The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1900-10-20
THE PIGE ON
Carriers Nov Bsing utilissl =.
South Africa


~ = 81 -
smith and Durham, for carrying VA.
messages has been such 3 success that
special appropriations for Increasing
the service will be recommended ~
the war Office. a good deal OF this sue
cess Of the pigeon service is due to
the skill and energy OF Col. Hassard, OF
the Royal engineers, who has spent
years in pigeon culture for just this
sort Of an emergency, and he has demon
sstrated the fitness Of the birds for war
purposes. Col. Hassard, who was sta
toned at the Cape before hostilities
broke out, Systematically trained his
pigeons for carrying messages across
the rough, mountainous land, and his
various pigeo posts were Of the great
est value in keeping the home office ap-
sprised Of the exact condition Of the
army. 5.z 81. II 81 81
y. Nearly every civilized government
now has carrier pigeons connected with.
both their war and navy departments
France has entered into pigeon culture
more extensively than any other Eu-4
ropean power, and i it is roughly esti-
mated that there are CSC, 900 pigeons
In that country trained for war emer-'
gencies. The main pigeon loft or train
ing station is at Chalons, where several
thousand birds are kept all the time.
Every frontier post and fortress has
smaller loftl. and three times a week
regular communication is kept up be-
tween these places by means Of
pigeons. This pigeon post in constant
practice in times Of peace would be Of
immediate service in times Of war. The
state protects the carriers, and anyone
caught shooting pigeon Of any kind
in France is heavily fined. The pigeon
service has been established in France
since 1870. I. s s. 5..:ss
The German war department owns
about 10000 pigeons, but they have 4.
system Of reserves which they can call
into service in times of war. The own
err Of private lofts have to register
their carrier pigeons, and the war de.
partment knows exactly how many OF
the birds it can obtain ct ) moments
notice. 4. VI zs. a.s 3.s5 s ST M. 2z I.
The Austrian government also relies
largely upon private owners pigeons
tor service in times OF war. Every bird
in the country has to be registered,
and not one can be sold or sent out Of
the country without permission. Since
1878 few thousand pigeons have been
in regular service ut the fortresses and
frontier posts. Russia has a military
pigeon system, which ID maintained by
the officers in the corps OF engineers
Little is known about her SYSTEM ex.s
cept that lofts are scattered through
out the empire, including bleak Sibsriias "
The intense col q of the Ii Il month";
in the latter place seriiousIy lit erferes
with the success % the pigeon post
and partly neutral Lies the good effect
Of it. Italy's pigeon post was estab-
hsheds in 1872, and Spain and Portugal
inaugurated similar systems few years
later. s MA ,s. .z:5 4. Se !
There are 1000 homing pigeons on
The books Of the British navy, and sew
eral times this number on the. books
of the army In the past ten years the
United States army and navy depart
ments have been interested in the car
rier pigeons, and we have posts estab-s
lished at different points throughout
the country Their services have been
useful chiefly in the navy, and expert
ments are being made constantly in
communicating by this means between
the shore and the ships. There is no
system Of registering homing pigeons
in private lofts, and in emergency the
government in need Of more pigeons
would have to depend upon the patriot
ism u OF the privateIowners for increasing
It's supply. That Their would be plenty
OF volunteers no one doubts for q mo-
ment -. Golfers Weekly. Il ,.ss..s9s.
81 5...s .ss -
Chances In War. g 80