Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-09-26
USE OF HoMING PIGEONS.
Italy First Employed Them as War
Messengers-Record Flights.

For centuries good and bad news, pray
ers for help, secrets of state, tidings of
wars victories and defeats have been
sent under a pigeons wings. Egyptian
records show that they were used in the
land at Pharaohs thirteen centuries be-
fore Christ. Ovid tells that they carried
the news of the Olpmpian games to the
distant friends and relatives of the VIC
tors.
Three years ago the admiralty, says the
London Globe, decided to abolish the
elaborate carrier pigeon service which
had long been established in the royal
navy, though the loft at Malta is still re-
tanned. The first cote was established
at Whale island, in Portsmouth Harbor,
a number of officers at the signaling
school there training pigeons at their
own expense. The experiments proved
SO successful that eventually the intelli-
gence department threw an official aegis
over the pigeon cotes and the result was
the establishment of commodious lofts
at Portsmouth, Davenport and Sheerness
First-class carrier pigeons are very ex-
pensive; some stud birds costing as
much as GEO. and they can attain the re-
markable speed of nearly 1,5OO yards a
minute. The birds were trained all along
the coast and nter-communication be-
tween dock yards was maintained by
this means.4
A few years ago the Japanese govern
ment obtained all possible information on
the subject of pigeon breeding in this
country and purchased a large number of
birds from English fanciers. Although
tn italy hpIonpS no rraJit pf huy Grr -
| recognized the utility of training pigeons
as messengers of war, France, Germany,
Russia and Denmark were not slow to
take advantage of this mode of sending
news in the time of strife.
1t was during the Franco-German war
that pigeons proved their utility as gov
eminent letter carriers. When Paris was
| invested by the enemy and all the ordi-
nary channels of communication with the
outside world were cut off the attention
of the authorities was directed to the fact
| that the carrier pigeons in the city could
| be brought into service. At first the sug-
gestion was ridiculed, but the practical
| biity of the plan was soon demonstrated
and in very short time birds were con
veyng news into and out of the besieged
| city almost hourly.
During the South African war, when
| Sir George White was beleagued at
Ladysmith, a few pigeons belonging to
| English fanciers which had been taken
| into the town before the siege proved OF
! inestimable value to the gallant comman-
| der in conveying messages to the base
at Durham.
| The organization of pigeon posts fol
military purposes in Germany is of an
extremely practical character, In addi-
| ton to the various government lofts in
| the fortresses and at important strategic
| points. most of the homing clubs place
| their birds in case of need at the DISPOSE
| ton of the state, and in return for this
| the same protection is afforded to then
| pigeons as to those which are the prop
! erty of the government. They bear an
official mark and it is criminal offense
| to trap or shoot them or to detain them
should they stray into a private loft
A Manchester firm of mill owners is. re-
ported to be possessed of pigeon which
has been employed as messenger from
one mill to another for over ten years
During that period it has made over-2,OOC