The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1895-05-17

A much more rapid transmission
of messages between the islands
than is afforded by any present
means is urgently needed. An
heliograph system has been sug-
gested, and there is no doubt but
that when the conditions, i. g.,
bright sunshiny days and clear
nights are favorable, it would work
well. But there are great many
days in the year, particularly in
the winter months, when the hello
graph would be useless. It would
be well before establishing this
system to make few experiments.
For instance, select a favorable
spot on Oahu and another on Mo-
lokai, equip them with the neces-
sary apparatus and ascertain by
actual experiment how often and
how long each day messages can be
transmitted. The heliograph in
certain situations and conditions
has proved of great value. When
portions of an army are separated
in wild and unsettled countries,
the heliograph is often the only
means of conveying intelligence
between the different commanders,
but when it is needed to convey
messages between settled points or
from any reasonable distance, say,
600 miles, there is no better means
Of doing so (leaving Geographic
communication out of the ques-
tion) than by the use of homing
pigeons.
The distance between Honolulu
and the farthest point on Hawaii
offers no obstacle to the sure and
rapid fight of these wonderful
birds. All that is needed is to
establish q loft in Honolulu and
equip it with from fifty to one hun
dred frst-class homers, and in a
short time they can be trained to
fly from any point on these islands
to their loft in Honolulu. Several
persons on Hawaii and Maui are
breeding homing pigeons and max
ing use of them to convey messages
from places where there is no tele-
phone communication.
A short time ago some homing
pigeons belonging to G. P. Wilder,
of Kahului, were flown from Lau-
pahoehoe to their home at Kahu-
lui.
A celebrated breeder of homing
pigeons passed through Honolulu |
some time ago. He was asked as
to the possibility of flying homers
between Hawaii and Oahu. On
being informed that the distance
the birds would have to fly would !
not exceed $50 miles, he replied |
that would be an easy undertaking |
for well-trained birds. When rec
ords made by homing pigeons are
noticed, the above statement does |
not seem out of place.
There are established records as
follows: SIS miles in II hours,
SIS miles in II hours, 40 minutes,
go miles in Is hours, % miautes,
and 515 miles at the rate of 1900
yards per minute. There are many
instances on record of wonderful
fights made by these birds. Some
years ago a number Of the birds
were taken aboard O steamer leav-
ing New York. On the following
when the vessel was $50 |
miles from land, the birds were
liberated. They all arrived home
before night. Again, a merchant in
Holland had fine loft of homers,
which he sold to go to Algiers.
They were taken there and the
merchant received news of their
safe arrival. One morning, some
time after, he saw a worn and
weary pigeon light in the empty
loft. A close inspection showed it
10 be one of the birds he had sent
to Algiers. Correspondence with
the parties in Algiers proved that
he bird had arrived there, but
jound its way back over the i'm
mense distance which separates
Algiers from Holland.