The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1893-04-20
PIGEONS FOR THE NAVY.

The new United States cruiser New
York is to have as an addition to her
equipment cote for pigeons for mes
senger service, the outfit to be presented
TO the cruiser by George w. Childs
The cote when completed will be fur
nlshed with carrier pigeons from the
lofts of those who at one time or
another during the past five years have
held prizes offered by Mr. Childs for
the best days work.
Many ideas have been advanced re.
garding the possibility of communicat-
ing between a vessel at sea, out of sight
of land, and the shore she had left,
some of which have been ChmeriCal in
the extreme, while Others have had
some scientific merit, at least in theory.
Most of these ideas relate in some way
to electricity, but of course the diff
Guilty has been and always must be to
establish affixed and definite road for the
electric fluid to travel Then, too, flash
lights have been suggested, which should
be reflected from the clouds and thus
become visible beyond the horizon, but
the clouds unfortunately cannot be
made to order, nor do they cover the
sky at the time when they might be
made useful as refleCtors.
Taking it all in all, the carrier pigeon
plan seems to present more chances of
success than any yet represented. The
wonderful instinct of these birds, if it be
instinct which guides them to their
homes, and the power they possess of
rapid and sustained flight, render it an
easy matter for ship crossing either
ocean to communication with her home
port in an emergency, and indeed, by
carrying two cotes of pigeons, homing
on opposite sides of the ocean, to com.
munlcate with either shore at pleasure.
The chief use of carrier pigeons in
this capacity would be naturally to send
to land news Of disaster and appeals for
assistance, and in this regard the birds
would be of more practical value in the
merchant marine than in the navy, that
is, in time of peace. In time of war
the navy could utilize them, perhaps,
but even then only under exceptional
circumstances. A man-of mar meeting
an enemy's vessel must either fight or
run away, and in either event aid from
shore distant, perhaps, thousand
miles or more, would arrive too late to
be of any use
On the other hand, it would seem
especially appropriate that the passen-
ger steamers should carry them. When
the Umbria was delayed in the Atlantic
and the Pekin in the Pacific a carrier
pigeon message would have relieved a
world of anxiety on the part of relatives
and friends of those on board the mis-
sing steamers, and in the case of the
Naronlc, now conceded to be lost, not
only might the mystery of her fate have
been solved, but possibly assistance
could have been rendered and many
lives saved.
1t will do no harm to introduce car
rler-pigeon service into the navy, but it
will do no special good. One thing is
certain, unless the cotes are closely
watched there will be diminution in the
number of the birds, for Jacky will not
make any distinction from gastronomic
points of view between carrier pigeons
and pigeons Of any other variety, and
will not be slow to add to his meal OF
hard tack, salt horse and lobscouse if
occasion serves. Chronicle.