The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1917-10-27
PERSKINC'S MEN
train PIGEONS
TO CARRY NOTES
Messages Of Carrier Pigeons
Eagerly Awaited By
Boys at Front.


Field Headquarters, American Army
in France, Oct. 27.-The. change from
a Philippine Instruction, Villa
dead-or-altve sort of army to q vast
organization on the European plan
has necessitated American officers
turnings their hands to unwonted
tasks in mastering the new special
ties of warfare. One of the strangest
of these is pigeon study.
There are few officers now at
General Pershing's headquarters who
nave become recently most enthusiast
tic pigeon fanciers. They have in
stalled a dove cote near their office
whence each day they send carriers of
various breeds, awaiting their return
as eagerly as did Noah on the last day
of the flood. They take careful notes
of the time of departure and return
of the birds, their physical stamina,
all their habits. They read books on
poultry raising and care.
q Strange as this pursuit may seem
for American officers, it Is in reality
an exceedingly important feature of
the army's work, and on their eff
cheney may depend much when the
cry army of Europe has found pigeons
an invaluable aid in carrying messages
in battle under certain conditions.
When Telegraph and telephone wires
are cut, when the smoke of battle is
too dense to permit wig-wagging or
airplane reports. a carrier pigeon can
often bring back reports which other
wise could not get through.
Need More Equipment
The American pigeon officers are
looking forward the day when they
will have the same equipment as 9TH
er allied armies, q number of travel
ling cotes. These are simply two stor-
led trucks. the upper story with cotes
for a score or more of pigeons, the
lower with the equipment and bedding
for the crew. The trucks can readily
move from point to. point along the
line and are SO marked that the pig
cons return to them with unerring in
stinct. Invariably the birds fly high
to avoid the smoke and conclusion of
the guns, but the German troops are
now supplied with shotguns and try
to wing them from the trenches as
they fly over.
In the Belgian army pigeon intel
Hgence," as it Us called. has been
brought to the highest state of perfec-
ton, the Belgians being the. greatest
pigeon fancters In the world. The
Americans are learning Belgian meth
eds from an American now an officer
in the Belgian army. He is Capt.
Francis T.. Colby of Boston, a Har-
ward graduate, who was first an am
bulance driver with the Belg1Ans and
later entered the Belgian army and
Is now attached to Gen. Pershing's
staff. representing the Belgian army
When American troops enter their
first attack it is quite likely that each
detachmeht will be accompanied by
men carrying pigeons in crates to be
released in case other means of COM
munication fail.
Tho British army invariably does
this and has found the results excel
lent except on one occasion.
1t was during a recent big British
attack, the news Of which occupied
columns in the American papers. A
certain General had received reports
by telephone or airplane from every
one Of his attachments save a bat
TALON to which had been assigned the
most difficult task of the day, the
storming Of an especially strong posi-.
a. headquarters; all the wires con.
Meeting with the battalion were cut
and no message had come in from it
Runners had been despatched but
none had returned. The only hope
was that the troops could get back 8
carrier pigeon.
The moment one appeared with
dropping wings, exhausted by a Ions
flight 1t was taken to the General
The whole staff crowded around
while the General unfastened from
the birds leg the message which al
hoped would reveal the fate of the
battalion and how the most critica
stage of the attack had gone. Thi.
was the message, hastily. scrawled IL
pencil:
i've. carried this crate two hour,
and that's enough. Here, take bacI
your damn pigeon
(Francis Thompson Colby, mention
ed In the above despatch, is the son o
Rear Admiral Harrison Grey Oti
Colby, u. s. N, retired, of Boston, an,
was a lawyer In this city before h,
went to France. He had been a min
] er, big game hunter and traveller
and the rooms of Capt. John J. Ste
phens at the armory Of the I'd Fiel,
Artillery at Franklin avenue an
166th street are decorated with tro
phies Of Capt. lColby's hunting trips /
Africa Capt. Colby is 35 years old
L
Informal football as played at tn
colleges this fall, must mean that 20
/ can slug the other fellow if the refere
| isn't looking.
| IT now rarnainS 70 he 500, if ~