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fO "let lose the
dors of war" has
emerged from the figu
rative into the literal. As a fea
ture of the actual fighting dogs are
playing a definite and unique part
In the great struggle which has con
TUlsed the whole of Europe. It Is
not at all unlikely that future dis
patches from the war front in Bel
glum will mention achievements of
King Albert's light artillery made
possible through the employment of
dogs instead of horses.
In the armies of almost every
European country dogs are trained
either as aples, messengers, or to
render aid to the wounded. Ger
many, France, Russia, Austria and
Italy have their bands of trained
dogs, and Prussia has employed them
for twelve years. Sheep dogs, span
iels and short-haired German point
ers are used, two dogs being ap
pointed to each company, each dog
having its own trainer.
First the dogs are taught to carry
dispatches, deliver cartridges to the
firing line, and then to search for
the wounded or fallen soldiers. As
soon as one of these Is discovered
the dog seta up a loud barking and
the ambulance corps is attracted to
the spot by the noise. If no help
comes, the wise dog takes the man's
cap or tears off a bit of his clothing
and takes it to the field hospital.
Another clever trick of theirs Is
to give an alarm at the approach of
an enemy. They are trained for this
by one of their own soldiers being
dressed up in the clothes of a for
eign soldier for the purpose. In the
early part of their education they
are taken out with an old dog who
thoroughly understands the work.
Another Important part of the
work of a war dog is bringing up
ammunition during a fight When
the battle has commenced, the
handler, as the soldiers who train
the dogs are called, takes up a stand
near the ammunition wagon with the
dog. As toon as he sees ammuni
tion is wanted, he loads the animal
with 150 cartridges, carried in a dou:
hie saddle-bag, halt of the cartridges
on either aide.
Thus loaded, the Intelligent beast
does his best to reach the line J
sharpshooters, and, if successful, re?
turns immediately to the handler fo
more ammunition, and so continue,
the work until the battle is over, or)
as would be certain to happen somei
times, b himself is killed. It haa
been proved that if he is wounde
while carrying out his duties, he cars
seldom be Induced to again venture
near the place where he has beet
hot or cut
However, the faithfulness of the)
dogs as a rule is wonderful, and,
when loaded with ammunition, they
will never allow the cartridges to be
taken from them by soldiers or an
other battalion, and sometimes only
by those ot their own company, so
well are the dogs taught to know the
division to which they belong.
When the battle Is over their duty
is to search for the wounded and
biing the news of their whereabouts
to the hospital corps.
The aversion which the dogs feel
for certain uniforms Is Inculcated
into them by some German soldiers
putting on French or Russian uni
forms. They then tease or maltreat
the dog, while the other men caress
and pet him. In this manner the
dog very soon learns to distinguish
between friend and foe.
So intense Is that hatred in some
ot the dogs for men habited in any
uniform other than that of the regi
ment to which they belong that they
will attack a postman. In order,
however, that they shsll not do any
Injury whtn on the march, the dogs
are rld by the soldiers in a leash.
The Russian dogs are chleflr
trained to assist the medical corps
(n their work, and to help In the hu
mane task of bringing aid as rapidly
as possible to the wounded soldier.
Big, strong dos are selected for this
purpose, St. Bernards for preference,
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The Saving Dops -Trained to
Pick Out the Wounded from
Among: the Dead on Battlefields.
These Animals Form an Import
ant Part of the Field Hospital
Service in the French and
" -
German Armie".
as being the most
Intelligent when left to
their own devices, and also
the most faithful.
The use of dogs as actual -om-batants
will have had its origin in
the present European war. If the
Kaiser had respected the neutrality
of Belgium and confined his armies
to other routes into France, the
spectacle of dogs bringing light ma
chine guns into action would have
been absent for this, as well as
nearly every other development of
canine usefulness, is a device ot
the Belgians and Dutch.
Nowhere else in the world are
dogs made useful in so many differ
ent ways. Throughout Belgium and
the Netherlands these fine, docile,
intelligent and powerful creatures
are seen in all the streets and roads
and about the farms and dairies,
drawing laden carts and performing
other tasks which in other countries
are allotted to horses. One of these
animals, when harnessed to a cart,
exerts the strength ot two ordinary
men. A pair of them Is nearly equal
for this purpose to a single horse.
Standing no more than half as
high as the average horse, these
dogs are less than half as liable to in-
Each Machine Gun on Its
Light Carriage of Bicycle Tub
ing Is Drawn by a Team of Two
Dogs, Guided by One of the Gun
Crew.
Photo fJrOsf-oj
Jury from the bullets of the en my
as artillery horses are. It was
therefore quite natural that Queen
Wllbelmlna should encourage their
adoption for a branch of the artil
lery In her army, and that Belgium,
her next door neighbor, should be
quick to profit by the example.
Moreover, In both those countries
dogs are numerous and cheap, while
horses are rcarce and dear.
The method of utilizing dogs for
artillery service is indicated In the
photographs reproduced on this
page. They were taken during re
cent army manoeuvres In Holland,
in which the dog artillery more than
Justified Its existence. The photo
graphs show them manoeuverlng
machine guns up and down fend
along a sandy hillside, where horses
would be practically useless.
It Is found thst the use of these
doits adds an entirely new element
to artillery evolution, adding many
fold to the destructive possibilities
of the lighter order of rapid-fire guns.
