The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-01-16

more excellent when the fact is consid-
cred that they flew over land and water
entirely unfamiliar to them. In regular
| messenger pigeon service, when the
nights are known to the pigeons, excel
lent time can be made, but the flights of
the pigeons of the loft Of the Naval Acad-
emdy are of an experimental character,
and 1t is thought that much more salts
| factory results will be obtained if the sta
tons were situated upon the coast.
Lieut.. Austin VI. Knight, who has been
much interested in this work. wrote for
the United States Naval Institute a pa
PER assuming the case Of a foreign fleet
7 approaching the coast of the United
states applying the use Of pigeons as an
aid in our defense.
Whatever position might be taken up
by the fleet of Defense" said he, there
would be thrown out many miles beyond
1t pne of light, swift vessels as scouts,
and upon the rapdity with which these
vessels could communicate with the inner
line and with the shore would depend in
a large measure, the success of the de-
Tense. Suppose a vessel of this outer line
to discover an enemy's fleet standing to
the westward. She would hasten toward
the squadron of defense, or toward the
nearest point of the coast from which it
might be possible to communicate with
the squadron, with Washington and with
the cities threatened. and, if not overtaken
by an enemy's cruiser or by shell from a
battleship, and if she did not break down.
she would ultimately communicate the fact
that a a certain time-already long past
an enemy's fleet of an unknown strength
was standing in for some unknown point
on the coast.
Let us suppose that instead of hasten
ing off herself she could dispatch num-
Der of pigeons with the certainty that they
hA fs7r3t Oh oe
she could carry it, and far more quickly
and that then keeping the enemy in view
she could follow his movements and from
time to time send off new messengers
with particulars Of his strength, his
course, and his apparent intentions. 1t
is not difficult to see the immense value
of a system which promises the POSSIBLE
ity of such service as this"
The lesson learned al the siege of Paris
that carrier pigeons are to be relied upon
in eXtremities when nothing else will suf-
flee caused the organization of regular
military pigeon systems in almost every
continental nation of Europe. Almost all
of the fortresses are provided with pigeon
lofts. In France, Germany, Austria,
ton of the military pigeon posts is very
complete. 1t has been extended to Rus
STA. Denmark, and Sweden, and even At
RIGA has been brought into communica-
ton with Spain by stations at Ceuta and
Mellila. England has recently established
a station of considerable stategic impor-
tance at Gibraltar, insurng communica-
ton at Tangier and with vessels cruising
in the vicinity of the straits of Gibraltar
The military budget of France assigns a
credit of $4,000 for the annual cost of
signaling and pigeon lofts. The German
government has the most expensive and
complete system in operation in Europe,
although it spends but $500 a year. Rus
STA spends $1,000 year. Italy has extern
siVe military pigeon communications, and
the birds are trained out to sea, as those
OF the United States are, with n view to
their employment as messengers from the
cruisers off the coast. II will thus be seen
that i'm these experiments there is ample
precedent for the United States.
No actual steps further than the inves-
tigation of German methods have been
taken by the war department in regard TO
the use of dogs as messengers in time of
war, but the matter is looked upon with
favor, and before long it is believed that
certain breeds of dogs will be bought and
trained at some of the cavalry posts in the
west. Germany has set the example in this
line of experiment, and already several
German regiments have canine auxiliaries
There the training of the dogs is allotted
to an officer who is fond of them and I'M
derstands them, and he selects from among
the soldiers Of his company certain assist
ants who do the actual work of training
The business of training these dogs has
neen reduced to a somewhat accurate sys-
tenn, and none of the dogs Is allowed to be
spoiled. Neither are they beaten, unless
it is urgently necessary
The training Of the dogs is accomplished