The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1924-03-13

generally speaking, Ight. through
the process of an infinitely delicate
mechanism, the light causes expan-
sion, which trips a trigger which
opens and closes the valves, turning
the gas on and off according to the
prevailing degrees of light or dark
ness. During eclipses of the sun
these lights turn on and during heavy
storms the lights in harbors light
themselves.
If you want the thread of poignan-
cy that runs through this great story
of lighting up the world, here it is:
DR.. Dalen had only completed his sun
valve, one Of the most important in
ventions Of the century, when an ex-
plosion in his laboratory rendered
/ him totally blind. When the great re-
assuring beacons of the sea invite you
/ into strange ports, when the little
highway lighthouse makes safe your
way along the country road, it is not
amiss to remember that the man who
made all this possible gave his eyes
that the rest of the world might see.
Millions of persons in the Middle
West soon will nightly witness an ar
tificial aurora borealis visible fully
= fifty miles under good atmospheric
( conditions when the night service of
! the air mail gets under way. This
VIII be created by the sweeping lights
on the five regular landing fields, Chi
cage, Iowa City, Omaha, North Platte
and Cheyenne. Each of these bea-
cons will have 100000 candle power.
To suit the needs of the ships Of the
air they will swing round on the top
of their towers, making three revolu-
tons every minute. The Postoffice
Department is locating less powerful
beacons every twenty-five miles of
the way These will constitute emer-
gency landing fields. The light known
IS the ground wind indicator shows
the aviator the situation of the field
and the direction Of the wind. The
ground wind indicator is a combina-
ton Of marine lighthouse and dummy
airplane with aluminium wings or
vanes. 1t rotates automatically so
that it viii always be headed to the
direction of the wind. This may be
distinguished at distance Of twelve
miles.
But the pathway OF light is not
complete yet. As a final safeguard
flashing traffic lights like those placed
/ on city streets, but whose lights will
be directed toward the skies, will be
located every three miles along the
line Of fight Thus on clear night
the air-mail pilot 1000 feet in
the air has q lighted path stretching
for miles and miles over the level
prairies. The project will resemble
somewhat the famous lighthouse of
the sky that extend like a lovely
necklace Of light out from Croydon
aviation field near London.
But the story Of the highway light
houses that are now to flash their
coiored lights to motorists as they
make their way across the nations
roads throbs no less with romance
than does the spectacle in the skies.
( When it is remembered how the auto
mobile industry has developed within
the past twenty years and that to-
day the automobile is coming within
price range of nearly every family in
! the country, it needs but little imagi-
nation to foresee motor transporta-
ton moving in both city and country
according to standard traffic signs
and flashing signals such as are used
for railroad and for sea traffic. The
highway lighthouse is to vehicular
traffic what the lighthouse is to YES
sells. The motorist will read signal
lights as does the engineer. The
silent yet infallible policeman of the
road will step to his post as the sun
slips beneath the western horizon.
In season and out, it shines. Ice and
snow frozen fast to its buoy do not
interrupt the task of the great lights
of the Arctic and here it is the same
Rain or snow ends not the ceaseless
vigil of the miniature marine watch
tower over the swiftly moving cars.
From the marine lighthouse and
buoys have been evolved two types
Of signals for the roads-the highway
lighthouse for the main roads beyond
the city, and the traffic beacon for
use within the city.
The main national roads which
carry the largest volume Of traffic,
and which are most in need Of this
service, will be the first to have these
signals.
The lighthouses are placed at prin-
cipal points of danger along the road
approved by the State Highway Com
mission. They operate automatically
for about six months without atten-
ton, then need it only as their big
brother beacons do, in the shape Of
fresh tanks of acetylene gas. This,
h. I,, 60