Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-05-15
FLIGHT OF HOMERS
MORE THAN A THoUAND BIRDS
RACE TO NEW YORK.

Washington lovers of the homiug pigeon
lad the opportunity yesterday morning OF
seeing the start of one of the largest fys
that has ever been held in this city. Mr..
w E Dismer liberated 1870 of the birds
from Easby's Point at the foot of 26th
street promptly al Sol o'clock. The ar
rangement. which had been made with the
owners OF the birds. who are all members
of the Metropolitan Concourse Race Assoc
citation. which comprises clubs In Elizabeth,
Newark, Patterson and Jersey City n. J..
and New York city. Brooklyn and Staten
Island N. Y. was to open the Cages
promptly al o'clock IN the morning. bat
as yesterday morning dawned with heavy
clouds hanging low over the Potomac. Mr..
Dismer was not satisfied In his own judy
ment to allow the birds their freedom
without first consulting the owners. He knew
that the homing pigeon should rarely be
loosed upon a cloudy morning IL a record
fly is to be made. so he called up tue own
ers. who live in New Jersey. and after ex-
planning the condition of the weather here
was told to release the birds Immediately
for their return fly. Twenty-seven boxes,
with average of fifty-five birds to the
box. were placed in long line alDng the
river front. and some one was stationed at
each box who at given signal was to
throw open the top. Just at the moment
the birds were about to be loosed ore OF the
men who had been placed at one end of
the line away from the starter happened
to lift the lid a moment before the starter
was ready and several of the birds man.
aged to fly through the small aperture.
Mr.. Dsmer then ordered all the birds to be
looSed so the start might be a fair one.
and these which had been released should
not have the opportunity of having the adj
vantage of several minutes flight over the
others.
1t has rarely been the opportunity of
rs ii fS ut iG .sifN to ct -fal
than when these LOO pigeons seemed to
take flight in moment, and IL by magic
mount to the level of the lower skies They
arose in one great cloud, which obscured
the sky, and after they had reached a
height of about $40 feet the nock seemed
to be divided into equal portions and
after circling about for perhaps five min
utes endeavocing to ascertain their bear
ings struck out due north over the Heu-
rich brewery toward their lofts.
First Sight of the Kind
To many who were present it was the
first sight of the kind they had ever wit
messed, and the expressions of delight at
the sight We're numerous. This was per-
haps the largest number of birds ever con-
tested in a single race. and Mr.. Disner.
who is the secretary of the Washington
district of the National Federation of
American Homng Pigeon Fanciers. de-
Serves much credit for the way the ar
engagements for the fly were conducted. He
assisted yesterday by Messrs. J. c.
Ladd. Harry Herfurth and l.. Il. Nye. all
prominent fanciers of the homng pigeon,
who reside in this city.
After the fiocks had disappeared yester-
day several of the birds which had been
released became separated from the main
bodies on account of the cloudy weather,
circled about for short time and nndlly
returned to one of the adjacent lofts near
where they had jdst been liberated. 1t IS
more than probable that on account of the
heavy weather and rains which the birds
probably encountered on Their homeward
fly record was made. Last evening
several parties who had been up the river
canoeing during the afternoon found sew
eral homing pigeons which were so wet
they could not fly. and were easily cap
tared and brought to the city Later It IL
more than probable that some of the birds
were caught in the storm that swept over
the city yesterday afternoon and SO thor
oughly drenched that they We're unable
to continue their homeward flight.
The pigeon fancier generally counts upon
all the birds which have been liberated re-
turning to the home loft, but ii is more
than probable that number OF the pros
that were loosed yesterday morning VIII
not return AS the lowest value of these
birds is s. per pair, and many which We're
loosed yesterday are valued by their own
ers at SO per pair. If many were lost on
account of the prevailing bad weather the
loss to the fancierS will be considerable.
About an hour before the pigeons were
being released at fasDy folnl ny MI
Dismer and his associates fifty-seven birds
representing the Potomac Homing ana
pigeon Club were released at Breme. va,
for the fly to the lofts in this city, which Is
a distance of 100 miles. These birds were
released promptly at 1:33 O'CLOCK ana me
first birds reached this city in about three
hours after their release. The official
timers for this fly We're r. Riley, H. Bar
ron. w. Barron and w. H. Fugttt. and the
following the entries ana the average
speed made during the fly;
r. Duehring 0229 yards per minute
IT r Euhe l,Ooj.59 r. ]. Reed. l.004-go;
Rayly and True. 1.99l.S5; II. Luspy, 9fo;oo'
Bailey and Riley, 9l23l, ana I d. uAiet'