The daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Ind. Ter. [Okla.]) 1898-1902, 1899-03-15
NEWSPAPER PIGEONS.
The Birds Are Empioysd 20 Garry
+. Copy IN the british
Provinces. ~

! Provinces. ~
In the economy of an evening news
paper, in the British provinces At ali
events, the carrier pigeon plays an i'm
portant role a. messenger. siss-'
For newspaper purposes there IL NOT
much advantage in flying birds from
great distances. The Edinburgh Even
Ing Dispatch has some notable birds.
Except on rare occaxions, these arc
never flown further than 20 or rs miles.
Their work, AZ . rule, lies nearer home
in carrying to the offoe in Coekburn
street reporters copy from ths many
cricket, golf, football and sporting
fields that enoircle the city, and which,
with one or two exceptions, are not in
connection with either the telegraph
or telephone systems. Every Satur-
day, which is the great day for sports
In the Edinburgh district, a. many a.
90 or 40 birds are requihtioned a. mes
sengsrs. On the morning Of the days
when they are to be worked the pig
cons are sparingly fed. Like school
boys liberated from school, pigeons, II
they are hungry, will likely hurry
home, and when they do arrive there is
always a good feed of peas or maize
awaiting them.
The reporter writes his copy on
what Is known az '.iimsy"-a light
oiled paper, and uses oarbonized paper
TO obtain duplicate. The ''nimsy" is
attached to the leg or legs OF the pig
con by means OF elastic banda; and at
football and cricket matches the toss-
ing Of the birds from time 10 time Is
always watched by the crowd with
great interest. The arrangement at
the newspaper ONCE for trapping the
hrds and taking tho copy from them
II rather ingenious. In the Dispatch
ofiice, for example, there is clear fy-
in for the pigeons, through the Gus
tomary arched opening, into q small,
well-lighted compartment OF their
loft. The floor of this ANAL chamber
La q movable plate, nicely adjusted so
that the moment the pigeon alights
upon It two things occur. Tho weight
of the bird liberates catch and wire
portcullis noiselessy falls and closee
the entrance. At the same time, an
electric circuit il formed, and q ball |
rings in the subeditor's room TO give |
notioe Of the arrival Of the bird The
pigeon is thus its own jailor and her
aid. On hearing the bell, 9 boy In at
tendance runs to the loft trap, takes
the copy from the bird, and, through
an inner door, allows It TO enter tha |
loft proper. where 1t Is at liberty to
regale itself after its labors, Birds
do not always come straight home, and
even when they do so, they do not al /
ways hurry into the trap. II the day
Ia fine they win sit upon tho roof In the
sunshine and dress their plumsgs, and
occasionally they will amuse them
selves by picking the "fimsy" from
their legs, that being done when IL has
been oarelessly put on. In thsse cir
when the subeditor is
racing or football result, hls
on carrier pigeons and their
playful ways are apt not to be Of oom-
character. II is then that
The duplicate comes IN handy, for, aft
ir the pigeon has been dispatched, The
reporter endeavors TO send the copy
of the message that II carries to the
nearest railway. car or Telegraph its-
aon by hand messenger. In Edln-
,urgh, good Newspaper work has bean
lone by using carriers ID cohnsstfou
nth events occurring on ne Firth Of
Forth. 1t il obviously Of great I'm
'ortancs for an evening newspaper to
receive messages from reporter who
nay be several miles from land. When
be GEAR recently oams to Lsith, . rs-
'ortsr went down the Firth 10 msst
lin. and sent intimation Of the ap-
roach Of the imperial yacht by car