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[[cut off]] ing arrangement. and the balloon has been provided with electric searchlights and receiving apparatus of wireless telegraphy.


Athens Post, Chicago
22 Apr 1907

Erfindung der Zukunft.

So überaus reich an epochemachenden Erfindungen auch das letzte Jahrhundert gewesen ist, so giebt es doch noch immer eine Fülle von Problemen, deren Lösung möglich erscheint und dem Erfinder voraussichtlich auch Gewinn bringen dürfte. Nehmen wir zurächst nur das Gebiet der Schrift. Genau so wie die alten Assyrer und Egypter malen wir heute noch mit Hilfe von Schreibrohren und einer Schreibflüssigkeit Schriftcharaktere auf das Papier. Stellenweise gehen wir sogar in die Zeit der Höhlenbewohner zurück und ritzen sie mit Griffeln auf Schiefertafeln. Gewiß hat die Schreibmaschine hier bereits erheblich Wandel geschaffen, aber schließlich wird doch auch bei dieser durch Fingerarbeit und durch fortwährendes, das Gehirn beanspruchendes Aussuchen der richtigen Tasten das Wort zu Papier gebracht. Bei der Fixirung einer schnell gesprochenen Rede kommt noch die intensive geistige Arbeit des Stenographen hinzu, der das Wort erst mit Hilfe der Kurzschrift fesselt.

Das Ideal wäre eine Maschine, die einer beliebig schnell gesprochene Rede sofort nach ihrer Beedigung in Form eines sauberen Manuscripts auswirft, und etwas Derartiges ist technisch am Ende wohl denkbar. Würde es erfunden und zu erträglichem Priese auf den Markt gebracht, so hätten Stenographen, Schreibmaschinen etc. mit einem Schlage ausgelitten. Ansätze zu derartigen Maschinen finden sich bereits in der Technik, aber nahe gekommen ist dem Ziel noch Niemand. Man hat es in dem Schnelltelegraphen von Pollack und Virag verstanden, ein Spiegelchen mit Hilfe von zwei Elektromagneten so zu steuern, daß ein Lichtstrahl, der vom Spiegel auf photographisches Papier f"llt, saubere lateinische Schreibschrift liefert, und zwar rund 2000 Silben in der Minute. Vielleicht findet daher auch eine Schreibmaschine, welche die gesprochene Rede mitschreibt, in absehbarer Zeit Verwirklichung.

Umgekehrt könnte man auch an eine Sprechmaschine denken, die Einem jedes gewöhnliche gedruckte Blatt Papier, das man hineinsteckt, vorliest. Der Phonograph thut das schon heute, aber er braucht besonders besprochene Platten. Dagegen ist es wohl denkbar, eiren anderen Sprechapparat zu bauen. Wenn man etwa berücksichtigt, daß das Papier den elektrischen Strom nicht leitet, die Buchstaben dagegen mit leitender Druckerschwärze gedruckt werden könnten, so bieen sich sofort ziemlich zahlreiche Möglichkeiten.

Das lenkbare Luftschiff und die farbige Photographie sind sehr alte Probleme, die aber das zwanzigste Jahrhundert freilich langsam, jedoch sicher bewältigt. Die Erfolge der lenkbaren Luftschiffe von Julliot, Parseval und Zeppelin einerseits, diejenigen der Dreifarbenphotographie andererseits wären noch vor 20 Jahren unerhört gewesen. Man riskirt daher micht sehr viel, wenn man prophezeit, daß sich in 50 Jahren Jedermann für billiges Geld farbig photographiren und im Luftschiff über den Atlantischen Ozean wird fahren lassen können.

Noch immer ungelöst ist dagegen das Problem, die Arbeit, die in der schwarzen Kohle steckt, unmittelbar und ohne nennenswerthe Verlufte in Elettrizität umzuwandeln. Bei der weißen Kohle, bei dem fallenden Wasser unserer Flüsse und Ströme, hat man das Räthsel erträglich gelöst. Reichlich 75 v. H. der Arbeit, die im Kraftwasser steckt, werden heute an den Polbürsten der Turbodhnamos, die dieses Kraftwasser treibt, auch wirklich als Elektrizität abgenommen. Bei der schwarzen Kohle ist man dagegen unter Benußung der besten Dampfmaschinenanlagen immer noch nicht über 12—13 v. H. gekommen. Wem es gelänge, wenigstens 75 v. H. der Kohle mit erträglichen Mitteln nußbar zu machen, dem dürfte voraussichtlich ein Vermögen zufallen, dem gegenüber die Millionen der Vanderbilt und Rockefeller verblassen.

Und nun das Licht und die Beleuchtung. Leuchtkäfer, Tiefseefische und Bakterien zeigen uns das kalte Licht, stellen Lichtquellen dar, die nur Licht, aber keine Wärme erzeugen. Die Physiker haben versucht, mit Hilfe der Elektrizität und der Teslastrahlen solch' kaltes Licht [[cut off]]


[[cut off]] assigned to the signal corps of the army as its first permanent home.

