The St. Johns herald., 1896-02-22
cATALINA's PIGEON POST.
Probably the Only Feathered Mall Service
 in This Country.

Probably the Only Feathered Mall Service
 in This Country.
 So far as I can learn, the only regu- lar pigeon post service on this side or the continento or the other is that which bears messages every day in the sum- mer season between Los Angeles ana the little town of Avalon. on Catalina island, and bears them at a 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 1t has cast loose from the wharf the island, with summer population of perhaps several thousand, is as completely cut of from the world as though 1t were in mid-ocean, and yet the shore is 8 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- ly sore distressed to find means of com munication. I 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"
 It 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 establishment of carrier pigeon post between Ava lon and Los Angeles. The service was lnaugurated last summer and conduct ed for several weeks with unequivocal success. It was feared at first that the pigeons, which are distinctly Hand 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 cer. tainty and promptness almost incredi- ble. 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 considerable 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, tcle' graph and cable lines, to any part od 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 Zahns had not more than dozen homers in the service, and it was found by repeated fyings al /; short intervals that the birds towards the end of the season became less re liable. It is not the flight across tho water that exhausts them, but the box ing and shipping on the, return trip The ZahD lofts at Avalon and Los An /! geles number this year nearly one hun dred birds of high degree, and these l will insure constant and efficient serv ice to and from the island throughout the summer.
 In very few instances the bird have been wounded by pot hunters O 1 thoughtlesS sportsmen.