Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 19??-1918, 1918-12-02


Can You imagine mans life being
saved by a pigeon7
Or, can you imagine the lives Of
hundreds Of men being saved, and the
course Of a battle being changed By
Ipigeonf
Such things are happening daily on
the great front where the German
army is slowly, but surely, being
beaten back.
Thousands Of pigeons are fighting In
their dumb way as valiantly as the
men In the line, their battle for the al
lied cause. Hundreds are giving up
their lives. They fly through shell fire,
through the smoke and din of battle,
carrying messages that may mean sue
cess or failure In an operation. Tele-
phone lines may be broken, or COM
munication by this means interrupted
by other causes. But communication
by pigeon-war's most reliable messen-
ger--can be broken by death only.
| Fly Mile a Minute.
A pigeon may be wounded. It may
be famished for water, but II will fly,
despite Its own enemies in the air, un-
Ill Its last ounce of strength is ex-
hausted. Heading for Its cote from
the front line, II viii fly with the speed
Of the wind. Fast pigeons can make
better than mile minute. Attached
to its leg is little aluminium message
box about an inch long.
Arriving at the cote, the pigeon Is
trapped" the message box quickly
opened and rushed to headquarters.
The message is deciphered. And while
the pigeon is STRENGTHENING its ruffled
feathers, or cooling in anticipation of
, meal Of barley or canary seed, It is
likely that orders are going out mean
! ing life or death, success or failure, to
company, regiment, brigade or
!. wen a division.
As you pass along the roads in the
!. rear Of the battle front you viii see
! queer little houses standing on top
IN the very peak-of prominent knolls.
Then you win notice the odd little
ways standing in the most open place
n the vicinity.
There is not a tree within rods Of
he little house. The sun boils down
| ,itilessly, or the rains pour upon the
,lace. There doesn't seem to be any.
| me about, but somewhere-in the
| ;hade of the little house or the shelter
L If dugout-you will find the only
| human inhabitants of the knoll.
| The queer little house is a pigeon
.ote. Three men are attached to each
| .ote. They train the pigeons, see that
| he fighting unit to which they are at
| ached is kept supplied with birds
watch for their charges when they re
urn from the front, and then see thai
he message brought in by the pigeoT
l promptly delivered.
Incidentally. II should not be as
umed that Of this queer little settle
nent atop the knoll, only the pigeon!
ace the dangers Of the front. Th'
pigeon men" will not trust the deliv
4 Try Of their birds to the front line {,
,nyone else. They put the pigeons II
lji wicker basket and dash over tn
ihell-swept roads in motorcycle sid
ar to the post command Of their unit
where the birds are turned over to tn
men in the line.
III Work Period Begins.
Then begins the pigeons period Q
york. 1t lives in the basket in whic
lit Is carried to the front, known q
he "rest basket" This basket Is q
,pen wicker, and is some eight inche
leep. 1t is about foot and half wild
md two feet long. Little water pan
ire fixed in the basket, and foo
nrned over to the man who is to car
or the pigeons while they are In Ii
font line.
When a patrol is ordered, or an a
ack is being made, the pigeons al
AIKEN from the rest basket and p'
nto smaller wicker basket. Th
'ests on a mans back, just betwee
he shoulders. M
Pigeons are furnished not only Il
Infantry, but to balloon observers ar
,avalrymen. In the case OF the bt
oon observers only the rest basket
lsed. The pigeons are carried up
he balloon, and should the observer
telephone connection with the groul
| become broken, one of his pigeons
| l ,iberated and bears the message ba
l 20 Its cote. .e-.lt l.qa
| When with cavalry, the pigeons ri
l n a tiny. net Hammock" 1t rests
4 he hammock in a normal sitting po
ion. and though the motion of I
1. I, lorse may cause the hammock
III swing. the pigeonlis In no danger
aeelng thrown against the side'of I
aasket, but Is gently "rocked" on
Journey into battle.