The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1895-08-10
cArALIhAs p,oEoN POST
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IN TITS Coantxy.

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in TAs Coantsy.
So far q can learn, the only rega-
lar pigeon post service on this side c&
the certlnentor the other Il that which
bears messages every day In the SUM
mer season between Los Angeles and
the little town Of Avalon, on Catalina
island, and bears them at speed
which can be beaten only by the tele-
graph or telephone, says the San Fran
cisco Chronicle.
The steamers run once day between
island and mainland, and once it has
cast loose from the wharf the ialand,
with . summer population S1 perhaps
several thousand, IL - completely cut
Oh from the world - though It were IN
mid-ocean, and yet the shore Il scan4
twenty miles away. The demand Tor
some additional service grew. Often
there were men of affairs among the
visitors, and they were not infrequent-
ly sore distressed to dnd means Of COM
munication. I remember hearing one
fnancier declare: "I'd give Ave hum
dred dollars gladly to get dispatch -
Los Angeles; it would be worth Ave
thousand dollars to me easy"
It remained for two young men At
Los Angeles, Otto and Oswald zahn, T.
relieve the island visitors and residents
from their embarrassing isolation. This
was accomplished by the establishment
Of carrier pigeon post between Ava
Ion and Los Angeles. The service was
lnaugurated last summer and conduct
cd for several weeks with unequivocal
success. It was feared at first that the
pigeons, which are distinctly LAND
birds," might hesitate to fly across 70
large body Of water; but, as far N
known, there need have been no cause
for anxiety on this point. The message
bearers usually started without delay,
arriving at their destination with GER
tainty and promptness almost incredi-
bic. The airline distance from Avalon
to Los Angeles is about 6fty miles.
This was accomplished by some Of the
Catalina flyers in fifty minutes. From
three to four hours is required to make
the trip by railroad and steamer.
Last year considerable revenue w1s
earned in the forwarding Of dispatches
~ OAAA NoVoAAAO ~ VIC WAA8SA SA4Vo0SAS-
gers. Small bills posted conspicuously
about the town of Avalon convey the
somewhat startling information to the
irresolute islanders that ''private meg
sages and business orders may be for
warded at any hour of the day, and, In
connection with the telephone, tele-
graph and cable lines, to any part Of
the world"
The young pigeon fanciers also ada
to their income by supplying the daily
press of Los Angeles with the latest
news from Catalina.
Last year the Zahns had not more
than dozen homers in the service, and
it was found by repeated fayings at
short intervals that the birds towards
the end Of the season became less re-
liable. It is not the fight across the
water that exhausts them, but the box
ing and shipping on the return trip.
The ZahD lofts 1t Avalon and Los An
Reles number this year nearly one hum
dred birds of hlgh degree, and these
will insure constant and efficient serv-
ice to and from the island throughout
the summer.
In q very few instances the birds
have been wounded by pot hunters q
thoughtless sportsmen-