OCR Text |
Show BEA-BRED PIOEON8. How to Del flood Rervlca from ship to ftliora. Captain John R. Bartlott, U. S. N., retired, chief of the coast signal sor-vlco sor-vlco during tho war with Spain, has reported to tho department on tho value of carrier plgeonp for signaling purposes. Tho Baltimore Sun summarizes sum-marizes tho report as follows: That experiments bo made for tho purpose ot training homing pigeons In connection connec-tion with coast signaling, for tho reason rea-son lhat they offer a solution of tho problem of communication with tcs-sola tcs-sola in the off-shore patrol fleet. These vossols would most probably operate In districts having established bases, and nt such dlstanco from the coast and from tho Inshoro patrol that visual signaling would bo Impossible. A homing pigeon service cannot bo Improvised Im-provised and be of nny real valuo. Tho birds must bo systematically and patiently trained for a year or two, not only to equip th" .otes with trained train-ed carriers for that locality, but to furnish a stock of sea-bred breeders. Experimental cotes should be located at the base of naval coast defense districts, dis-tricts, a small vessel provided with a carrier pigeon outfit, and an officer do-tailed do-tailed to develop this means of communication com-munication and superintend the sys-tcrantlo sys-tcrantlo training of tho birds. Unless this Is dono with Intelligence for at least a year It would bo useless to rely upon It at all. Such a system could bo economically Inaugurated and could bo maintained at a comparatively slight cost, A slmplo routine of drills, exercises and reports based upon our recent experiences could be readily put Into operation, and small rewards or approprlato rating would stimulate proficiency. In times of poaco such servlco would bo of constant convenience conven-ience to this department and to the rnarltlmo Interests pf tho country, and tho constant practice would propare the men for tho emergencies of war. Attention Is callod to the fact that every othor maritime nation has such a system, gonernlly much moro elaborate elabo-rate than the one herein proposed, organized or-ganized and operated under Its naval or rnarltlmo department. |