The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1897-10-10
UNCLE SANS BIRDS.
Carrier Pigeons Being Trained for
the Naval Service.

Carrier pigeons are to be used IN
the service of the United States navy,
and their training is one of the inter-
esting sights Of the navy-yard IN
Brooklyn. Sixteen pairs of breeding
pigeons were introduced into the navy
yard on July 1, 1896, and a pigeon cote,
twelve by twelve, and two stories high,
was built for their reception. Since
then the work of breeding and training
has gone steadily on. There are at
present in the cote fully 100 pigenos
sixty of which are in constant training,
while the rest are either breeders or TOO
young to have yet commenced active
service.
The education of the pigeons COM
mences when they are one month Old.
They are then removed from the lower
to the upper division of the cote ana
are put through a series OF drills 10
accustom them to passing through the
bob wires into the trap of the cote.
These bob wires are thick wires sus-
pended from a horizontal bar IN the
top of the trap and serve as grating
to it, 1t is extremely important in
the training of carrier pigeons for use
in the navy that the birds should learn
to push these wires aside readily in
order to enter the trap, the wires fall
ing back into place Immediately upon
the birds entrance. Until the pigeon
masters this lesson it is useless as
messenger. as much valuable time
would be wasted in securing the mes
sage attached to the bird, unless 1t I'M
mediately entered the cage, where
sailor is in waiting to relieve 1t OF us
charge.
The next series of drills is intended
to develop the pigeons staying powers
in the air, to strengthen their wings
and to enable them to fly long dis
tances without being overcome with
exhaustion. This is done by means of
a white flag attached to long pole.
BY f1uttering this among the birds they
are startled into a circling flight about
the cote, which is kept up as long as
Howard Garter, who is training
the birds for active duty in the navy,
thinks necessary The drill usually
lasts one-half hour For two months
the birds are drilled every morning in
this manner At the end of that time
they are given their first fly The
first journey is from Governors Island,
to which they are conveyed in a closed
basket by the steam launch of the Yer.
mont.
That successfully accomplished, they
are next flown from Staten Island, then
from the Narrows, then in turn from
Mono, N. j.; Atlantic City and Cape
May, on each succeeding occasion the
distance being greater Whenever
flown, a message, secured in an alumni
mum holder weighing only eight grains
is attached to each birds leg, and is
secured Immediately on its arrival at
the cote The minute of starting and
the minute of arriving are also closely
noted, and a day book is kept by Mr..
Carter containing each birds record.
The birds in training at present, six
ty-nine in number, are all of last
springs Matching, and some of them
have already made excellent records for
themselves 1t is rule that the pig
cons for use in the navy must, in train
ing, be flown constantly over the water
in order to accustom them to it.
The greatest speed the birds have so
far attained is fifty-six miles per hour;
the speed in general, however, varies
from thirty to fifty. The longest flight
taken was from Delaware Bay, May
18th. when several of the birds were
liberated from the battleship Texas at
$50 a. M and reached the Navy Yard,