The record-union., 1897-01-11
THE PIGEONS.
A Dense Fog Greatly Interfered With
the HOming Flight.


ing, long before the time set for liberat-
ing the pigeons for the great homing
race from this city to San Francisco,
| Oakland and Gilroy.
| The weather was very unfavorable
| for the flight and uncomfortable for
| the people assembled. Heavy. soggy
banks of fog overspread the sky, and
the sun was ait no time visible, yet the
people waited patiently until the birds
We're let loose.
When the birds came on the ground
the crowd that had waited good-na-
| turedly for the race cheered heartily
and closed around the baskets, but on
| being requested to give the birds
| chance, unhesitatingly opened lane
so as to give them a good opportunity
| to rise
AT 11:2o Hon. A. J. Johnston, Super
intendent of State Printing, pulled the
string, and the birds flew forward for
about a hundred yards, when they rose
in the air and began circling round and
| round to find their bearings.
The fog interfered SO greatly with
them that it was a. full half hour before
| they started on their straight flight for
their cotes. The people who had so
| patiently waited to see them let loose,
| as patiently waited to See them start
on their straight flight, and every few
| minutes the cry arose, They're Off!
| but these were false alarms, for the
| birds came circling back 50 many times
| that when they took their final straight
| flight the eager multitude expected that
| they would be back again in minute
or two, and many of them waited till
long after the birds had vanished from
view before leaving the grounds.
Raising and training homing pigeons
| is by no means an inexpensive amuse-
ment, for the pot-hunters on the
marshes, when they see the pigeons on
| the wing, have a very bad habit OF
| taking shots at them, if only for fun.
| They are satisfied if they can only
! kill something.
Because of this one man who was
| training sixty pigeons for this very
race lost fifty-four of them, and anoth-
er man who had about thirty lost every
one, and every man who was training
| his birds by short flights lost many
more than he saved. The association
| has, therefore, heartily joined hands
with the San Francisco Chamber OF
| Commerce, the Merchants Exchange,
the United States Weather Bureau and
| the Army and Navy Departments in
| urging the passage of a bill similar in
| character to the laws in force in most
of the Atlantic States, where the shoot
| ing of a pigeon ON a flight is made a
misdemeanor punishable by fine OF
! $50 or ten days Imprisonment.
| The War and Navy Departments are
| fully as eager to have the birds util-
| lied as are the officials of the Weather
Bureau and the general public.
William H. Arps of Oakland, Di-
rector of the Pacific Poultry and Pig
| con Association and one of the Execu-
| tive Committee, is here in the interest
| of the above association. He says they
| are going to have one of the largest
poultry and pigeon shows ever held in
| the West. They expect 1000 entries
| of poultry, and at least 800 of pigeons.
| The people of Oakland, where the
! show is to be held from the 23d to
31st of this month, are beginning to
learn that the poultry industry is not
as small an affair as it has heretofore
| been considered. The Board of Trade
and Merchants Exchange have prom
|
that the exhibition will be grand sue
cess.
| One of the features, besides the
| poultry and pigeon and pet stock ex-
| hibits, will be a 120-egg incubator
Matching chicks throughout the entire
exhibition. 1t will be lighted up in
the egg chamber by incandescent
| lights, which will give people who have
never seen a chicken come out of an
egg an opportunity to witness the novel
sight.
Another feature will be fine vaude-
vile entertainment and concert, which
| will give the visitors, when they be-
come weary of looking at the birds,
an opportunity to while away the even
| ings. He says the exhibition here is
as fine a one as he has ever attended,
some of the poultry, pigeons and dogs
| being able to hold their own in the
| strongest competition. AS whole, the
show stamps itself one of the best yet
| held on this coast