Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-08-21
NOTES AND QUERIES.
Pittsburg Has Many Pigeon Fanciers
of High and Low Degree.
INCOME OF ENGLAND'S QUEEN.
Origin Of the Popular objection to Nay %
Wedding Month.
HOW ENGLISH tPARROWs CANE HERE
WRITTEN FOR THE prspArcH.i

| WRITTEN FOR THE DIsPArcH.i
Many people of refinement and intelli-
gence in Pittsburg keep few pretty pigeons
as pets There are possibly q hundred or
more. A prominent banker who resides in
the East End has his cot of fancy Pouters
and Fantails. and every morning and even
ing with clock-work regularity this gentle
man of wealth seeks his pigeon lott to enjoy
the odd pranks of his pets, iced them and
see to their comfort. For 15 years
this man has had flock of pigeons.
Another mana painter living out
the Pennsylvania road-has a still
larger collection, comprising some very rare
and valuable fancy pigeons, Carriers,
Pouters, Fantails, Turbits, Owls, Tum-
blers, Trumpeters, Swallows, BarIos, Ant
werps, and nearly all the choicest varieties
known as fancy pigeons. This gentleman
has been keeping fine pigeons for 20 years,
and his collection represents many hum
dred dollars invested. Pigeons that cost
from $40 to 500 per pair are among this col
lection.
Still another man, living at Dallas station,
owns flock Of long distance Antwerp Car
rier pigeons which he now is training
westward, expecting to liberate them at the
Worlds Fair during the Pigeon Flyers
tournament. He has birds in his lott bred
from flyers of 300 and 900 miles, and many
of them have to be shut in, because they
would fly back home to their former owner
if they we're permitted their liberty. He
permits the young flock to fly about his
home. Each week finds six or eight beauti-
full Antwerps slowed away in = basket and
intrusted to some Of the express messengers
on trains bound westward, who liberate
them at the station that has been agreed
upon. and in few hours they are found in
their lott as happy aud as full Of lie as il
nothing wonderful had been done by them.
Antwerps are usually trained westward
from their loft, seldom eastward. They
have the wind current with them, which is
an advantage in last travelling. Several
society ladies are among PIttsburg's pigeon
fancera
One fancier in Baltimore erected some
time ago q good pigeon house costing
81. 200, and his flock OF Short-face Tumblers
represent a money value of from s., 900 to
81, 600. This man is one of the leading mer-
chants of Baltimore, past go years OF age,
years. He has every work published on
pigeons, and for many years has sought his
greatest pleasure and relaxation from the
world and business in his pigeon house. He
thinks it is the best investment man can
make for rest
We have had discussion as to the num-
ber of generals there have beon our
army; will you enlighten US on the subject?
r. ANDF.
If you refer to all the officers entitled to
be called generals" who served in the
army, we can't give you much light There
were 1888 Major Generals and Brigadier
Generals in the Union army during the
war, and probably about as many In the
Confederate army. Then there were others
before the war, and there have been 100 or
so since the war. But ii you refer to the
officers who have held the rank of General
of the army, We can enllghten you. WASH
ington, though generally supposed to have
been created General OF the army, never
held the rank; it wa. created for
Grant, by act Of July "a, 1866, and
he was promoted the next day. The grade
was limited to Grant and Sherman BY name.
Grant resigned March 4, 1869, and Sherman.
who had been promoted Lieutenant General
the same day Grant was promoted General,
succeeded him as second General OF the
army Sheridan became Lieutenant Gen
eral when Sherman became General and re-
NAMED in that grade until 1883, when law
having been passed reviving the grade of
General, he was promoted June 2, 1888.
When he died in July, 1888, the gra les of
General and Lieutenant became extinct.
The highest rank in the army now is that of
Major General commanding the army
hot "a h-.t ha
During the discussion of the late silver bill
it was sue, es ted tha, tho House Committee
On Rules might "brins in cloture rule"
Cloture means the closing, the shutting
up of anything. The word was originally
French, and is applied now only to pro-
ceedings taken in q parliamentary body to
put an end to debate. The previous ques-
tion is a species of cloture. The worth was
brought into use in the British Parliament
some ten years ago. Until that time there
was no rule to prevent q member from talk
ing a year at time; and the Irish members
prevented anything from being done bv
talking, talking, talking. Finally the idea
OF shutting them off was acted upon, and
the process OF cloture was brought over
from France. Now in Parliament, when a
member of the Government moves the clo-
ture, the Speaker puts the question tnaL
the debate be now closed; if certain pro-
portion OF the members present vote in the
affirmative, the debate is closed and the
question put With us the proposed clo-
ture rule would have been to the effect that
debate on the bill should last a certain
length Of time, and that then the question
should be put. In England they now call
''cloture" by the better name ''closure."
What is the income Of Queen victoria1
s. +. HARBIsoH..
She gets as Queen 1855, 900 year, equal
to about 81, 925, 900. and as Duchess OF Lam
caster about ESQ. 900, equal to about $780,
600. Her private investments are believed
to be considerable, though Mr. Henry La
bouchsre, who sat in the Parliamentary
Commission which Investigated her busi-
ness methods at her request, says that they
are much less than is usually belle we'd. The
''civii list" is not all at the Queens dis
posal, however; ESQ, 600 go to her for her
''privy purse" Tor the salaries OF her house
hold' she gets e131, ,260 and for its ex-
penses e172, 500; tor the royal bounty, to be
expended in certain ways, she has e13, 200;
and for various purposes, "sundries,
e8,0 She gets less than any other SOW
ereign of the FIRST rank, and less than her