804 



Popular Science Monthly 



5 likewise sit in the wagon, armed with 

 mathook and spade, ready at any moment 

 they come to a crossing to jump down and 

 dig a small trench. This is usually four 

 inches deep, the object, of course, being to 

 bury the cable out of danger from passing 

 vehicles or horse hoofs that might cut it. 

 Having concealed it, the men tie each end 

 to some standing 

 object close to the 

 trench, so that the 

 cable will not be 

 pulled out of its 

 grave. That opera- 

 tion completed — it 

 usually takes three 

 or four minutes — 

 the wagon again 

 moves on. 



Now behind the 

 wagon there follow 

 always two riders — 

 Nos. 6 and 7, each 

 armed with a crook 

 stick. This consists 

 of a piece of broom 

 handle, fitted at the 

 end with an iron 

 hook, and is used to 

 lift the cable on the 

 tops of hedges or 

 small trees or other 

 objects which might 

 help to keep it off 

 the ground. With a 

 lift of the arm. No. 



6 swings the cable 

 on high; but, should 

 he chance to miss 

 any of it. No. 7 does 

 his work. 



Should the wagon 

 come to a very large 

 crossing or perhaps British signal officer 



a brook; the cable is ^^o^^' ^hile he keeps 



not buried but borne overhead. In this 

 case it becomes the duty of Nos. 6 and 7 

 to ride up to the acsistance of Nos. 4 and 5. 

 Between them they erect two poles, each 

 eighteen feet high, one on either side of 

 the crossing — an operation which takes 

 five or six minutes at least, as the holes 

 have to be jumped for the poles. The 

 cables are laid at the rate of about six miles 

 an hour. 



In the trenches, of course, the method 

 is entirely different. Since horses and wag- 

 ons are not practicable, what is known as 

 a "man pack" takes their place. 



This pack consists of four men. No. I, 

 whose duty is to pay off the cable, carries 

 his equipment strapped to his back. The 

 cable is done up in a reel, consisting of 

 about 2,000 yards of i8-gage, a smaller 

 one than that used in the wagon set. 



No. 2 leads the way, fixing little wooden 

 pegs in the sides of the trenches. No. i, 

 of course, follows on 

 behind, paying out 

 his cable as he goes. 

 Nos. 3 and 4 follow 

 No. I, their duty be- 

 ing to tie the cable 

 to the wooden pegs 

 affixed by No. 2. 



In the trenches, 

 naturally, there is 

 always the danger 

 that the cable may 

 be cut through by 

 shell fire. Various 

 devices have been 

 introduced to lessen 

 this danger. The 

 method of laying 

 cable in loops, one 

 of which will always 

 preserve the con- 

 tact, though the 

 others be cut 

 through, has been 

 found most effec- 

 tive in actual fight- 

 ing. 



Technical and 

 safe as all these 

 tasks sound, they 

 are nevertheless at- 

 tended by their own 

 difficulties and dan- 

 gers. When the 

 enemy artillery and 

 airplane scouts are 

 busy, they find a 

 cable wagon an excellent target. 



For instance, during the retreat from 

 Mons, a cable wagon was sent out to re- 

 establish communication between units 

 severed during the retirement of the 

 troops. Overhead circled a German air- 

 plane in search of prey. It got the first 

 wagon. Another wagon was sent out. 

 The airplane got it, too. Then a third 

 essayed the task. And this one, all of 

 whose men expected, of course, to be blown 

 sky-high, succeeded, where the others had 

 failed. Such is the luck of battle. 

 ' To my mind there is something pecu- 



receiving communica- 

 his eye on the enemy 



