| Show I he Carrier Pigeon as an i Adjunct to LjJ Modern L JIl Jl Warfare I OTH Russia ln Japal lire securing satisfactory c tory tOlY results from tho employment of vt car carrier rier pigeons Japan has glen given much at III attention to this brunch branch t ur f military news dl I n II system s lItem of at r lion In h t tl nj In till the Islands having been III iw oH for tor a Ii number of or ofir ir Thill I had hll been brought jo In a st II of oC grout perfection even be he ber r th ir 1 tho Iho military and nn nil 11 d d dl having well 4 j nation Italian lofts likewise had BI 8 t I In the art of ot re tho th ministrations of or these gen lIln I nir i cr of or pence to strictly be I q r r in nil ull of or th MUSCO It Usco Jt I along the tho Ill JI lofts were o 0 and nt the tho beginning of hos i the government gO made n I contract 11 ii el not d expert to J II lm In the outlying III districts This ris tc ac Iy proved to be ho of ot nl s r rk le 1111 mell having been hn i from shut In III on at al Port A thur to tl Hi Ihl headquarters of or tho main I cini md I Tho birds now no used by Iw tho Japanese o i IJ hi hll p th bred by h n for r ct nil employed I ul loll vi i by hy byM q we WHO to lo be he f ibl M tho birds trained by tho wp an a 1 supply I With 11 tram m JIO II ro this IP lr w tho Iho 1 t I I S not only r Hl fill tho be l t IIII 1 road hut but on ot their 1 ow own i b 11 nn no on thoro thore hils of old to MI h cola CotH colaS i well or III Koren S so they hW hoo been heen to r very birds h to taunt found m I that a 1 bird t r 0 U II I PIGEONS fON fONI I I old can be he taught to make n light of ot ota ofa a hundred miles with as fair n u prospect nf ot UN an un old bird Thoy 1113 have limn this thill In of oC nil the th efforts made by h l experiment experimenters ers the In III the way of or em employing IIlo ns nil messengers while the tho army Is on 1111 the move have luLo not been en 1 Hi cly Iy overcome In the matter Is IR much more Tho hl well devised traveling loft Is III stock Mock I od with birds only Just old enough to tobe be bp taken from the th they y are Rr kept In III It until thoy 1110 need nee od The loft lort Is IR taken to the military base the now sev lie eral months old arc aro sot lIot at nt liberty for forthe i the tho first time Never having become I accustomed to any other locality they the Immediately begin to settle satUe down as III If It nt lit homo When tho bate Is III n new loft of birds Is la employed The he employment of or ns lIa mes messengers Is III an on ancient practice In tho orient orl nt It first mine to tho nolle of ot tI nations during the n The Saracens bad lIall n a well organised system 8 tem of or communication by hy means of carrier the Christian Chrt Uan com commanders manders e Ill not to be Ic outdone In clever cleverness ness lIes nf ot adaptation trained lI to prey Jre upon tho message bearing dovon Sometimes also they Intercepted the th pigeons and nn l substituted misleading mIHI messages for tor the th originals thus thul becom becoming ing wise WillI concerning the plans of ot their also nIHil lending lead III them Into contusion confusion Arable historians the success of the great Nure In welding together the scattered parts of oC his hili empire to the employment of or pi III pigeon geon lINIn posts It not nol until the l war that pigeons became of or cOI public service During Durina the of Purl tully fully dl patches were transmitted by b pigeon post Over Oler a Ii million private were sent and francs In postal orders More astonishing still most of at atthe the messages were Micro Microphotographs photographs nf or war dispatches private letters let rl and even news newe pages Jae were printed on films of ot ami ear car carried ried thus thUM by h the birds ns aN much as III 30 words on certain occasions These minute records Here afterward en enlarged by photography and made mad legi lel legible ble bleAt At A the t hI cloie of nr the war the French government established an of lr pigeon posts It es de designed d signed to hi supplement all the accepted devices device for conveying military Intelli Intelligence gence Subsequently many of ot th the Ku leu powers Introduced pigeon train 1 nit branches Into both their military and departments Up UI to the time of It tho breaking out of or th the present war Wol warIn In the eust a was wu far In III ad advance vance of oC any liny other country In III the use ule i of o t birds hh for tor military purposes There Is III a It great toft at Colonel Cologne containing about GOO birds and there are similar collections at the other fortified towns of lit the empire lre The Hermans Jerm nl have given Iv Iven en considerable attention to 10 the train training ing of ot pigeons and have lIae succeeded In III adding greatly to their utility The nell men who do the training carry the tha for tor many miles mil on the march before they arc IlIa set t free This Is l to teach them to messages from the tho advance guard back to the base Pi 11 Pigeons geons taken from their own cols colli will return to them willingly but the mill mili military tary service require much more than tills The first l trials trill I were made with movable pigeon which were placed on wheels h and went with tho army It Willi soon oon found It would b 1141 necessary to carry the birds lR on hor so RU that messages me might bo ho sent from rom small bodies bedla nf ot cavalry or even by it single scout tn the main body ball cither to tl the rear or orIn orIn In front as I the he ease calt might be This of oC course COli would necessitate the employ employment ment of ar u movable cot which must not lIot only Dilly afford a 1 comfortable shelter hellet for Cor forthe Corthe the birds but must be so 10 small and so light lIht that It could be carried 1 by hya a man manon on horseback In the army birds are carried carrl d In III ruther cumbrous cage strapped fo 0 tho shoulders of tho horseman horleman In Germany they the con conveyed ye l in canvas bags shaped like wal wallets let lets which are ale carried on the riders shoulders The of a II trained carrier pigeon Is I steady direct and rapid 11 phI The rapid rapidity ity It nf of movement however has been greatly overestimated Some Interest Interesting ing In speed tests have hoo been made on the tho Island of Santa Bantu opposite Los 1011 Angeles Oil Cui The air line distance from Ioa loe Angeles Angell tn to nt It which pigeons were recently set lIot fro Is II miles It re requires tour four hours for a II steamboat to cover oer tho th route The lIte pigeons made 1111 the Might In about fifty minute This Indicates roughly the speed PHd which may b bl made by hY these theft birds under the most mOil favorable conditions though It has hll been heen observed In actual ual military service lell that It will rail fall considerably below this the aver Ier average age belne from thirty to forty miles un hour W JOHNSON |
