The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1914-12-05

communication with the friends on the other side
OF the enemy.
Homing pigeons have been used from time i'm
memorial, and they also used at Santiago
Today different condition exists. AS the Ger.
mans sweeping down Paris the operator
In Eine tower whispered through the very air the
Germans breathing to convey Information to
st Petersburg or Petrograd.
The swish OF the wireless was unstoppable The
Spaniards shot down the American signal men on
the embankments in front of Santiago, but the
rihe bullets from the Germans could interfere
with the wireless message as 1t went on its way.
One OF the most wonderful developments of the
wireless teegraphy came at the opening of the Eu.
ropean when it became possible talk all
the way from Berlin to Long Island. Germany
talked across the British feet to her ships
sailing the Atlantic and warned them OF the
sudden tremor
The only way to stop the wireless was to de-
stroy the operator and he was thousands OF miles
away. In last wires stretched all
the fields back of the fighting Dis
patchers carried word from colonel to general
where there had not been time to string the
wires
In this wires too have been stretched
the fields pigeons still have carried messages,
dspatchers have galloped back and forth. but in
addition to all these messengers Of war the fight
all depended the invention OF Mar
conf, the great wireless telegraph
The wireless telegraph has proved its value
right on the field Of battle. The man in the front
ranks, or the outpost miles from the headquarters
could place himself in instant communication with
his chief. The wireless telegraph made It pos j.
bic for German soldier fighting his way through
Belgium to talk to Il German soldier defending
Alsace 1t made it possible for soldier at Brus-
sells to shout news OF victory back to Berlin with
instants delay.
1t made it possible for the French and British
TO keep in communication with each other and
map out new line Of defense when the Germans
hurting their mighty hosts against them
Marconi had already made himself famous be
fore the war broke out. His invention was one
Of the greatest boons to humanity because 1t
saved lives aboard ship in time of horror. 1t
brought to the distressed and expedited
shipping. From instrument OF humanity and
peace 1t sprang to an instrument OF war and ter
Like the pigeon dove. the personifcaton OF
peace, it became an instrument OF war
Perhaps next to the wireless stations, the most
efficient messengers of war are the homing pig
cons These birds, the wisest of their kind, are
employed to great advantage In English. French
German, Austrian. Italian. Russian and Japanese
armies. Military authorities hold there is no bet
ter means for small detachments to communicate
with their headquarters nor could they want bet
ter
On the fields Of Europe the flights of the birds
are In most instances short that they do not
have to stop for rest, thus preventing the mes
sages from falling into the hands of the enemy.
A pigeon in its flight scars so high it is almost
invisible to the naked eye, thus it necesstates
the use of high power guns to bring 1t to the
ground. And any who ever makes such
shot can well call II miracle
The king OF England and the emperor OF Ger
many, well as other rulers OF European nations
have their flying kits. and in time OF peace
they enter their birds in races with birds belong
ing to their subjects. The crowned heads deem
this royal sport.
bird equipped for flying with message is
,encased in a bottlelike tube. the shape of its
body
spy puts his message in his pocket proceeds
ION his mission. quickly writes his discoveries on
small bits Of paper and places them In . tube