The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1898-04-13
Pigeons For Use In War.


''Five thousand birds, all trained and |
experienced flyers, could and would be
placed at the disposal of the United !
States government by Philadelphians
in the event of war between this coun-
try and Spain; that is, if the govern
ment would accept them.n
The speaker was one Of the best
known raisers aud trainers of homing
pigeons in the United States. In a
chat with an inquirer reporter yester-
day afternoon he told a whole lot of in
teresting things in connection with
homing and carrier pigeons and the
service they could render to the United
States in war with another nation.
"Of course, you will understand that
it is only il a naval engagement" he
said, "that the birds would be valuable.
In land battles the telegraph and the
field telephone would furnish more
rapid means Of transmitting messages.
But on the sea, where it is likely that
most of the fighting between this
country and Spain will be done, if any
is done at all, electricity cannot be
used, for reasons which are obvious.
Still, it is often just as important that
quick communication be had with the
shore and with the naval officials at
Washington during battle between
the warships as between regiments Of
land-fghters.
FREE To THE GOVERNMENT.
sPhiladeIphians have paid more at
tention, perhaps, to the raising aud
training OF homing pigeons than the
people of any other one locality in the
country. As a result, there are Mt least
thirty thousand birds of various ages
and in various stages of development
and training owned in the city today.
or this number at least ten thousand
are fit to be put to work carrying war
messages, and five thousand, have not
the least doubt, would be offered free
70 the Navy Department the minute
it became known that they woald lie
used.
''Some of these birds hold champion
ship records for long. distance flights,
and all of them are good ones. Take
the loft owned by w. 5. Torkin gtOn,
jr., of West Philadelphia, for instance.
Mr.. Torkington, by the way, wrote TO
Secretary Long only a few days ago
offering the pick of his flyers to the
government. Included ia the number
are birds that have won the West Pail
adelphia district championships at 2O0,
800 and 4Oo miles, and one that finished
second in the 500 mile race. HIS loft IS
bred principally from Kingston and
Twilight, two of the most famous
breeders in the world, and the birds he
would turn over to Secretary Long
could be depended upon to bring home
every time the messages with which
they were intrusted.
NOTED ONES AMONG THEM.
"Charles II. Jones, of Clifton Heights,
the racing secretary of the National
Association of Homing Pigeon Fan
eiers, is another whose lrfG Of long dis
tance flyers would be turned over to
the Government He has one hundred
and twenty-five or more birds. Arthur
| McGinn, the weIl-known contractor,
has also offered 100 OF his 2O0 flyers to
the government, one of them being
the celebrated Gainesville, the homer
that finished second in the wOrld-fam-
ed race in which the winner flew GA
miles between sunrise and sunset. The
loft of COnnel & Sloan, located in West
Philadelphia, would furnish fifty first
class birds, the most celebrated being
the winner of the 500 mile West Phil
adelphia district race last year. Au-
other breeder whose birds are at the
disposal of the government is Louis A
Mehler, of Twentieth and Diamond
streets, who turned over n lot of the
homers to Secretary of the Navy Her
bert during Clevelan1's last admins
tration, the latter making a number oI
highly satisfactory experiments with
them. But the list could be extended
indefinitely"
The method of utilizing the pigeons
by the Navy would be extremely sim
pie. Cotes Of birds would be carried
on board each of the warships, one cote
from each city or town with which it
might become desirable to eommuni
cate. These could be coast or inland
cities, although the former would bC
preferable, as all communications could
be forwarded from them to Washing
ton by wire upon the arrival of the
message-bearing birds more rapidly
than the pigeons themselves could
make the trip.
SENDING A MESSAGE
Before or after battle, or even dur
ing an engagement, should the com
mander OF a ship or of the fleet want tC
send word to the national capital or Il
any other place, he woald simply cause
the message to be written on the light
paper that is used for the pIrp)se aud
fastened to the tail feathers of the bird
whose home loft was in the town near
est to the place for which the message
was destined. Once given its liberty
the intelligent and home-lOying flyer
would do the rest. During war will
Spain it is probable that a mJority Of
the most important naval engagement
would be fought within one hundred
and fifty miles of the Florida coast
Under such circumstances, two hours
from the time bird was liberated from
a warship it could be in Key West OF
jacksonville, aud three minutes latel
its message would be in Washington
The government has already decidet
TO adop: homing pigeons as part oI
its lighthouse equipment, and it IS alto
gether likely that they will becom
valuable adjuncts of the Uaited States
navy. A war with Spain could Ger
tainly furnish an opportunity to de-
termine their practical worth for wal
purposes, and fanciers all over th'
country are sparing no efforts to in
a. -, ersr fha bird