Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 114, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 May 1918 — Page 3

Homing Pigeons Aid Pershing

a a OMING pigeons quickly proved their value for ■■■ military purposes after the war broke out They did work which the wireless, telegraph and telephone could not JiiC J’ft do under certain condltions. Thus the pigeons have furnished a means of communication between the headquarters and the swift flying airplanes and seaplanes when other methods were impossible. America will not be behind other nations In this matter, declares a writer in the New York Sun. Soon after his arrival in France General Pershing cabled home for coops, pigeons and a staff of men to take care of them. Through the American Racing Pigeon union, which has a membership of more than 1,800 racing pigeon fimciera, arrangements were quickly made for the first shipment. D. C. Buscall of Riverdale, Md., and J. L. Carney of Pittsburgh, Pa., both expert racing homer breeders, were appointed lieutenants and went across with a staff of men and the first batch of pigeons. In the early part of 1917 Frank J. Griffin, an enthusiastic racing homer breeder of New Rochelle, Induced the authorities at a fort near his home to ’let him set up a loft there and equip ft for testing purposes. The trials proved so successful that this permission was extended and with the cooperation of his fellow members In •the homing pigeon clubs he set up and equipped eight lofts containing from 100 to 125 birds each in various other forts along the Atlantic coast. Draw on '17,000 Pigeons. Most of these pigeons were supplied by members of what was at that time the New York Coneburse association, which has since become amalgamated with the United Homing Pigeon concourse, representing about 250 lofts, which control approximately 17,000 pigeons. Following General Pershing's message Mr. Griffin was commissioned a major with direct supervision of the newly created pigeon section of the signal, corps, with headquarters In the chief signal office in Washington. Certain army officials throughout the country were designated to carry out the work of getting lofts and pigeons for this new branch of the service. Negotiations were quickly opened with the racing homing pigeon clubs. Being a trained racer of homer pigeons, Major Griffin recognized the necessity of getting only pigeons whose parents had proved their worth on the road, and all collectors have been instructed to Issue leg bands only to such breeders as are known to be members of some of the racing homer clubs and have birds with records that can be verified to breed from. This rule has been strictly adhered to since so much depends on the fitness of the pigeon that no chance can be taken. To Sell Pigeons at Cost. The government has agreed to pay $2 apiece for each pigeon accepted. This is regarded by homing pigeon men as a low price, since some of the parents could not be purchased for less than S2O to $25 apiece, and youngsters from such blooded stock sell for $3, $4- and even higher prices. The price of $2 was arrived at through figuring the cost of raising a young pigeon and the fanciers patriotically agreed to It. About 3,000 pigeons have already been shipped across to France and a company of nearly 100 trained pigeon men has since gone to take charge of them. The government has decided to establish and equip lofts at all the camps in the country so as to familiarize the. signal corps recruits with the new sdTvlce. The pigeons are to be used when atmospheric conditions interfere with the electrical and wigwagging modes of communication.

No More Cherokee Chiefs.

It is along the line of progress that the chieftaincy is to be dropped by the Cherokee Indian nation. The Semlnoles have already dispensed with this relic of tribal government. Thus two of the five civHlzed Indian nations will soon have abandoned a tradition that has served only to bind them to a past which had better be forgotten, ft has long- been the conviction of the Students of the Indian problem and friends of the Indian people, like Commissioner Cato Sells,

On the battlefields the pigeons are cared for in mobile coops. These resemble somewhat the ordinary moving van and are set about a mile apart from five to twenty miles In th'e rear of the first line trenches. ■ In them are nesting boxes, observation traps, storage room for feed and other accessories and accommodations for-one or two men, who are constantly on duty. Ring a Bell on Entering. The pigeons enter through a door obstructed by bob, wires. These hang loosely and will swing in but not out. When a bird enters the movement of the wires sets off an electric bell «nd the attendant catches the pigeon and takes the message from an aluminum cup-shaped receptacle attached to one of its legs. Major Griffin, at annual meeting of the American Racing Pigeon union, said that of the jnessages that have been forwarded by homing pigeons from the trenches at the front, through barrage fire, in attacks going over the top, in cavalry charges and in infantry charges, 97 per cent had safely reached headquarters. He urged the members to start their birds breeding at once. This was in December; they usually do not start until the middle of February. The pigeon men acted on the suggestion and are now prepared to keep up a steady supply of birds for government use. The homing pigeon is a swift as well as a sure messenger. When traveling with the wind it will fly at the rate of more than sixty miles an hour, and against the wind, at from thirty to thirty-five miles an hour. When liberated, the homer pigeon usually circles around the spot, gradually rising until it recognizes some landmark, and once it has scented the direction, is off in a direct line to Its home. The intelligence of these birds has been shown in the trenches, where they have learned that to circle adds danger to their lives. It is never any too safe at these places of liberation, and the trained homer does not rise any higher than is necessary to get its bearing, usually flying directly to the rear, without ascending more than a few feet above the ground. This Is not the general procedure of homing pigeons, the tendency of the birds when released in races at home being to circle, sometimes for an hour over the spot where liberated. News to Germany by Bird. The United States is not behind in pigeon racing. It has something like 4,000 homing plgepn fanciers. In Belgium pigeon racing was long the national sport. It has been reported that as many as 30,000 pigeons have been released at one time in the grand national races. Ih a race

that the sooner the individual Indian is released from tribal connection and environment the better it will be for him and for the country.—Christian Science Monitor,

New Use for Telephone.