By the use of a specially designed
gun-carriage the piece Is quickly re
moved therefrom and set up for
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The Light Artillery Dogs Resting With the Gun Carriages Out
Dismounted Guns Are in Action at the Crest of a Eidge.
action from a ridge or the crest
above a trench, the dogs and the
carriage meanwhile being out ot the
enemy's range.
The gun, for dog artillery use, is
mounted on a frame of bicycle tub
ing, to which pneumatic-tired bicy
cle wheels are affixed. The frame
IncUrdes mechanism for anchoring
tl the ground quickly when the piece
Is to be fired from Us carriage, and,
of course, carries ammunition as well
as gun.
As In the case of other light
artillery, there is a gun crew of an
officer snd four men. One of the
crew leads the near dog of the team
as he would ride the near horse,
If horsis instead of dogs were used.
enhvrl.ht 1914
1 I . .
The others are ready to put their
bands to the light carriage wheels
and help the dogs up a steep hill
or steady the outfit where the going
Is rough.
The Dutch manoeuvres demon
strated that dog-drown machine guns
were quickly available In crossing
sandy and bummocky stretches ot
ground Impracticable for horses.
Also, by employing the ruse of men
and dogs falling frequently to the
ground, It was possible to bring the
guns Into close action lie for a the
enemy could have opportunity of be
coming awsre of their existence.
While the funs are In action
whether on their carriages or dis
mounted the dogx are seldom In
danger from the enemy's tire. At
tiv th Star Comuativ. Orsat Britain
1
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The Elaborate Use of "The Best
Friend of Man" on the Bloody
Battlefields of Europe
-4 A
of the Enemy's range, While th
the word of command they lie down
instantly, either while still harnessed
to the gun carriage or when un
hitched to find concealment of a more
perfect character In hollows or be
hind hummocks.
Although the dogs cannot make
the speed of horses in these circum
stances, they are more quickly
started and halted and turned, per
forming useful evolutions that could
be managed In no other way. These
dogs are so intelligent, too, and so
eager to succeed at "new tricks"
that it Is found possible to send
them through quilo complicated
manoeuvres with the guns, without
the presence of any member ot the
human gun crew.
Thus, recltig across a bullet-swept
Mights Koservel
stretch of country, with bellies close
to the ground, they enn bring up the
guns to a new position, quite un
injured whoro how nnd mon
would have been Hhot to
l'leces.
ijik Thus far the bnt-
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The Killing Dogs These Photographs of Army Manoeuveri in
the Netherlands Show How Dogs Have Become Actual Combatants
in the Present War. The Belgians, as Well as the! Dutch, Have a
Light Artillery Service in Which Machine Guns on Bicycle
Wheeled Carnages Are Manoeuvered and Go Into Action Drawn
by Dogs. The Animals Are Easier Handled Than Horses and Fur
nish Much Smaller Targets for the Enemy.
ground have been fought mainly
with heavy field artillery, the ob
ject being to silence the guns of the
fortresses. When actions occur with
the French and Belgians occupying
exposed positions it Is quite prob
nble that tbelr "iIokh of war ' will be
heard from as giving good accounts
of themselves.
This use of dog? In warfare is not
to be confused with their employ-
ment In the sanitary corps ot the
No Excuse for Hot Boxes
s
ERIOUS delays and accidents to
trains are often due to over
heated bearings or, as they are
known In railroad parlance, "hot
boxes."
A "hot box" is the result of rank
carelessness on the part of employees
In not keeping a good vigil for
ths condition of the car wheels, or
rather the rare of the Journals of the
trucks under the car where the "hot
box" Is found. A "hot box" Is a sign
that the Safety First rule is not prac
tised by some car-department men. .
There Is no excuse for a "hot box"
after a car Is sent out If the train Is
carefully looked over at each termin
al. Primarily, a "hot box'' Is caused
by poor waste and an lnsuffUlont
"greasing" at the time it should have
been doue, and there Is no excuse
for one. A "hot box" n liable to
cause a wreck, and a wreck on most
railroads costs money, much more
ofWar"
French army, as was noted in the
columns ot this newspaper several
months ago. The latter take no part
In the fighting, bring part of the
field hospital equipment and trained
to search out the still living from
among the dond on the battle-field.
Several other of the European
armies have followed the example
of France and are using dogs for
this humane purpose. Each animal
wwira a blanket marked with a
lurge red cross, which proclaims
lilm n nonconibtitsnt. A
nm II sack hangs from
his neck containing
eotton, bnniiices, brnndy nnd drugs
useful to the wounded. When one
of these dogs finds a soldier who Is
too badly wounded to help himself
to any of these "first aids," the ani
mal runs to the nearest ambulance
and brings human assistance. As
dogs are able to discriminate unerr
ingly between the dead and those In
whom the breath of life remains,
their use in this way la highly com
mended as a humane measure.
than the price of sufficient quantity
of waste and oil and grease to pro
tect the Journals of the car wheels.
The farmer who buys a new buggy
has a pretty good Idea ot what &
"hot box" meana, and the ways to
prevent It. He sees to it that the
swindle is well greased so It will not
get hot. He watches it closely, and
does not take any chances on the
wheels running hot. If they did tho -wheels
would stick, and If the far
mer persisted In driving ahead, he
would soon have a bad spindle and
a bud wheel.
However, tho results would not be
ho disastrous as they would be in a
trtiln of curs running at a speed of
Pft-jen or twenty miles an hour.. It"s
uo wonder thst trainmen use lan
guage unlit for a Sunday-school
class, when they find a "hot box" In
their train. They know that .jme
inn has been careless and shirking
In his work, and that he Is to blame.