The Washington times., 1935-09-10

Wilt" promoting laws
which will encourage racing pig
con breeding.
Until the World War and the
valuable service pigeons were
rendering the Allies opened thel1
eyes, American military leaders
were inclined to hold the feath
cred soldiers lightly.
But shortly after the first
American contingent underwent
its baptism OF fire in France
July 16, 1917, to be exact, a hur
ried order was cabled by General
Pershing to the War Department
for the organization of a pigeon
service as an indispensable ad
junct to the U. S. Signal Corps
with the A. E. F.
David C. Buscall, of Washing
ton, and John L. Carney OF Pitts
burgh. two of the country's lead
ing fanciers of the day, were i'm
mediately commissioned as lieu
tenants, soon made captains. and
detailed to organize a pigeon
service. Buscall had aided Gen
eral Pershing's Villa punitive ex
pedition by the use of pigeons.
Fanciers Cooperate.
The two newly created officers
found the country's fanciers will
ing to cooperate, turning over to
them their choicest birds. Wash
ingtonians who contributed were
w. F. Dismer, E. F. Dismer, w. S
Hixson, C. Dusterhoff, c. Pen
nington, H. Fairbanks. W. H. Fug
gift, w. W. Koch, E. C. Koch
Phil Krouse and C. A. Linthicum
William McGill Smith was one
of the first twelve enlisted men
selected to aid Buscall and
Carney.
"Gunpowder," a black check
cred hen, delivered the first mes
sage under fire from the Ameri'
can front at Boucq, on st. Pat
rick's Day. 1918.
Thereafter hundreds of mes
sages were delivered daily through
flying shrapnels and stifling gasseS
by these brave courierS.
Deliver SO Per Cent
Pigeons were usually saved for
the last resort when heavy
bombardment had shattered all
telephone and radio communica
tions. It has been estimated that
SO per cent of the messages came
through. an almost unbelievable
achievement.
BY the end of the war the
Pigeon Service included eight OF
ficers, 325 men and over 5000
pigeons.
Some of the pigeons which are
still remembered for their daring
and speed are "Cher Ami" now
mounted in the Smithsonian In
stitute, "The Mocker," president
wilson," Colonel Lady" "Kaja
Boy" "The Poilu." "Blanchette,' ;
Lord Adelaide" Lakewood
"Lucey Lass" and "The Adju
tant." The Navy's most famous
performer was "Pilot's Hope
"The Mocker," with an eye shot
out by a shrapnel and covered
with blood, brought in a message
on the Beaumont Front which
disclosed the location of German
batteries doing terrible execution
on U. S. troops. These batteries
were destroyed in few minutes
after "The Mocker's" arrival
"Cher Ami" released at Crane
Pre-, on the Argonne front, during
murderous fire, was hardly ir
flight when bullet ripped through
one of its legs and passed through
its chest.
Nevertheless it continued it.
flight to Rampont, 40 kilometers
away, the leg with the message
dangling from the stump by 6
thread of flesh. "Cher Ami" re
covered and flew IL times from
the front, delivering his messages
safely.
Lieut., Col. A. H. Osman, re
nowned fancier, supervised thu
the British Pigeon Service with
Major Alec Valley. M. c., in charge
at the front. Lieut.. Leroi Beacqu'
was the officer in charge OF thu
French pigeons.
How much Importance the Ger
mIrs attached to racing plgeou'
in wars was brought home tt
Captain BuScall at CoblenZ whel
ne discovered a mamoth stone lof
in the top floor of stone barrack'
built by the Germans many year
before the war.
When the Germans occupied
Belgium they commanded tn
Belgians to turn in their fire arm
and homing pigeons. Those VIII
failed to turn in their pigeon
were promptly shot.