The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-08-20
CATALINA'S PIGEON POST.
Probably the Only Feathored Mall Service
"a Thj. Ccunt-y.

Ia ALMA Fi1EStN ESSts
eroba bly, the Only Eeathorcd Nau SERVES
IN This Country.
So far as can learn, the only regu-
lar pigeon post service on this SIDE OF
the continent or the other Is that which
bears messages every day in the sum-
ner 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 teie-
graph or telephone, says the San Fran
cisco Chronicle.
The steamers run once a day between
island and mainland, and once it has
cast loose from the wharf the island,
with summer population OF perhaps
several thousand, is as completely cut
off from the world as though it were in
mid-ocean. and yet the shore is scant
twenty miles away. The demand for
some additional service grew. Often
there were men of affairs among the
visitors. and they were not infrequent-
~ sore distressed to find means OF COM
munication. ! remember hearing one
financier declare: I'D give five hun
dred dollars gladly to get dispatch to
Los Angeles: it would be worth i've
thousand dollars to me easy"
Il remained for two young men OF
Los Angeles, Otto and Oswald Zahn. to
relieve the island visitors and residents
from their embarrassing isolation This
was accomplished by the esta blishrnent
of carrier pigeon post between Ava
lon and Los Angeles. The service was
Inaugurated last summer and conduct
ed for several weeks with unequivccai
success It was feared at first that the
pigeons, which are distinctly land
birds" might hesitate to fly across so
large body of water; but, as far as
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-
BILE The airline distance from Avalon
to Los Angeles is about fifty 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 considera BILE revenue was
earned in the forwarding Of dispatches
from Catalina by the winged messen-
gers. Small bills posted conspicuously
about the town of Avalon convey the
somewhat startling information to the
irresolute islanders that private mes
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 add
to their income by supplying the daily
press Of Los Angeles with the latest
news from Catalina.
Last year the Eahns had not more
than a dozen hotners in the service, and
it was found by repeated fyings at
short intervals that the birds towards
the end Of the season became less re-
liable. 1t is not the flight across the
water that eXhausts tkem, but the box
ing and shipping on the return trip.
The Zahp lofts at Avalon and Los An
geles number this year nearly one hum
dred birds of high degree, and these
will insure constant and efficient serv-
ice to and from the island throughout
the summer.
In very few instances the birds
have been wounded by pot hunters or
thoughtlesS sportsmen.