Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1889-02-13
THE CARRIER PIGEON.
It's Popularity in the United States
and in Europe.
The Extent to Which tho Sport of Pigeon-
Flying Has Grown-Crescent and Calu-
met. the Two best Birds in America
How They Garry Letters.

To what an extent the sport of pigeon
nying has recently developed IS only real
lied by glance at the many pigeon clubs.
The sport has grown popular during the
past few years, and now many are making
use OF pigeons for sending letters. At the
present time there are about 500 clubs in
this country. In Europe there are more
than 5000 clubs devoted to the sport of
pigeon lying. In this country the majority
OF the clubs belong to the American Fed
GRAFTON of Pigeon Flyers, with headquar-
teFs IN Philadelphia. The society is made
up of two representatives from each club.
VINO elect president, vice-president,
treasurer, secretary and an executive
committee. The federation is established
on a sound basis and among It's members
are owners of the most famous birds in the
country.
Probably the best birds in America at the
present time, says the New York World,
are Calumet and Crescent. owned by
Samuel W. Taylor, of Baltimore These
birds hold the championship for flight of
52613 miles, doing the journey in one day
These two pigeons were exhibited at the
pigeon fanciers' show held at the American
Institute. Great interest is taken in the
sport of plgeon-hying by all classes and
both sexes in Europe. In Belgium the
sport Is IN fun progress all the year around,
and every spring races of the aerial mes
+ sengers are INDUCED In. Almost every viii
! lage in Belgium boast of it's lofts. 1t is esti-
mated that there are upwards of 1900 pig
con clubs in the Netherlands alone
J To Belgium is due the credit of many new
! devices tor the carrying of letters by these
trained messengers of the air. In that
country many methods of transmitting q
/ message are employed Sometimes it is
i tied TO the tan feathers, a fashion that is
common IN this country. A new device,
however, that has gained popular favor
among the pigeon flyers of Belgium is that
OF writing the message on piece of strong
/ tissue paper, which is wrapped around the
| pigeons leg and secured either by a
piece of gummed paper, a bit Of thread or
fine elastic band. By this method the free
movement of the bird is unimpeded, as
the weight is slight and the bird in its fight
carries its legs up under the body protect
ing the message from wind and rain.
In England there has been great deal
of interest taken lately in the sport of
pigeon-hying, and many noblemen whose
! former boast was their fast horses are
now boasting of their swift homiug- birds.
In that country the best of stock is to be
obtained, and the best care is taken Of the
birds. The description Of gentleman s
loft which was printed recently in Lon
don newspaper showed that these birds
were indeed fortunate. Another European
country that has taken kindly TO pigeon w.
ing ls Russia Every week there is a public
race between distant villages for prizes do.
mated by the tradespeople. a visitor to g
small country village of Russia thus de-
scribes his visit: 81 awolze the morning OF
my third days stop in the village, and from
my hotel window could see the people NOV.
ing about, holding SIN II pigeons in thei1
hands. A few had the pigeons stuck in
their pockets, while several others had
theirs securely packed under their long
heavy bearskin coats. I quickly dressed
and, Fastening down stairs, Immediately
wended my way among the crowd to dis
7 cover, If possible, what was to occur.
soon discovered that, the day being Thurs.
day, it was the regular monthly race-day oi
the different homing-pigeon clubs OF the
village. 1t seemed to me as though every
body in that village was a member of the
different clubs, for the whole village seemed
to be out that morning Two hours after
the crowd had passed my hotel the whole
sky appeared to be filed with birds 1t was
the racers flying to their different lofts,
and the sight was indeed grand one.n
How much is thought of the pigeon as an
addition to the fighting forces of continent
al nations may be inferred from the excite
ment caused few months ago when Ger
man pigeon was found at Tours. In En-
gllsh military mancuvers Major Allatt has
shown how rapid communications can bc
made between different sections of an army
and how the outposts can give information
to headquarters, where probably the tele-
graph would be unavailable. But it is not
only in the arts of war that the homing
pigeon has proved capable of great service.
There are many peaceful operations where
1T is able to convey news more rapidly than
can be sent by any other means. Country
doctors often employ homers to return with
prescriptions to their surgeries in special
cases, and they are frequently used By pilots
to announce the arrival OF vessels of the
coast. But perhaps no section of the COM
munity utilizes the voyageur pigeons more
than does the press Under many circum-
stances it can beat the telegraph, for there
is the manifest advantage that it is ever
ready and can be dispatched from any point
of the compass or any place.