604 



Popular Science Monthly 



aerials. Hence the two sets of poles. The 

 telescopic type is the one used for mobile 

 purposes. For the other, the set consists of 

 a 120-ft. steel mast, made up in 12 ft. 



sections. It is carried 

 underneath the truck. 



When the latter set 

 is to be erected, the 

 pieces are first laid on 

 the ground, fitted to- 

 gether, and then raised 

 to a perpendicular, in 

 which position they are 

 held by eight wire stays. 

 The aerial, in this case, 

 consists of eight wires, 

 arranged umbrella- 

 fashion, which, at- 

 tached to the truck of the mast, touch 

 the ground at a distance of 20 ft. from 

 its foot. 



The mobile type, on the other hand, 

 has two sets of poles. The front pole 

 is usually about 50 ft. high. When in 

 position, it is fitted into a socket just 

 alongside the driver, and is clamped to 

 the top of the wagon, so as to be 

 perfectly rigid. The back mast, which 

 is also about 50 ft. long, is likewise 

 fixed in a socket. Protruding at an 

 angle of about 25 deg., it is supported 

 in its place by four wire stays. Both 

 these poles, as I have said, are tele- 

 scopic. They are opened out by a 



One man in a motor-truck receiving 

 station stuck to his post for thirty- 

 nine hours without sleep or rest 



cog-wheel contrivance, operated by a 

 handle, at the foot of the mast. They give 

 a stretch roughly of about 100 ft. and carry 

 four wires in parallel. Their power is 

 derived from the truck 

 engine which drives the dyn- 

 amo, which in turn feeds the 

 rotary converter. 



On the retreat from Mons. 

 during those terrible early 

 weeks of the war, these lor- 

 ries did wonderful work. 

 Then everything was in a 

 state of chaos, while General 

 French's "Contemptible 

 Little Army," as the Kaiser 

 was pleased to term it, fight- 

 ing every step of the way, 

 was slowly retiring before 

 the hordes of Prussians 

 and Bavarians. All 

 cables were cut by 

 the terrific shelling, 

 and fresh ones 

 were laid only to be 

 blown up the next 

 minute. Then the 

 trucks stood out, con- 

 spicuous by their ef- 

 ficiency. There, were 

 just three of these 

 motor sets in use at the 

 time, divided among 

 the moving infantry. 

 Close behind the line, 

 they kept up a constant 

 stream of communica- 

 tion between the fight- 

 ers and General Head- 

 quarters. 



And how those oper- 

 ators stuck to their 

 pests! In the confu- 



The Interior of a French motor-truck with a soldier- 

 operator transmitting a message in field operations 