Although it is 58 years since the first appropriation of $2000 was made by Congress "for the manufacture or purchase of apparatus and equipment for the field signals," it was not until recently that the Government recognized the signal corps as of sufficient importance to assign it to a modern-constructed post, equipped wholly with a view to the development of army communication.

Fort Omaha was selected because of its accessibility to every part of the country. This was a matter of importance, since assignments are made and small detachments detailed from the central signal station to every army post of every branch of the service.

The signal corps work of the Japanese in the Russo-Japanese conflict was closely watched by army officers, who were permitted to follow the Japanese armies in the field, and the result is the establishment at Fort Omaha of the first permanent signal corps post.

The appropriations for the remodeling and equipment of the station thus far have amounted to half a million dollars. There are located at this post six commissioned officers and about two hundred enlisted men, and two additional skeleton companies are being recruited to their full quota, the idea being to have a full battalion of 400 men and about fifteen commissioned officers stationed at Fort Omaha at all times.

Fort Was Abandoned in 1897.

Old Fort Omaha, headquarters of the Department of the Platte, was considertd too small for a large infantry post, and was abandoned in 1897 for the more commodious Fort Crook, just south of Omaha.
 
When it was decided to establish a Signal Corps Station at the abandoned Fort Omaha reservation the Secretary of War recommended to Congress an appropriation of $200,000 for rehabilitation purposes, and that amount was authorized in the regular army bill. Later additional appropriations were made, and about twenty permanent buildings have been erected, which include an exchange building, administration building, guardhouse, officers' quarters, barracks, stables and storehouses.

An appropriation of $150,000 was made by the Congress which just adjourned, and a good share of this will be spent for new equipment, which to the officers, appears the most important at this time. The first new structure will be a balloon house, which is considered a most important adjunct.

Experiments in Balloons.

The principal work of the officers at Fort Omaha at this time is the preparation for the supplying of the seven or eight maneuvre camps for next August, with details of men and equipment, in order that a great test of ability along the general lines of communication during active operations may be made. Nearly every sort of small apparatus known in modern times will be tried out and tests made of their practicability.

While the field telegraph and field telephone will be given great attention, perhaps the most interesting experiments will be with the captive balloons. One of these balloons is now at Fort Omaha, and three others are being built and will be ready for service when the maneuvres begin.

The signal work will prove an education to many young men and will result in qualifying them for civil pursuits after their enlistment expire. The Government will school these young men in telegraphy, telephony, fire control, ballooning, chemistry and other lines. Attention will be given to the flag and lamp signaling, heliograph, rocket and semaphore systems and the arrangement of field construction and communication trains

The Government has enlarged the parade ground, and part of it will be given up to the balloon division, which will have an aerostatic park, in the center of which will be constructed a balloon house, to be used for the inflation of the large captive balloons, and from which the ascensions will be made.

Telegraph wire in Rope.

All balloons used in the Signal Service are of the captive style, that is, they are provided with a rope and windlass with which they may be pulled down at the pleasure of the operator. Wound on the windless with the rope is also a small, pliable wire of good conductivity, over which those in the balloon may telegraph to the earth.

The first balloon station of the signal corps was established by Col. W. A. Grassford at Fort Logan, Col. , in 1884 but the development work was never carried out to any great extent because of the obstacles He secured leave of absence and went to France and Germany, where he made a study of aerial navigation, but the Government did not avail itself of his information to any extent and decided to secure through private individuals the development of ballooning.

This work was begun by Major Samuel Refer, now a member of the General Staff, who had shown great aptitude for aeronautical experiments. He was assisted by Capt. Charles F. Chandler, who also had wide experience in this work, and the two are nor considered the balloon experts of Uncle Sam's Army.

Balloon to Rise Mile in Air.

The cigar-shaped bag has a capacity of 50,000 cubic feet of gas and a lifting capacity of about 1000 pounds. Baskets of different sizes are provided to accommodate one, two or three men, as occasion requires. The largest of these balloons will have a much greater capacity, 78,000 feet of gas being used. It will carry seven men as high as mile.

The ordinary rifle bullet does not seriously damage these large balloons, and would not result disastrously even though the bag were perforated by a hundred of them, because the leakage would be small and might be overcome by a discharge of ballast. The basket used in experimental work is of ordinary construction and material, but during actual warfare, some light bullet-proof material would be used. The greatest danger is from the big four- [[illegible]] guns.

But one real test of ballooning in active operations has been made, and that was at Santiago, during the Spanish War. Many stories have been written of that ascension, but a member of the expedition says it accomplished very little, either in a practical or scientific way. This was due largely to the unpreparedness of those who made the trip. The paraphernalia at hand was not what was really needed, and the signal corps was not equipped to make the ascension successful. Capt Wildman and his brother officers at Fort Omaha believe the balloon is destined to become a great part of land operations in times of war.

The telegraph and telephone divisions are at this time receiving much attention. At the Exchange Building, a store room has been fitted up as a telegraph office, which will accommodate 1000 students, and an instructor is provided.

The school is operated four days each week, with two sessions each day. The office is fitted with what are known in telegraph circle as "squad" tables, at each of which [[cut off]]

Transcription Notes:
German needs to be completed and reviewed. (Done.) ß ——