Popular Science Monthly 



Vol. 90 

 No. 6 



239 Fourth Avenue, New York City 



June, 1917 



$1.50 



Annually 



Laying Telegraph Cables Under Fire 



How the British lay communication tele- 

 graphs in the field and in the trenches 



By Captain A. P. Corcoran, late of the British Army 



Readers of the Popular Science monthly are by this time familiar with the name of Captain 

 Corcoran. He has lately returned from the front where he saw the service that he here describes. 

 He is the author of the article "Wireless in the Trenches" that appeared in last month's issue of 

 the POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. — Editor. 



WITHOUT communication, of course, 

 war could not be waged. For a 

 while the electric flash lamp was 

 used. It took the form of a small, four- 

 volt bulb, placed in the barrel of a rifle. 

 The rifle was sighted directly at the re- 

 ceiver, who was the only person in a posi- 

 tion to see it. But this method of communi- 

 cation was too slow. Now the wireless, the 

 telephone and telegraphing buzzer are used. 

 From General Headquarters up to Bri- 

 gade Headquarters, the method of connect- 

 ing up these instruments is by air-line. 

 But from Brigade Headquarters up to 

 Battalion Headquarters and all along the 

 line of the trenches, cable has to be used. 

 A cable detachment consists of ten men, 

 eight horses (four riders and four draft) and 

 a wagon, the leader and the near wagon 



horse having drivers mounted. The wagon 

 carries a number of poles for bridging 

 crossings, and four drums of cable, each con- 

 taining five miles of No. 14 insulated copper 

 wire. The inside end of each drum is con- 

 nected with the wagon and contact is made 

 with a telephone on the box seat. 



Suppose the cable is to be laid between 

 points A and B. The loose end is paid 

 out and man No. 8 (Nos. 9 and 10 being 

 mounted on the draft horses) connects it 

 with a telephone and remains at point A 

 while the wagon moves off at a trot. 



Man No. i now rides on ahead, to pick 

 out the most suitable course to travel. 

 Man No. 2 works the telephone on the 

 wagon, constantly keeping in touch with 

 point A. Man No. 3 sits in the wagon, 

 easing the cable off the drum Nos. 4 and 



A telephone corps of the Fourth Division of 

 Royal Engineers (British) picking up a mes- 

 sage through a wagon telephone equipment 



A switchboard in a crude dug-out with 

 makeshift appliances, which rivals the most 

 modem New- York-to-Chicago line in efficiency 



803 



