Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-04-29

steamer and hold its sessions, afloat. So
the reporters took some pigeons aboard,
wrote their messages on "flimsy" and dis
patched the birds. In the newspaper Of
flee which tried the experiment one might
have heard the city editor yell: boy.
copy the roof.
A bill was introduced in the last Con-
gress by Representative Daniel Lafean to
prohibit the killing of pigeons engaged
In interstate flights. This bill has the
earnest support of the national associa-
ttcn. and it Is trying to bring it to
passage. Whether this bill, II enacted.
would apply to the hawk in the tower Of
the Washington city post office is MOI
known. 1t seems that the pigeons of the
country understand that Fourth Assistant
Postmaster General De Graw. veteran
newspaper man, Is their friend. and when
passing Washington they. are inclined to
stop and rest. But hawk made his
home in the clock tower OF the post of5ice
for years. and his favorite diet was hon.
ing pigeons Finally orders. were issued
declaring the hawk a bandit, who could
be shot on sight. and the Post Office De-
partment forthwith became an arsenal
At this juncture,. Edward r. Clark. an
authority on ornithology, appeared as
champion Of Mr.. Hawk, with the promise
that II the hawk be given week OF grace.
he would leave for the tall timber. never
to be seen again. On that ground stay
OF execution was issued and the hawk
proved Clark a prophet.
u
The rise Of wireless biography has been
severe blow to the homing pigeon. Be
fore the advent
Wireless a Blow Of wireless
to Homing Pigeon. EVERY EVERY ' inte1li.
gence Office in the world was equipped
with supply Of the dainty winged mes
sengers. But with the universal applica-
ton Of wireless in field service the use
fulness Of the pigeon has been lost. Eng
land alone has disposed of thousands OF
them. Some claim that 1T has been
blow In more direct way, and assert
that the pulsation of electrical messages
in the air explains a, large number of
fatalities that have occurred during
flights. -
Pigeons have figured prominently in
history Holy Writ's dove that went
abroad and returned with the news of the
subsistence of the flood is thought to have
him into the ark. Three thousand years
before Christ messages were borne to
kings from their armies in the field by
carrier pigeons. 1t was through them
that Caesar received his first news of the
uprising in Gaul. The Crusaders found
them Of great service. and the birds usu-
ally carried the news of the results Of
the Oiympian games to distant centers..
Mary. Queen Of Scots, asked to be al
lowed to raise them as a Ircease from
sorrow in the days of her Imprisonment.
1t is claimed by a Baltimore fanoier
that a pigeon bore the first news Of the
Inauguration Of Mr.. Taft to the outside
world. 1t will be remembered that the
terrific storm Of March put every train
and every telegraph and telephone wire
between Washington and the outside
world out Of commission. A Baltimore
boy brought his favorite pigeon to the
inauguration and released it with mes
sage few minutes after Mr.. Taft took
the oath of office. Forty-seven minutes
later the pigeon was in Baltimore with
the news. The fancier claims that this
was in advance Of the wireless report.
Tomorrow-sWATTIN THE FLY.