The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-09-22
PIGEONS PROVE OF
 MUCH INTEREST ID
 AMERICAN TROOPER
Feathered Messengers in the Front Line Dugouts Soon Become Great Pets of
 Yankee Fighters

Behind British Lines in France Sep tember 21-tThe Associated Press. )-For the American soldier newly arrived in the lines in France, there is always a great interest attaching to the now wide spread use of carrier pigeons. Little crates of the birds are found in many a front line dugout, and they become great pets of the men, who watch their work with close interest.
 Normally information in wartime is transmitted by wire, but sometimes oc- casions arise when the wires prove in- sufficient or break down altogether. Every front line unit must be prepared for such an emergency. So the pigeons are always kept handy, and from time to time are tried out" to be sure that they are ready for their work.
 The pigeons quickly become accustom- ed to shell fire and they will carry inn portant messages through a heavy ar tlllery barrage and through gas clouds when no other method of communication is practicable
 Pigeons were first employed by the British army in October, 1914, when an experimental shipment of 50 birds was
  mediately recognized and the service rapidly grew to enormous proportions.
 Under present war conditions, the pigeons are most largely employed for two purposes-to bring back information from the front line trenches, and dur ing an advance to bring messages from the advancing tanks and infantry. Gen erally speaking q 100-mile flight is the outside limit for military purposes, even when messages are sent in duplicate. For distances of 10 miles, single birds are relied on constantly and there are very few failures.
 In war mobile lofts must take the place of stationary ones These are usually small automobile trucks and con tain from 60 to 70 birds. An important feature of the trucks is good look out cage'' on top so that the birds can easily learn the topography of the neigh borhood before being liberated for their work
 In the battle of the Somme in 1916, about 4,5O0 operation messages were brought in by carrier pigeons over period of three months.
 Carrier pigeons are very successfully used in connection with aircraft Tn flight and for distances qp to 20 or 90 miles in fine weather can be relied upon to reach home with their message They are released in such a manner that they Will 11rSt move WILL tnS Niiiut ehS airman throwing the bird forcibiy down. ward and sideways in the direction the wind is blowing so that the wind Will assist it to clear the machine. With sea- planes, a number of cases have occur red where pilots in distress have been rescued as the result of pigeon mes sages.
 There are several cases on record m which bird has successfully delivered his message even when severely wound ed In the British army lofts, the in- uuisitive American soldiers have found several birds still at work who bear the marks of battle, including several veterans who are still flying regularly though minus aNleg lost in action
 The British pigeon officers tell of an historic pigeon, known in the service as the W. C. bird,7' which arrived torn and bleeding and with the cylinder con taining his message actually forced into h.s breast by the force of an exploding shell. This stout-hearted flyer fell dead when his message was delivered