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Show LATEST TRICK OF LOCATlNti POINTS CAMP KEARNY. San Diego, Cal., Nov. 11 An ingenious system is in use in the American army for the location lo-cation on a map of any designated point. Six figures, easily transmitted by wireless or other signal methods, do the trick. The only essential is that tho point first be located on a map ruled Into squares of the same proportion as those on a map at the receiving end. The map neod not bo the same size or scale, but the reference refer-ence lines aro 1000 motors apart. That is, on a map where one inch represents repre-sents a distance of 1,000 meters on the ground, the reference lines will be one inch apart. In giving the loentions, the first number sent indicates the vortical reference ref-erence line. Genorally maps supplied to officors cover only the erea in which they are working or expect to work, and these seldom have more than ten reference lines. If there arc only ten, the last digit of the reference line's number Is the first figure sent: If more, the reference line is Indicated plainly by sending other numbers preliminary pre-liminary to designating the point-Distance point-Distance from left to right on the ' map is designated first; distance from top to bottom of the map last. Each designation requires three figures, and by means of them it is possible to lo-cato lo-cato within ten meters anything on a map where the reference lines are 1000 meters apart, or more accurately if the reference lines ar closer togeth er. For instance, the number C57473 Is received as a point to be reached by artillery .fire. The officer receiving tho message finds reference lino No. G. Then he mentally, or oven with a scale divides the space between that line and the next lino to the right Into tenths and notes the fifth one, "5" being be-ing the second digit of the combination combina-tion received. Next he mentally divides di-vides tho scale in the tenth to tho right of the lino so fixed into tenths and locates the line of the seventh ono, the digit "7" being the third in the received combination. Somewhere on this line, running from the top to tho bottom of the map is the point at which he is to fire. Looking down the side of the map the officer thon finds No. 4 reference line running horizontally. Up from it he measures seven tenths of the next tenth. A horizontal lino through tho point so found intersects the vertical lino previously found at the target, j Knowing his own battery's location on I the' map. it is a simple matter for the ! officer then to find tho data nccos- sary for firing at the target. As the target designated by this system is but ten meters square, and 1 ordinary three Inch or French 75 shrapnel In bursting spreads over .an area 25 yards wide and 50 to 75 yards long, the method is sufficiently accurate ac-curate for all ordinary purposes. Ten meters, or ten yards, figuring roughly, is not a large distribution for machine gun fire at a distance of 1.000 yards and is a small distribution at a range of 2,000 yards, so the method serves equally well for designating targets at which that type of fire is to be directed. |