Popular science monthly . ark ispitched very high and musical, whilethe French is ilull and staccato. Amessage sent out from an aeroplanewas intercepted also by the crudebut practical receiving instrument. For military purposes the wirelessis not used as much by the Frenchas by the Germans. The French,wherever possible, use the telephoneinstead; and along some parts ofthe front they have establishedunderground lines impregnable toshell fire. The French have closedautomobiles equipped with completetelephone switchboards, so that tem-porary exchanges may be establishedat short notice wherever th
Popular science monthly . ark ispitched very high and musical, whilethe French is ilull and staccato. Amessage sent out from an aeroplanewas intercepted also by the crudebut practical receiving instrument. For military purposes the wirelessis not used as much by the Frenchas by the Germans. The French,wherever possible, use the telephoneinstead; and along some parts ofthe front they have establishedunderground lines impregnable toshell fire. The French have closedautomobiles equipped with completetelephone switchboards, so that tem-porary exchanges may be establishedat short notice wherever they maybe needed. Where the portablewireless is used on the French frontit is carried on a motor-tricycleaffair so that it may be taken veryclose to the first lines. In the recent ofifensive on theSomme electricity was a very potentaid to the French success. Thevillage of Dompierre, which beforethe offensive was in the hands ofthe Germans, had been mined bythe French from one extremity tothe other. The principal excavation. 796 Popular Science MuJttJily under the village had an area of some50 square meters (about 500 sfj. ft.). Itwas a task which took the French overtwo months to accomplish, for there wereimmense difficulties encountered inthe way of avoiding enemy miningparties and transporting materialnecessary for making the work the work progressed, electric wiringwas installed for illuminating thedark recesses of the excavation. Final-ly the large cavern of the mine underthe village of Dompierre was storedfull of explosives—enough, infact, to blow the entire villageto atoms. Electric fuses wereinstalled, from which under-ground wires led back toGeneral Headquarters. Thusthe general of the division, bypressing a small electric but-ton ten kilometers distant,blew up the German village ofDompierre. He heard thefive seconds later and knewfirst stroke of the great Picardy offensivehad been a success. A^
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, booksubjectscience, bookyear1872
