The morning times., 1896-07-19
ELECTING A PRESIDENT
ON THE HIGH SEAS
Pigeons Are Trained to Take Bulle-
tins to Steamships in Mid-Ocean.
downright, 1857

1
county at one OF the most critical perio rs
| or its political history. The election OF
a President is taking place at home with
all that election means to this country,
and they must be in Ignorance OF II Tor
! ays to come.
With business men and politicians who
/ cannot remain at home at that time this
I is particularly exasperating. and many Il
man, telling afterward Of his trip abroad.
! at this important juncture. declares that
/ he neither ate nor slept for three days in
| his anxiety to know the result. Business
| calculations were impossible and no projects
( could be mapped out.
| Besides people to whom the election re-
= suit is "a matter OF business life or death,
there are many who want to know the cleo
ton results from other motives. They are
Interested. They like to keep in touch with
the land. And. more than that. they would
/ like to lave the pleasure OF seeing an cleo
: ton bulletined at sea.
! POLITICS ON THE OCEAN
An election on the high seas has been
| plannet for these tourists, and when No.
vember comes, If you happen to sail away
on an up-tc-date steamer you Will be
| treated to the novel sight o. election re-
| turns in midocean.
Tapping the cable would be one way to
| do this. but tapping is expensive. and the
| ship would have to stay stationary for q
| long time. 1t could not move along and
| continue to know the news. But there is
another way OF carrying news to sea, and
this is by the carrier pigeon.
Carrier pigeons have been used for trans
hitting messages for five hundred years
A writer Of the time of Columbus speaks
| OF '.parchment-bearing birds" and all
| through history. from the time that Noah
| sent u dove out OF the ark To find dry
land, these peculiar hone-loving birds have
| been used as message carriers. The pTin-
ciple upon which they act Is love OF hc.-e
| and nest. Ii is love. or instinct so
great that they will return home, for thou
sands Of miles, wherever liberated.
/ The principle utilized in sending MESA ges
| to stea mships ia mid-Ucean Will le are
same as always employed with carrier
| pigeons. The pigeons will lie cooped In
| the vessel, housed there for months, a lowed
| TO raise their young there, and whilc en-
| gagged In these domestic operations will
| he 10 ken back and forth over the water.
| So accurate are they in courses and dis
tances that the route will become familiar
| Ia them, and when set free they Will find
| it as unerringly as q manner with chart
| before him.
| There are only u few strains OF pigeons
| that Can find their way over water. Others
| require landmarks. rs steeples, rivers. CouD-
| try stretches and towns. Bat these strains
| show peculiar aptitude for flying over
the water. Strange TO say, the birds who
| do this are the ones who were raised in
foreign Countries. or whose ancestors came
from there. The German birds and the
| English re very clever at ocean flying. and
| the Antwerp, Berlin and Liverpool birds
| are said TO lie peculiarly adaptable. But
! this may be because the experiments have
| been made with these birds mostly. Few
| were born over there, but their blood is Of
/ that strain.
| After coping a family Of pigeons Upon a
vessel for long time, and allowing them
| their liberty one by one. few minutes
at time. 1t Is seen that the bird does not
! apparently notice that the vessel is in IN o.
| ton. 1t viii rise from the ship, soar round
! and round few times, settle upon The mast,
! and finally ny down to The rail and tn the
coop where its mate is. Other vessels may
he passing, but the bird ma kes no mista Ike
= In midair- II Is impossible to deceive
| him.
| MALE GOES BEST.
| THE female does not do quite so we'll.
though apparently anxious to do better.
She rises, flies round and round, starts
! DOWNWARD toward Tue ytsse., out appar-
entity Loses her way or gets confused, Cor
| it is necessary TO stop the boat and wait
| for her or send up her mate As a long
distance flyer she is not as good, either.
| Her peculiar virtue is that she is more
trustworthy and will carry heavier bur
dens. A female pigeon will never detach
| the slip OF paper from her wing or leg.
| and will fly along handicapped by
large sheet IL closely rolled. But the male
Will become impatient, and il he finds
! II difficult to soar will clip the wire or
| string with his sharp little hiH and come
| on unhand!capped by the message with
| which he started.
In sending the Presidential messages out
| to vessels many interesting experiments
| VIII be made for the first. time. One OF
| these is in the distance which a carrier
| pigeon will fly over the water. A guod
| flier will go mile minute for many
| miles, but whether he can keep up the
| pace for thousand miles is uncertain
| II bird with record, he should be able
| to fly at least Il thousand miles in twenty
| four hours, with several hours to spare for
resting.
The fr.gate bird, the new African bifd,
| has a record of $50 miles an hour, md
| can fly across the ocean in a day. 1t can
| leave Africa in the morning and roost
| at night upon the Statue of Liberty. But
there are too few OF these birds here yet.
This resting or perching is what is
! the dread OF those who wish to expert
| ment with pigeons as ocean mrsseng-ra.
| The birds will not fly at night. When
| it comes dark they perch upon the highest
point and rest until light again.
Now, suppose that carrier pigeon over
taken by darkness happens to perch upon
| the mast of returning steamship. by
morning il will have been taken back over
the course and will have Just as much
farther to fly. That night it is della ycd
| again and carried back on another return
ing mast, and so on indefinitely until the
other side of the water is reached, after
| an incalculable amount of delay.
But this is looking at the matter in
| the worst possible light. II is giving al
| the chances against the bird and none
| in his favor-iuSt as il You cited the dan
gers OF pigeon shooting and accidents on
| land and none OF the favorable conditions.
stEEPLEss ON THE WING.
As matter OF fact, at sea the birds
| fly late. They get the last red or the
sunset and only settle down when IL disa;,-
pears. They are peculiar in that they sae
| almost sleepiess when away from home,
| and they fly at dawn. Three o'clock is
| none toe early for them to wing AWAY,
| and on moonlight nights and in Sht
| they often fly without stopping, except
| at the darkest hour 'twixt dawn and day
This gives them great advantage over
common birds, and even should Il bird be
SO unfortunate as to perch upon Il return
ing steamship he could seen overtakc him.
| self next day and lie far ahead OF his pre-
| vious day.
Another point is made in favor OF the
birds. Their course Is q very direct the
Their home instinct is so strong that they
/ go in straight line towards IL, without
the deviation Of u foot in q miles fly. Not
| even the wind affects them. That teing
the case. it is probable that ca tricr pigeon,
bound for vessel In midocean on its way to
4 EurofNe would take STRAIGHT fprrkc mi