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Show FEATHERED SOLDIERS NOW REGULARS IN UNCLE SAM'S ARMtf Coi'i-T.n.-.i. 1910. by Fiib'.ic I.;,Jjer Co. , T'HE pigeon service is to be a permanent -1- branch of t!ie t.'uited Slates army. It is now in proiv.-s of organization, an a seo-tiou seo-tiou of the Fijtnal corps, and may be said to be already in full operation along the Mexican border, where it .h men, assigned to outpost duly, carry Bmall pigeon cote of bnsketwork strapped to their IuicIm and containing two or four messenger birds. Home of tlioso men are mouut-d and equipped as cavalrymen; others are on tout. If such a sentrviTifl:! observes conditions across tho border that, se.-ui to demand military mili-tary attention, he '-in call for h'dp without making any noise, 1 honeh be were shot and pevi-relv wounded, he would probably have efr-ngtn enough to release a pirronn The main idea, along the Mexican border Mounted soldier with basket for two pigeons line, is to keep headquarters informed of the exact whereabouts of the men on outpost out-post duty, and to convey warning of possible possi-ble raids. At a number of points near the boundary pigeon lofts are now maintained', Some of them are stationary : others mounted on motortrucks and others are operated for breeding and training the buds. At Fort Sam Houston, Texas, there is a large breeding establishment to supply i ready-trained young pigeons for the south ern department. But this is only one of a ; number that will soon be m full operation, j Another will be at Little Silver, N. ,T. .These ; breeding stations will also be truimug sta- ; tious for men enlisted in the pigeon service, j an important part of their professional edu- ; cation having to do with the hatching, reax- ing and instruction of the birds. I During the war we had- an opportunity to learn a good deal more than we knew before about the usefulness of pigeons as military messengers. Having come to realize real-ize their ralue, the War. Department pro- i poses to utilize pigeons on a larger scale from ' this time on in its inti'Higrn"e service. There will be a large number of lofts c.-iablislci i in suitable places. (In th" island of Oubu, in the Hawaiian archipemgo, we shall have ' them; likeui e iu u,v .: ;,:.! prob ably in the Philippines. A "Ion."' v. 'ill be j maintained at West Point, to familiarize future officers with methods of training and using the birds. There is likely to be another at Annapolis, for naval employment. Pigeons are used in many ways in the air service. If an aviator makes a forced landing, due to engine or other frou-blc, frou-blc, he can send a bird to fetch help. Thus, fur illustration, only the other day two airplanes air-planes were compelled to land on a flight from Kelly Field (San Antonio) to Austin. Pigeons carried messages telling where they were and asking aid; the assistance arrived, the machines were repaired and the air-trip air-trip was resumed before telegraphic or telephonic tele-phonic communication could have been established. es-tablished. The birds, carried by airplanes and in the 'TTJE pigeon service is to be a permanent maintained at West Point, to familiarize . motorcye.es, b; -"-branch of the Cuited Slates arrny. It future officers with methods of training and f . d-Ma V0U.U, is now in pror,.,H of organization, as a sec- using the birds. There is likely to be --.r . J .ion of the signal corps, and may be said anolh,;r at Annapolis for Daval employment. ' ' "f , to be already in full operation along the are us..d m wav9 in the 't . t i wa the f( 1"S'"a" b0,;d"r- wh"re . assigned air f,.rvl,.,,. lf aa avi.Uor c.akc9 a forced V-.Y to outpost duly, carry small pigeon cote landing, due to engine or other trou- .. ?. of bnsketwork strapped to their harlot and hie, he can send a bird to fetch help. Thus, ' ' containing two or four messenger birds. for illustration, only the other day two air- ' $ K l3'-1 Home of these, aivn are mount' d and planes were compelled to land on a flight & - -"f 3 fP? equipped as cavalrymen; others are on toot. from Kelly Field (San Antonio) to Austin. i.vr.1 R '. f 2 - 'i - j t) If such a wiitryman observes conditions Pigeons carried messages telling where they , j w' V , ) j across tho border that. se.mi to demand mill- "ere and asking aid; the assistance arrived, i sj . : tfJey.-.55se,. xj-? tary attention, he -:in call for h-lp without the machines were repaired and the air- - i:?-- fc - j M making any noise. Though be were shot and trip was resumed before telegraphic or tele- $ Jfcs. " ' ' sev..,-ely w ounded, he would probably have phonic communication could have been es- :'-:r " rJl K Etrngtn enough to release a pigeon. fahlished. f . ,'1..NH'',WMS? fgtiJ The main idea, along the Mexican border The birds, carried by airplanes and in the sS5, N-yr 7 , m - , I i 1 1 i ' 1 sJ - t -4 gr . J -V x. . 'r ' !T NX -xl I 7 - X"1 1 T f A Mounted soldier with basket for j, r ,f two pigeons ,t". ' J 'V' 1 'V K - V i'0''' w'W some days, inc , I jw 4 means of coram line, is to keep headquaiters informed of - iEg dowQ comp the exact wheieabouts of the men on out- " .ys-tv - ' On tha occai post duty, and to convcv warning of possi- ' JZy.-Jw-w' taking with it ble raids At a number of points near the " "" x 1 Corpus Christi. boundar pigeon loft ate now maintained i ? , " .C'i'i5aa:,1 but failed to op ome of them aiestationan otheis mounted , " , graph and telep on motortrucks and others aie opeiated for 1 ' " j birds came i-ij breeding and tiaming the buds , ' MafS W rain, making IE ; At Foit Sam Houston, Texas, there is a r , j about twice th large bleeding establishment to supply ' , , ' quired for the ; 1 ready trained oung pigeons for the south- "i i I trn department But this is only one of a '' ' (T1HB balloon number tint will soon be in full operation s ! V v "f , X the souther i Anothei will be at Little Silver, . ,T Thesa s. ft. j i Jt demonstrated t! ; breeding stations will also be ttaiuiug sta- v s V - V "f son over nil 01 I tious for men enlisted in the pigeon service, " N. '.;:';!v',..