Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1899-12-23
PIGEONS PROVE THEIR VALUE.
More Certain in Warfare Than Wireless Telography--
Birds Used Are Not Actually OF the Carrier" Species
Russian Military Department Was First to Con-
slider These Messengers
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES

were able to communicate with their
friends In the country. The method
adopted for the conveyance OF these
messages In small space 10 as not to
impede the birds In their flight was
most Ingenious. The messages were
not allowed TO exceed 20 words. and
these were photographed In microscopic
characters OH collodion films. each OF
which bore some hundreds OF these
messages. and as each pigeon could
easily carry 10 or IL films. about 10000
or $4,000 messages could be sent at once.
and OF these Photographic eniargcments
were made when the birds arrived at
their destination and distributed
among those for whom they were In
RUSSIA BEGAN IT.
The flrst country to seriously turn Its
attention TO the utility OF pigeons In
warfare was Russia. and experiments
were made by section OF the Russian
engineers In training birds and flying
them from fortress to fortress. Other
states quickly followed suit. but II was
IN Germany that the systematic train
ing OF these birds was first COM
menced ON u large scale. Today. a
sum OF nearly $4,000 In annually set
aside In the German army estimates
for the purpose OF the military pigeon
post. and every frontier fortress II re-
ported to be stocked with these birds.
while all those owned by private In
dividuais are carefully noted In the Of
ncial records. 10 that call might be
made upon them as required In time OF
war.
As was the case with the bicycle and
many other Innovations. Great Britain
Jagged behind her continental neighbors
for many years In the matter OF the
training o. pigeons for use In time OF
xxsae nd L. xvl Ia In AZ To-
years that the intelligence department
OF the British war office has Interested
itself In this matter. and even now II
10 carried out In more or less per-
functory manner. II being considered
that the birds would only be OF service
abroad. Many experiments have been
carried out. however. by the naval au-
thorities with regard to the use OF these
pigeons In maintaining communication
between the fleets around the coast and
the shore. and these have, on the whole.
proved very satisfactory. In India the
attention Of military men has for some
time past been devoted to the training
OF these birds. and especially has this
been the case In South Africa. whore
their utility has Just been demon
strated.
NOT CARRIER" PIGEONS.
II may be mentioned here that the
ptk''Hh hHth iii tiiH Wpfh tIt Hpk
rier pigeons Mt all in the usual sense
OF the word. for those birds are really
unsulted for the work. the chief birds
employed being OF the homer variety.
While societies for the breeding and
improvements OF pigeons exist In all
countries. II d Belgium which produces
the best birds.
The messages to be sent by the birds
are usually attached to them In one OF
two ways. either to the under portion
OF the tail fathers or to one OF their
legs. and by these means the birds can
carry long messages without being un-
duly hampercd by them. II II usual to
send the same message by several birds.
so that one, at least, IL assured OF reach
ing Its destination. Previous TO the car
ricrs being sent on they are confined In
the dark for ut least eight or ten hours.
and are kept without food. When liber-
ated the birds usually circle around
their temporary home for some few
moments In aimless fashion, and then
set on In the direction OF the place from
which they have been brought. While
they have been known to fiy ut the
rate OF 100 miles an hour. their usual
speed 10 about a third OF that.