Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-07-11
CARRIED BY PIGEONS.
A Liverpool Newspaper Has a Flock
of Birds on Its staff.
THEY CAN BEAT THE TELEGRAPH.
Once In Awhile They Go Astray, but They
Are Usually Reliable.
HOW MESSAGES ARE TRANSMITTED

1t begins to seem probable that the time
is rapidly approaching when no daily news
paper Office with pretensions to selfrespect
will consider its appliances complete with
out-a pigeon-cotel says Poll Mall Budget,
of London. It appears that the electric
telegraph as means of conveying news
over short distances is outdone by the
homing pigeon. Mr.. A. G. Jeans, the
manager of that important Lancashire
paper, the Liverpool Daily Post, is an astute
and resourceful gentleman, and it is now
under his egis that a highly elaborate and
successful system of transmitting news by
means of pigeons has been perfected. A
correspondent sends the following account
Of conversation with Mr.. Jeans in his
managerial sanctum the other day:
The evening paper which has the fullest
and latest details sells its editions like Wild
fire; and it was more completely to crafty
this ultra-Athenian appetite for news that
Mr.. Jeans devised his system of pigeon
telegraph.
81 found" said Mr. Jeans, ''that the cleo
trio telegraph involved some degree of de-
lay. Time was lost, it might be, through
the reporter having to wait his turn at the
telegraph Office. Then there was the actual
time of transmission and of delivery from
the postofice. It was suggested to me that
pigeon service might do better.
The Experiment Proved Rather Costly.
IT thought the idea at all events worth
trial, and bought some very fine homing
pigeons at the pretty stiff figure of 92 per
pair. I had really comfortable pigeon
house erected on the Office roof, and acting
on the advice Of practical men, commenced
BY keeping the birds confined about eight
or nine weeks in the hope that they would by
then have become quite accustomed to their
new surroundings, and regard themselves
at home"
"And, in fact"
"The very first time they were let out
tEev flew away. Wenever saw them again.
Evidently the only method Was to breed the
birds on the premises. got other birds.
and allowed them to breed, and soon had
three or four dozen young fedglings, with
which hoped to experiment more success
fully. That proved the right way. The
young birds were accustomed gradually to
liberty, and when allowed to fly free of the
building for the first time, to my huge salts
faction, they all returned after their fight
The next step was to develop their homing
instincts by gradually increasing the
flights. I had the birds conveyed in bas-
kets mile or two away and then liberated
1.-THE distances were increased until the
birds came home regularly from any dis
tance up to 16 or 20 miles, and that is the
limit beyond which their special usefulness
is at an end"
Not Practicable for Over Twenty Miles.
"Why SOP" I asked.
because at that point the telegraph beats
the pigeons" was Mr.. Jeans reply. Pro-
ceeding to give details of the performances
Of his interesting flock, Mr.. Jeans related
how the result of the Waterloo Cup-run
some ten miles away in the country-was
received in the daily Post Office per pigeon,
and printed off In the evening paper, the
Echo, within nine minutes of the completion
of the deciding heat. The reporter, who
was accompanied by lad carrying the bird
sage. commit 1t to the pigeon, and away
sped the bird to the office. Racing results
from Chester have been received in % min
utes, the speed of the bird being for short
distances maintained at the extraordinary
rate of mile minute.
'Do the birds never 60 astray?" I asked
Mr. Jeans.
The reply was accompanied by hearty
laugh. 1T IL not quite all plain sailing"
he said. "For instance, on the occasion of
the last regatta of the Royal Mersey Yacht
Club I sent two pigeons on board the club
steamer, with instructions for them to be
sent off with messages from the northwest
and another turning point in the
race. They were duly dispatched, but the
sub-editor waited in vain for news of the
race. One bird turned up late the next day.
The 9th or never came back at all.
Messages Tied to the Birds' Legs.
"Upon the whole they do their work
very satisfactorily. 1t is q little aggravst-
have done, one of our birds, with the much
desiderated 'aimsy' attached to its leg,
alight on the chimney OF our rival, the
Co,.rier across the way, and calmly proceed
to preen its feathers, unconscious of our
anxieties and disdainful of our artifces to |
wheedle it home"
In further conversation, I learned that in |
busy times, when football or cricket |
matches ere numerous, as many as 80 |
birds are sent out A boy accompanies the |
reporter, taking two pigeons with him. The |
message the birds carry is written in minute |
characters on "fimsy" and attached by a |
fine india rubber band to the birds leg. The |
birds are kept without food for some hours
before they are employed. Their homing
instinct is therefore stimulated by expert |
snce that a feed of corn awaits them upon
arrival; and their cote is so arranged that
The birds themselves can enter BY pushing
against wire door, which closes automatic
lily when they have passed through, and |
prevents egress again.