-Sjj',''' tion for the ai j on important part of their professional edu- -.if 'K , ' 'y used for the t i cation having to do with the hatching, rear- v-i si?:::w they land hund j ins and instruction of the birds. -'-r;i:: Au:a:;' telephone or Launching a pigeon from an airplane. Above The watch on tha Rio Grando military messengers, iiaving come to real- , ize their ralue, the War. Department pro- .'y. '-ifTxx;', ' P x'x-i :nX; H 1 X4 -K-'ii KH.'V- " ! MSvtj.'J 1 XI I . j X - x X A M ' k' lr 'I H! aulwl j t-vXv X'X" !' s X JrT X i ;x:x'" vr"' 4 ' : " Krr ; X -'X ( ' - bji rJ r , ' -"tX- A-fXi- x; 1 v s - , t vi . ' Removing messages from bird on arrival at mobile loft on rs of balloons, are housed iu neat little bnxos, specially eoutrivud Cor the purpose, tv'jin whi'.-h t hoy can be readily lifted for launching', us tho term is. All that is nec-ts-ary Is lo pii-h a lauiub eateh and raise the liil. The mes.-ap' l wi-itleu ou a smail strip oi thin vapttr txlHu'I ' 'I ''"' inr.r a little aluminum cylinder, which is fastened by a dip to the pigPon'B leg. The con von inure of the mobile loft, run by gasoline, is obvious, inasmuch as it can travel nlons with any military command that on the march. For training the birds, the pi-; "on service also makes murb tii;e of rpntorcvcle. bv which they are carried tc disiaut points, to be liberated and find their ij, back. At fjrgt the dibtancea are short, but gradually, they are increased, and in tuia the feathered messengers get their education. Telegraph and telephone lines may be wrecked by storms, or it may not be practicable to build them. "Wireless" may be rendered ren-dered useless by atmospheric atmos-pheric conditions. But pipcons rarely fail. They did wonderful work recently re-cently in Texas, bringing the first news of conditions condi-tions in the storm-wreoked area along the coast. For pigeons sometimes will, especi trips,' when they come back uol not particularly hungry. TvXj" a bell rings, giving notice of thei ' ' ' Special foods are required in PWer condition. These inc!u : peas, vetches, millet, ,n0 . l te.np seed they get occasion,,!, N Wheat is not good for pigec,,, have grit and plentv of gn,l' , !:i Most of the army pigeon sUli,' l-' equipped with running W!lt(,r . v, Miry to keep the birds eonli,',,, '.j '"' i-' are not working. ' : j The pigeou service is a br:,,,el, . : that ought strongly to iuviiu ;,, ';'i s duties are agreeable and iiit,.',.,,' 1 " I ; opportunities for advaueeraeni ",i The only requirements for ,!;"' U L ; :Xrf?vX" xf n.v !5v; -x v;v-. xxn x x , , Motorcycles are used for training birds on Mexican border I some days, indeed, they afforded the only -means of communication, the "radio" falling fall-ing down completely. On tha occasion an army relief train, taking with it a radio tractor, was sent to Corpus Christi. The radio sent was put up, but failed to operate. Of course all the telegraph tele-graph and telephone lines were down. But the birds came right through the storm and rain, making 150 miles in live to seven hours, about twice the time they would nave required re-quired for the journey in good weather. THE balloon school at Brooks Field, jn the southern department, has amply demonstrated the superiority of pigeon liaison liai-son over nil other methods of communication communica-tion for the air service. Free balloons are used for the training of pilots, and often they land hundreds of miles away, far from telephone or telegraph stations. Their course, however, is made known by releasing . birds every half hour or hour, one being retained re-tained to give the location o final landing, so that a transport car may be sent to brlnj the balloon and ils men back home. The motor transport corps of the army now uses pigeons wheu trucks and truck trains are sent out on long trips into regions where telephone and telegraph stations are few and far between. ;ur tiH. birds have a great variety of other possible employments. The War Department is turning over to the forest service some of its war lofts for use when wire connections are unavailable or destroyed. TT IS thought that civilians might make iuse of messenger pigeons in many practical practi-cal ways for instance, on hunting trips or on automobile expeditions through sparsely settled parts of the country. They are dependable up to 500 miles, though the best results are obtained when distances do not exceed half that. A homing bird can cover ordinarily ten miles in twelve to twenty minutes, or 100 miles in two and one-half to five hours. The pigeon used is not the so-called carrier, car-rier, but the homer, which is an altogether different breed. It possesses in a marvelous degree the instinct to return to its home "loft." But this can be greatly improved ,- and developed by education. In fact, the bird, to do proper service, must be trained end disciplined as carefully as any soldier of the line. One thing it must be taught is to enter its loft to trap, as the technical phrase is immediately upon returning. It must not be allowed to loaf outside, as good health and physique, a grammars! ' education and a natural liking for iu Men thus employed may engage ii ; studies, and at the air stations will hi chance to fly and to qualify as air pft There are now a number ofyWttv. the headquarters loft, Fort' Sam H. '.SS southern department, also iu the v.t department and in the dcpartni: Hawaii. |