Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1889-12-28
USING CARRIER PIGEONS

USlNU CAhklEk flUCUNA
HOW a WALL STREET Smoker KEEPS
POSTED ON FLUCTUATIONS
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Op< day . frisnd q lins, CA1cag0 bad-
nsn man cans 70 vi.is ~ q ny fnrn dovs
in New J~uy. "Hog - yss I'D ths tins
70 give 70 this p,an,- - - fsv mcona
after his arrival 80 Dy noehsag Of IL ~
urs oce should have 10 0joy ia ! shoaid
think il would b impossible for . busy SOCK
hroker Do you have private wrs % Wal
seressF Hav ing h.a oft0 askad ~ mne
questions before lid ny paaAs In hteas
vhils we went out Of doom - lon1 - ~ live
stock had pair hitchsd ~ 10 . doabSe
buggy, add, with my Chi1Agp fri0d q ny
s,sa~, was soon jogyinga around ths track have
made 70 exercise nv hOr.o o.
We are Il the far Eds Of IL track when Ons
of the ssablemeu CONES On . run from among
the buildings add vsvo soosthing In his
hand quicken The pacs of ths hoFso and
IN an instant ~ are wAAD - aAnGA- He aeps
70 nv ss,ie and hands M s.ai slip Of papss
folded up very compsctly. l unron ths slip
and read the writing which h crowded on IL
surface. Then. turning 70 ny friend;
.Prices have not chaaesd since morning,
and my manager says that The market 10 very
dull. That slip has just hsea ooe hour in com
ing from my Office in New street. rs 1t
selegramf' queries my osmpAnion- NO. =
Than how did 1t get hereF by carrier
pigeon" and with that l signal TO the hors.s
and % are once more spinning swiftiy around
the track
IAnURxs AZ vInsf.
About five years ago bought my farm.
Chetolah, in North Branch township, Somer-
sst county, n. j. Il 10 shout forty miles BY
the Jersey Central road from CommunipAv.
The railroad depot, whore there Is also tels
graph station, is about two and - half miles
from The house.
To spend my Sundays there, with an odd
day now and then thrown in, or perhaps .
few days at . time wbsn summer dullneN
settle,i on the market, seemed the best that
could b hoped for But, once tasted. country
hfs presented tbousanA charms and attrac-
tons that had not bssd drsamt Of The chief
objection to bestowing more liberal shars
Of nv time on it was that Of keeping up com
munication with the street" IL WAS com
paratively easy to get kilograms from the
farm TO my New York residence, but the
more important messages from Wall street
which would keep me advised Of the condition
Of the market or Of any sudden development
that might require my prssssce or action
were exaspsratingly slow in reaching me.
Then the more or les ainiable young ladiss
who successfully had charge Of the telegraphic
department Of the station had an unAccount-
able habit Of going home for lunch just - IN
important message was about 70 come over
the wireA At this juncture the idea sng-
gested itself to try carrier pigeons. l had
taken some interest in the performances of
these remarkable birds The distance from
my Office, close by the Stock Exchange, to
the farm is about forty-th miles. Birds
were constantly making longer journeys than
that 1t seemed like good plan and it was
forthwith put into execution.
A dozen birds or so were accordingly pur-
chased from fancier in New York and in
stalled in loft over the barn Ny first eEay
at employing carrier pigeons was ansuccess
full After they had become presumably &C
customed to their new home they were taken
succes<ively to town and Let loose, but only q
few ever came back. The Ajority may have
returned TO their original home, gunners may
have picked them of or prospects Of food and
rest may have seducsd them into cousorting
with plebeian pigeons In short, the specula
ton wore a decidedly bearish appearance.
AT this point unexpected assistance was
rendered me- One Of my best friends III Wall
street was that prince of sportsmen and stock
operators, the late Charles F. Woerishoifer,
to whom had confded my difficulties as q
pigeon fancier. He knew Of = famous breed
Of carrier birds some v here in Germany. In
a short time five pairs of males were brought
across the Atlantic and domiciled in the cote
had riggei up Tor my birds From these,
with some admixture Of strains Of the best
carriers to be found in this country, my pres
ent efficient little corps Of messengers are
descended.
HOW IT IL pONK.
Better luck attended this experiment. but
it required care and patience. The cote was
arraignei 50 that 1t would be attractive to
the birds Constant Efforts had to be made
50 ~ 10 test aud educate them. They were
taken some distance from home and let ny in
flock, al arriving safely Then they were
tested separately, first 90 short distances
then un increasing Lengths In this way the
strong and capable birds we're separated from
the weak and uncertain ones. At length the
doc. was weeded out, and those tl,at remained
can now lie depended on 70 perform their
duty satisfactorily.
As Young birds are bred they are expert
n,entei with and only admitted to the select
ban'i If they show the proper ability and in
stinct This is the origin Of the Wall Street
lErial Messenger company limited. In
practice it is simple enough. A hamper with
several of the birds is kept at my Office. They
are only led or watered sufficiently u keep
them in condition while % detained Spring,
summer and autumn, when not in town,
feel that l can with perfect security and
serenity stay At the farm or take q train to
town early in tine afternoon. II quotations
change, or il a message Of any kind has to
be sent to me, it is written on y pad OF very
thin paper. The blanks are printed with the
names Of sto~ks 80 that quotations csn be
readily jotted down.
Folded up into . marrow strip, this Ia
wrapped with light wire to the tail feather
Of the bird. Then, let loose from one Of the
windows. the intelligent creature rises up
above the roofs Of the surrounding buildings,
and. with perhaps . preliminary circle or
50. strikes out across the Hudson, over jersey
City, and steers a straight course to its cote
among the hills Of SorperSst The maze Of
telegraph wires that surrounds the Stock Ex-
change sometimes offer temptation TO stop
and rest awhile before starting on the jour
uey But this, with the older and well
trained birds, is rare. A. q rule they per
form their mission with . CELEBRITY and dis
patch that would put the district messenger
service to the blush.
They can be relied upon to make the dis
tance iii an hour, and this time is rarely ex-
ceeded save by a young or inexperienced
bird Stones and guns in the hands Of boys
and fools sometimes cause unaccountable
disappearance. But, on the WHOLE the in
stinct that draws the bird to It's home can be
depended ou The detentions or accidents
are no greater than would be the case with .
telegraph line. All the misconduct that my
birds have ever been guilty Of does not COM
pare in IFS annoyance with what one gen.
orally suffers from that necessary evil. The
telephone In fact, the experiment shown
couclusiveiy that for moderate distances the
horning pigeon can he made q useful adjunct
to businsR-Alfred de Cordova in Brooklyn
Eagle.
THE LATEST m JEWELS.