The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1892-11-19
FOR THE BOYS AND GIRLS.
INTERESTING SUBJECTS FOR
THE YOUNG PEOPLE.
Royal Ponv.-.To Country Girls
--Gen. WashlnRton's Sup
per--Men Who Look
Like Monkeys.
Birds as Reporters.

In this age OF newspaper enterprise,
speed in the publication OF news is a
remarkable characteristic OF daily
journalism. Not only has electricity,
in the form OF telegraph and the tele-
phone, been hitched to the car ofephe-
neral literature, but swift winged
birds have been added to those re-
sources for the purpose OF supplying
the public with quick information.
The proprietors OF several evening
newspapers, f~orseeing the advantages
OF bird messengers in districts remote
from the telegraph, established dove
cotes, and reared a carefully selected
strain OF homing pigeons to assist the
ordinary reporter in his duty.
The birds undergo a special training
for the work. Their education is su-
perintended by a fancier, who employs
sundry devices for insuring their rapid
return to the Office when liberated.
AS a rule, the pigeons are Matched, as
we'll as educated, on the premises, so
that they have q special attachment
for the Office demanding their services
They are we'll cared for, and obtain
little luxuries, which not only bind
them to their home, but impel
them to losen no time in reachingit when
released ill some distant part of the
country.
In Bolton, England, it isnot unusual
to see the reporters of a well-known
newspaper there provided with pigeon
baskets as they set out to their en-.
gasements. At football and cricket
matches on the outskirts of the town,
or at some adjoining town, the SER
vices of the pigeon are invaluable.
the birds rest IN q basket underneath
the reporters table while the report.
er prepares q descriptive account of
the proceedings. Paper OF q thin,
filmy nature is provided for this pur-
pose, so that q report extending to q
half column will not weigh more than
q quarter of an ounce At "half-
time"--if the occasion is a football
match--ther reporter folds the ''aimsv,"
lifts a pigeon from the basket, and at.
CdClleS Llle IlG6SdSo W Suo OAlO . t0N
by means of q thin rubber ring. In
less than q minute the pigeon is flying
in the direction of the newspaper
Office. Sometimes the bird dallies on
the roof of the building while
the "copy boy" tries to coax
it inside the cote. Generally
how ever, it exhibits its regard for
the interests of the paper by walking
straight into the cote, when the message
is at once taken to the sub-editor's
room. When the scene of the game is
some distance from the telegraph
office. as is generally the case, the
saving OF time thus effected is very
considerable. Indeed, when the
pigeon completes with the telegraph
over short distances the former
generally wins.
These winged messengers + SINH
larry useful at cricket matches for re-
porting, the scores at the fall of each
wicket, and at many outdoor gather
ings within a radius of a dozen miles
from the newspaper Office. Speed is
not only assured, but, compared to
the cost of kilograms, messengers, ETC..
the services of the birds effect q great
saving in the course of a year.
Are not these clever birds?