Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-10-28
SPEED OF PIGEONS FLIGHT.
Bird Has Been known to Fly More
Than a Mile Minute.
From Tit-Bits.

From Tt-Bits.
So many wild statements are made as to
the speed of a carrier pigeon that 1t is in
teresting to learn how fast 1t can actually
travel under the most favorable conditions.
On a recent Saturday between 100000 and
800 600 birds were tossed IN competitions in
various parts of the country, and some
thousands Of these feathered athletes raced
to London from Retford and Branston,
Journeys of 127 and 115 miles, respectively.
The conditions were ideal; the weather was
beautifully clear and a fresh wind was
/ blowing to help the birds on their way; and
yet under such favorable circumstances
few of the birds attained sped of mile
minute, which in these days of swift loco
motion is beginning to be considered COM
parative!y slow.
Better times were made not long ago
when 900 pigeons were tossed at Temple
combe to race to London. Assisted by
southwest wind. they travelled so rapidly
that many of them had reached their cotes
some time before their owners even
thought of looking for them. One bird ac-
tually covered los miles in ninety-four min
utes, maintaining throughout the long jour
ney a speed of nearly sixty-nt1e miles an
hour: another did equally well by travelling
to Chelsea at the average rate of 2,01S
yards a minute, while one bird out of every
ten exceeded sixty miles an hour.
A very remarkable journey, which Illus
trates the endurance and courage of pig
con- was made some time ago by bird
called Silver Queen belonging to a member
of the Homing Club of South Pittsburg.
| On August I, 1900, this bird. with several
| Others was liberated from the roof of the
Brown Palace Hotel, Denver, in the pres
| ence of a large gathering of people interest
ed. The pigeons when released made sew
eral circles in the air then all of them few
| eastward They were first heard of four
| days later. when letter dated August IL
reached the Pittsburg club from Henry
| Homeyer of Zeback county South Dakota,
| saying that carrier pigeon arrived at his
| place that afternoon, just after the last OF
several terrific halstorms had cleared away.
| Mr.. Homeyer fed and watered the bird,
| which, afterward identified Silver Queen
| resumed its flight as though quite re-
| freshed
| Three weeks more passed. and as no fur
Their news of any one of the five birds was
| received. they were given up for lost But
| on September Albert Greb of Pittsburg
| the owner of Silver Queen, while in his loft
| early in the morning was astonished by
seeing his bird perch upon the window S..
| She had thus accomplished flight of L 700
| miles within period of thirty days during
| which she passed through many most Sc
we're storms of hall, rain and wind in
| magnificently successful effort to reach her
home and mate.
Belgium for some time the scene of
| daily race between a pigeon and a train
| which travels between Liege and War
| emme. of which the Mouse, leading Bel
| gian newspaper. gives the following ac
| count: 1.-THE train starts at three minutes
! to 10 am and crowd gathers daily to see
| the pigeon go with 1t. The bird wheels
| around the station while the passengers are
| taking their seats, and as soon as the whis-
| ties Is blown and the journey begins it
| takes up a position little behind the en-
| CINE, and there 1t flies, surrounded by the
| moist, though warm, steam, which it evil
| IDENTIFY enjoys
1T retains this position even while the
| train is passing through tunnels and APP
parently Is not incommoded in the least by
| the warm vapor. When the train reaches
| Its destination the bird flies swiftly along
| the railroad track back to ILege, where 1t
| arrives about half-past IL o'clock. This
pigeon was born at the railway station in
Lege and consequently is familiar with the
| trains, smoke and steam"