infantry the
kind Of ground over which they had
10 go. Another plan was to have
rows of scarchlichtS parallel with the
trenches ana sweep the terrain be-
fore them. lighting up the harbcd-
wire eutanclcments laid by the foe
and exposing parties Of enemy sol
dierS At work repairing them. How
ever. neither of these uses turned out
to be especially significant. The diff
ficulty was that. as soon as the lights
were In operation. they were easily
picked off 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 n real useful
ness for field searchlightS. They are
now being employed to spot the en-
emy's tank advances. Instead of be-
ing hauled by horses. like the first field
1iT-hf hn
mounted on motor trucks. They are
flashed for only a minute or two at a
time. and are instantly shifted to an
other vantage point. This affords
them a greater measure Of self-pro-
lection.
The antiaircraft searchlight Is the
most valuable type Of light now used
by our soldiers. It is our most ef-
fective defense against the low-flying
nlght-bombing plane of the Germans.
Antiaircraft guns have proved almost
hopelessly inadequate In coping with
night air raids. and If it were not for
the long pointing fingers of the search
light the foe would be able to effect
some very deadly work in night at
tackS upon supply depots and ammuni-
ton dumps.
The method Is to pick up a hostile
bombing plane when II Is about five
miles away from its objective. For
this purpose the searchlights are To-
Gated at points likely to be attacked.
They are sunk In holes In the ground
and are heavily sandbagged. Both the
light and the men working 1t are given
considerable protection.
Fitted With Sound Receivers.
To detect the approach of airplanes
the searchlight apparatus Is furnished
with sound receivers. Without these
receivers the outfit is practically use
less. The receiver can be swung
around to catch the sound vibrations,
and they are remarkably accurate in