According to information from a reliable source, experiments conducted on the Canadian government railroads with a telephone apparatus that permits verbal messages to be transmitted to and from moving trains have met with highly gratifying re-

THE EVENING REPUBLICAN, RENSSELAER. IND.

Aerial Mes- . sengers Perform Dangerous Duty on 'Battle Front

containing from 5,000 to 10,000 was considered a common occurrence. The English government discovered shortly after the war began that information was being carried to the enemy by a method which It could not detect for a long time. Finally it was learned that German subjects had established lofts in England where birds were kept for the express purpose of carrying messages to Germany. The authorities thereupon ordered all pigeons liberated, and put under government control all that returned to their lofts. The supervision over homing pigeons in England now is so severe that an owner cannot take even one bird into the street or transfer it to another person without a police permit. Some of the war performances of Imming pigeons, as recorded in recent Issues of English pigeon papers, are Interesting. During December a patrol smack released a pigeon as it was torpedoed by a German submarine.- The crew was floundering in the water and clinging to wreckage. The Germans saw the bird and wounded it with a rifle shot. It was not brought down, however, and twelve miles away landed on the deck of another patrol smack, with five flight feathers missing and nearly exhausted. The bird knew it could not reach land and sought this place of safety. The message the pigeon bore gave the location of the wrecked patrol boat, and the captain of the vessel on which 4t landed succeeded In reaching the spot in time to save every man. Another' story is that the pilot of a seaplane doing special work in the Flanders section encountered a number of enemy planes. He released one pigeon stating his location and asking help. A minute later another pigeon arrived at headquarters telling that his tank had been destroyed and asking that fighters be sent quickly to his aid. Eighteen minutes later another bird arrived from another patrol seaplane, announcing that it had been shot down and that the pilot’s companion had been killed, and that he thought his machine would float for some time. That was the end of the messages. Two seaplanes were quickly despatched to the location given, and several small boats put out. This information could not have heen conveyed by any other means. It was learned later that German destroyers had appeared on the scene and that they had probably rescued the pilot who had been clinging to his disabled plane, as when relief arrived the machine was found and the Gerriian destroyers were seen speeding away.

suits. Standard equipment is used and no difficulty has been encountered in getting distinct‘tones. Connection between the instrument and rail is made through the car wheels. Control of the system differs in no respect from ordinary telephone operation, and artificial amplifiers requiring adjustment are not employed. The invention makes it possible for connections to be made between the train Instrument and that of any regular telephone subscriber.— Popular Mechanics Magazine.

Necessary Expenditure.

"I say, Brown, can’t you manage to pay me that ten dollars you owe me? I need the nfoney." •‘Awfully sorry, old man, but I can’t do it.” “I notice you manage to go to the theater two or three times a week, though.” * “That’s just it. The thought that [ owe you money Is worrying me so that I have to do something to help me forget It” "

Dr. Pierce’s Pellets are best for liver, bowels and stomach. One little Pellet for a laxative, three for a cathartic. Ad.

Very True.

“I adore children, excepting when they cry." “Why, that’s the time when I’m fondest of them.” “Indeed? Why?” “Because then they are always removed from the room ”

Kill tiie Flies Now and Prevent disease. A DAIBY FLY KILLER will do it. Kills thousands. Lasts all season. All dealers, or six by express, prepaid for sl. 11. BOMERB, 150 DeKalb Ave., Brooklyn, N. Y. Adv.

Learned by Examinations.

Of 1,700 men, women and children recently subjected to physical examinations in Framingham, Mass., 82 per cent were found to be suffering from some form of disease.

The Easy Way.

She —“How have you been economizing?” He —“Used last, year’s resolutions over again.”

Don't Worry About Pimples. On rising and retiring gently smear the face with Cuticura Ointment. Wash off the Ointment in five minutes with Cuticura Soap and hot water. For free samples address, “Cuticura, Dept. X, Boston.” At druggists and by mall. Soap 25, Ointment 25 and 50. —Adv.

Awaiting a Delegation.

“Do you know that your daughter is engaged?” “I know it, of course, but as yet I haven’t been officially notified.”

Well Matched.

Edith —They are an ideal couple. Edward —Indeed. Edith—Yes. He has ambition and she has wealth.

POWDER IN SHOES AS WELL US SONS Foot=Ease to Be Added to Equipment of Hospital Corps at Fort Wayne. Under the above heading the Detroit Free Preu, among other things says: “The theory is that soldiers whose feet are in good condition can walk further and faster than soldiers who have corns and bunions incased in rawhide.’’ The Plattsburg Camp Manual advises men in training to shake Foot—Ease in their shoes each morning. One war relief committee reports, of all the things sent out in their Comfort Bags or “Kits," Alien’s Foot—Ease received the most praise from the soldiers and. men of the navy. It is used by American, French and British troops, because it takes the Friction from the Shoe and freshens the feet. There is no foot comforter equal to Allen’s Foot—Ease, the antiseptic, healing powder to be shaken into the shoes and sprinkled in the footbath, the standard remedy for over 25 years for hot, tired, aching, perspiring, smarting, swollen, tender feet, corns, bunions, blisters or callouses. Why not order a dozen or more 250. boxes to-day from your Druggist or Dep’t. store to mail to your friends in training camps and in the army and navy.

Earned His Respect.

“I have great respect foT that woman's judgment.” “Why so, Flubdub?” ‘She refused to marry me once."

It was an Irish philosopher who said that a man always appreciates* what he has when he no longer has it.

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